Club Obi Wan

F.W.I. Fedora While Driving

So, here's a question for all the lid guru's out there. Do you wear your fedora while driving? Most late model cars have headrests that lean forward to keep your head from whipping backwards in the event of a crash. I've tried wearing my Fed IV while driving my Nissa XTerra and the back of the brim hits the headrest, driving me crazy. I end up getting frustrated and taking the hat off and putting it on the seat next to me, but that's not a great option because then it tumbles around, risking it falling on the floorboard.

SO, what do y'all do?

JRabbit

For me it depends on how tall the crown is. If I am wearing a porkpie, I can wear it. If it is one of my Indy hats, it is cutting it close. Anything taller & I cannot. It also doesn't help the process that the non-factory seats in my truck sit up about an inch hight than the factory buckets.

I have a small plastic margarine tub taped on top of the dash that put my hat on while driving. It probably wouldn't work in a smaller car, but for my Pathfinder it works great.

Yep. The only cars that cause problems for me are those with low rooflines. Seat rests don't bother me too much as my brims are usually very floppy, and the brim just bends upward when they come in contact.

When in the Plymouth, I could wear a tophat and it wouldn't be a problem.

Regards! Michaelson

I drive an SUV so there's plenty of head room, and I'm over 6' tall. I sit the back of the seat up almost vertical so the head rest is not a problem. With my lid on, I don't need the sun visor!

I drive a new Eclipse - either way, it would look silly I think. Now if I had a pickup or a jeep, the look my be more fitting.
But then again, I don't yet even own an Indy fedora so what the heck do I know?

Chewbacca Jones wrote:I have a small plastic margarine tub taped on top of the dash that put my hat on while driving. It probably wouldn't work in a smaller car, but for my Pathfinder it works great.

NICE

Chewbacca Jones wrote:I have a small plastic margarine tub taped on top of the dash that put my hat on while driving. It probably wouldn't work in a smaller car, but for my Pathfinder it works great.

So, you've gone from the Diet Pepsi model to the I Can't Believe This Isn't Butter model?

binkmeisterRick wrote:So, you've gone from the Diet Pepsi model to the I Can't Believe This Isn't Butter model?

In my WWII jeep the head room is not a problem. Isn't there a gentleman's guide from the 30's that discusses that a gentleman shouldn't wear his hat inside a vehicle? I thought I came across that in a manners book of the period...not that we're gentlemen here....

88 olds no problem except when it's really really cold, my shocks seem to freeze and when I hit a bump my hat hits the roof. so I have to take it off. going to get the shocks fixed one day.

I drive a MINI Cooper and my Fed IV fits fine with room to spare on top. I tilt the seat back a bit, and the hat clears the headrest with no problem.

I try and avoid driving in mine......

There's a bit of a stigma in Oz towards what are known as "Hat-drivers"..

darthbish wrote:I try and avoid driving in mine......

There's a bit of a stigma in Oz towards what are known as "Hat-drivers"..

LOL. Yep, that and when they have the hats in the back window on the ledge there. (Sometimes on the top of some sort of crochet / quilt.)

nicktheguy wrote:In my WWII jeep the head room is not a problem. Isn't there a gentleman's guide from the 30's that discusses that a gentleman shouldn't wear his hat inside a vehicle? I thought I came across that in a manners book of the period...not that we're gentlemen here....

Some books say it, and some don't. That NEVER made any sense to me, as almost every car in the 1930's had no heater, clear up into the 1950's.

My 1950 Plymouth had two accessories listed (besides your after market items).....a radio, and a heater! It was not standard even then! Why freeze your head in winter just trying to follow 'proper manners'?'

"Proper' according to who?

Regards! Michaelson

binkmeisterRick wrote:So, you've gone from the Diet Pepsi model to the I Can't Believe This Isn't Butter model?

Michaelson wrote:Why freeze your head in winter just trying to follow 'proper manners'?'

I agree. Except that I have the same dilemma as JRabbit - the headrest gets in the way of the back of my brim. But as cold as it has been lately, I've just kept the hat on and put up with an occasional bump from the headrest.

There you go! That's the same thing I said I do in my first couple lines of my very first reply above.

By the way, JRabbit:

F.W.I. Fedora While Driving

I'm still trying to figure out how you get F.W.I. out of 'Fedora While Driving.



Regards! Michaelson

Fedora While Driving?



Maybe he's thinking Fedora While Intoxicated, which carries jail time.

binkmeisterRick wrote:Fedora While Driving?



