Club Obi Wan

Okay, last night I became one of those foolish-looking folks chase after their hats.

We had some WICKED winds blowing through last night, and just as I'm tucking the three-year-old into her carseat a wicked gust knocked me into the side of my truck and I could just feel the back of my AB lifting away from my head -

- you know that moment when you hope it won't happen? -

- and then it peeled off my head and went pretty much STRAIGHT UP.

Yup, I looked up to see my AB tumbling skyward for about twenty feet or so before coming back down in the parking lot - lucky me it landed somewhere dry, on clean pavement, and in a little wind-shelter so it didn't keep going. I couldn't just leave the three-year old dangling, so it took me a moment to secure her in the locked truck before I could even LOOK to see where the hat went.

Is that a record for a high flying AB?

I'm glad your AB landed somewhere clean and dry.

I have never had a Fedora go that high, but I have chased one down for about a full city block in the rain.
Cheers,
G-MANN

Throw me the girl, I'll throw you the hat! Quick, no time to argue!

My wife hates it when we're in a parking lot and my hat goes flying off. Traffic or no, I'm running after that dern hat! ...And for the record, that oncoming car was at LEAST a hundred feet away!

Was it a 1950 Plymouth, Bink?

Doesn't anyone staple thair hats on like Indy did anymore?

I had a hat blow off at the top of Mt. Monadnock. There was no way I was going to catch it as it headed to the edge. A young child stopped the hat for me. By the time I got there, I already had my wallet out and slipped the kid a few bucks.

Many of my photos from any summits I have climbed in a windstorm show me holding the hat. But it will blow off again, I assure you.

Hmmmm, chased one of my Stetson Indys for a half a block down Lake Shore Drive last summer.

Rick

Lucky you! Once while walking home from work (during the late 2004/ early2005 HEAVY rain), my Adventurebilt (the first one) blew off of my head after the wind had blown my umbrella inside out. I didn't get to chase after it, because it blew right off of the overpass I had been walking on. I was completely bummed, because I thought I had lost the hat, until the next day when I was walking to work over the same overpass, and saw the hat sitting on the shoulder below. I called a taxi, and had him take me down there to get it.

Scary when it goes flying, isn't it?

Strider wrote:Lucky you! Once while walking home from work (during the late 2004/ early2005 HEAVY rain), my Adventurebilt (the first one) blew off of my head after the wind had blown my umbrella inside out. I didn't get to chase after it, because it blew right off of the overpass I had been walking on. I was completely bummed, because I thought I had lost the hat, until the next day when I was walking to work over the same overpass, and saw the hat sitting on the shoulder below. I called a taxi, and had him take me down there to get it.

Scary when it goes flying, isn't it?

Heh I might have gone over or around the overpass to get it ;c)
I got my AB pretty darn tight to avoid this problem (and becuase I understand ford's hat was very tight) but I still keep a hand on it when the wind gusts, to be on the safe side. Once I let an english project blow out the car window because I had one hand on the wheel and one hand on the hat and none to keep the paper from leaving the car...

so it took me a moment to secure her in the locked truck before I could even LOOK to see where the hat went.

?????????

Rusty Jones wrote: Heh I might have gone over or around the overpass to get it ;c)

Well, I would've, but it was about midnight, and POURING rain at the time, and I couldn't see the hat from where I was standing. Also, there was still a decent amount of traffic, enough to the point where I wouldn't have made it accross the 5 lane freeway without becoming street pizza.

Jerry, for a moment there, I thought you were going to say that you'd lost your. AB.

Glad that your hat is safe and secure.

Snakewhip_Sable wrote:Was it a 1950 Plymouth, Bink?

If it was, I could've WALKED to get my hat!

As far as your hat getting a little beat up, just think of it as natural distressing.

Not if there was a tailwind and it was a down hill slope......

Regards! Michaelson

Last summer, I was wearing my AB when I went to the county dump to dispose of some used motor oil. They have some big tanks that you pour the oil into to be recycled.

The dump is literally acres of land with no trees to break the wind. There was no wind to speak of, so I didn't think anything of it as I got out of my truck to dump the oil.

As I was about half way from my truck to the oil tank, a gust of wind came out of nowhere, and I felt my AB start to lift off of my head. I was able to grab it before it went flying, and then realized that the odds were not very good, that if it came off of my head that it could land anywhere and not hit some dribble or puddle of used motor oil.

The thought of trying to clean used motor oil off of my AB, made me turn around and put my hat safely on the front seat of my truck. Jerry, I understand how lucky you feel that your hat did not land in something disgusting. I would probably not have been so lucky.

Jerry, I think you definitely have the record for the highest flying AB!...KC

Wind trolleys, gentlemen, wind trolleys.

Hemingway Jones wrote:Wind trolleys, gentlemen, wind trolleys.

We don't have trolleys in DC, but we do have the subway.

A word of advice from Mark Twain.

"Never run after your own hat. Others will be delighted to do it; why spoil their fun?"


I'm glad all of you have recovered your hats unharmed.

Any time I even come near having to walk over a bridge anymore, I take my hat off and hold it. When I'm accross the bridge, I put it back on. I know I used to look silly when a Semi truck would pass me, and I'd keep my hand at the ready to hold my hat on if it went flying. Wouldn't want to let the Adventurebilt go playing in traffic!

Hmmm, you guys have got me nervous, maybe I should just wear the Dorfman and keep the AB Deluxe locked away in it's box once it arrives
Rick

Hmmm, you guys have got me nervous, maybe I should just wear the Dorfman and keep the AB Deluxe locked away in it's box once it arrives
Rick

oh come on now, wear your AB, and take a little chance. What's the pion of having a great hat like the Ab and not wear it.

Strider wrote:Any time I even come near having to walk over a bridge anymore, I take my hat off and hold it. When I'm accross the bridge, I put it back on. I know I used to look silly when a Semi truck would pass me, and I'd keep my hand at the ready to hold my hat on if it went flying. Wouldn't want to let the Adventurebilt go playing in traffic!

hahaha...Strider, I'm picturing you walking over that overpass now holding the brim on both sides...

jpenman wrote:

so it took me a moment to secure her in the locked truck before I could even LOOK to see where the hat went.

?????????

Hmm. Sorry, Jpen, what's your question? I know I didn't explain that too clearly, but it wasn't the point, so I didn't waste a lot of words on it...the point was, hat gone or not, I am NOT leaving my three-year-old in an unsafe or insecure position to go get the hat. The entire exchange happened quick, but it consisted of me looking up, saying a bad word, then talking my little girl through what would happen next. "Daddy's going to belt you in here, lock the door, and chase his silly hat, okay? Be a good girl." "Okay, Daddy." Good thing it stopped only a little ways off, or else, I would have taken the truck to chase it. She's a good girl, but far more precious to me than my AB. Can you picture us chasing my hat in the truck? Yahoo!

What REALLY happened was that his daughter flew off!

"Daddy's going to belt you in here, lock the door, and chase his silly daughter, okay? Be a good hat."

I had one of mine fly off in the dark of night with no moonlight. It landed on the edge of a campfire and by the time I located it half the brim was up in smoke. That hurt. I figure Indy sure went through his share. Fedora understood my situation and came through quick with a replacement.

That was mighty decent of him, Flyer. I would have worried about losing track of mine in the dark too - but there were a lot of streetlights here. But it was something to see tumbling up into that black sky...

Glad you were able to get it back!

Thanks, Daniel - by your screenname you must be an SG-1 fan. Welcome to COW!

J

Jerry,

Glad your hat is still in ship-shape! I've had a few close calls with my Akubra, but y'know, the darn thing always comes back! I'm sure we could write a book on all the near-misses gearheads have had with hats, though.

Daniel Jackson,

Good to see another Gatehead around! You, me, and KT_Templar look to be the resident Stargaters, welcome aboard!

Cheers
Craig

Indiana Jerry wrote: hahaha...Strider, I'm picturing you walking over that overpass now holding the brim on both sides...

Silly hat! You ain't goin' no-wheres! Once, a semi-truck blew past me and I had my hands full. I thought for sure that my hat was going to zoom off of my head, but it was one of those times where the leather sweatband is stuck to the skin of your forehead, so the brim flipped up, and I went: "Ow!" But at least it didn't go anywhere on me.

Indiana Jerry wrote:Can you picture us chasing my hat in the truck? Yahoo!

Cue the banjo chase music!