Maybe he's thinking Fedora While Intoxicated, which carries jail time.

Man, I must have been intoxicated when I posted that!

Im 5'11" and can wear my lid in my '09 Mustang with no problems, and few inches to spare.

On my old Toyota truck, I just pulled the headrest off.

RaidersBash wrote:On my old Toyota truck, I just pulled the headrest off.

The only problem with that is that some seats you have to disassemble the seat to get the headrest off. They just don't pull up & out. Also, you run a higher risk of whiplash or worse if you get rear ended.

What I do is if the headrest is leaning forward you can take it off and turn it around so it slightly bends
away from the hat giving you an extra inch. Thats my idea.


Chase the whip Ace

jedichase wrote:What I do is if the headrest is leaning forward you can take it off and turn it around so it slightly bends
away from the hat giving you an extra inch. Thats my idea.


Chase the whip Ace

You read my mind Chase, that's what I am thinking I will do.

Just a wandering thought here, but you might want to think a bit before doing that.

Should you ever become involved (God forbid) in a collision and experience whiplash, and then it is discovered you turned the head rest around, therefore negating it's safety design to help prevent said neck injury, you may find youself on the outs with the insurance company.

You would not believe just how detailed an investigation is regarding an automobile involved in a serious accident. That would be quickly picked up in an investigation and turned over to any requesting insurance investigator.

I once worked a short stint in the Florida Highway Patrol homicide photo lab in Tallahassee, FL back in the late 80's (fatal car crashes are defined as 'homicides' by law enforcement, by the way), and printed literally THOUSANDS of investigation photos for that very reason.....and requested by the investigating officer, lawyers, and insurance company investigators. Those are the little details insurance investigators LOVE to 'discover' if it can save their company money.

Just tossing that out there.

Regards! Michaelson

UGH, thanks for bringing us back to reality Michaelson. Good advice. Looks like my best bet is to just not wear it while driving.....

But I'm certainly going to wear it while drinking! (Just not drive after)

JRabbit wrote:But I'm certainly going to wear it while drinking! (Just not drive after)

Or, better yet, drink from your hat. It holds much more than a mere pint!

Uh, that would be a big NO for me as I'm almost 6'4". Some cars I can't get since my head hits the headliner.

Michaelson wrote:Just a wandering thought here, but you might want to think a bit before doing that.

Should you ever become involved (God forbid) in a collision and experience whiplash, and then it is discovered you turned the head rest around, therefore negating it's safety design to help prevent said neck injury, you may find youself on the outs with the insurance company.

You would not believe just how detailed an investigation is regarding an automobile involved in a serious accident. That would be quickly picked up in an investigation and turned over to any requesting insurance investigator.

I once worked a short stint in the Florida Highway Patrol homicide photo lab in Tallahassee, FL back in the late 80's (fatal car crashes are defined as 'homicides' by law enforcement, by the way), and printed literally THOUSANDS of investigation photos for that very reason.....and requested by the investigating officer, lawyers, and insurance company investigators. Those are the little details insurance investigators LOVE to 'discover' if it can save their company money.

Just tossing that out there.

Regards! Michaelson

Thank you M for being the voice of reason. You beat me to it. Guys, lets not risk injury for wearing a hat. I have seen to many MVA's and I don't want to read about someone here with a neck injury because of a hat.

To be fair, one of our members was in a car crash last year, and he (and I think the EMTs) credited his Indy fedora for saving him from further injury. Anyone have the link?

RZ

I NEVER wear my Fedora while driving.

But then again, since I don't have a driver's liscence, I never actually drive...

Kind of making this a moo point (Cow's opinion)...

I just go my first Indy fedora, and I drive an 07 Mitsubishi Eclipse. I had thought that the fedora would be too tall to wear while driving, but its not bad at all. I wore it once while driving to work and turned a lot of heads (hardly anyone wears a fedora in my area).
Honestly, I don't think I will continue to wear it in the car because the crown and brim will hit the roof and back seat when I move around and get in and out. From a safety standpoint, I feel more comfortable driving with a baseball cap.
I bet John drives around town with HIS fedoras on, in his swwweeeet ride.

My vehicle of choice is a bicycle so the headroom is fantastic! -and yes the fedora stays on [but just in case I have a wind train]
In the thirties even small cars had headroom for a hat, one sat far more upright. I find most medium size cars now have little enough head room even without a hat.
As for where my hat goes; never on the parcel shelf, on my lap if I'm a passenger, or I hang it off any available coat hook or seat back.
the wind train is long enough that it hangs where it won't cover a window.