Club Obi Wan

I've been wondering if anyone else has experienced this (and maybe has thought of a solution):

I've stopped wearing my Fedora on major trips/voyages out of concern it would get blown off by the wind and lost.

This almost happened on a trip to Alaska (and where I was -- it would have been impossible to retrieve it if it had).
It was extremely windy so I had to stop wearing it completely on that trip (until I returned to a vehicle/airport, etc.).

Then, a similar thing happened on my last trip -- my (sun hat) was blown off my head several times and WOULD HAVE BEEN lost if not for the attached chin strap. If I'd been wearing my fedora -- it would have been blown off my head several times over (into the sea, off a steep cliff, or off the side of a mountain, etc.).

It was funny to see Indy almost lose his hat several times in the movies, but in real life -- it'd really be a bummer to lose a fedora like that. I've thought of fashioning a thin rope which would fit around the base of the crown -- then tying two free ends around my chin ... but that would look rather odd (plus, on really windy days/locations, the hat might still blow off and out of the rope [and still be lost]). I was in some really windy areas.

Any ideas, Adventurers?

Could just be me... when I grow my hair out, my hat gets stupid. It will "fit" fairly tight..... but if a gust of wind touches it, it's gone.

As soon as my hair is cut, it's tight as it can be and so far no wind can take it. I've experienced this with my Fed IV and a stetson that I own. both are immovable when my hair is short.

I've tried larger size hats with longer hair and they still whip away. I do not understand how to wear a hat with longer hair, so far.

Is this part of your issue maybe?

backstagejack wrote:Could just be me... when I grow my hair out, my hat gets stupid. It will "fit" fairly tight..... but if a gust of wind touches it, it's gone.

As soon as my hair is cut, it's tight as it can be and so far no wind can take it. I've experienced this with my Fed IV and a stetson that I own. both are immovable when my hair is short.

I've tried larger size hats with longer hair and they still whip away. I do not understand how to wear a hat with longer hair, so far.

Is this part of your issue maybe?

Thanks for the reply, Jack.
I wish it were that easy ... I have long hair but unless one of my hands is on the top of my fedora 100% of the time ... I'm always traveling to places with heavy winds where I would lose it (even my local seaside park has incredible winds at times!). If my hat blew off there, it's gone forever. No way to retrieve it in the big bay.

Even with a chin strap, a super-tight hat (with a brim) will blow off a person's head in heavy winds (it's simple aerodynamics). But with a chin strap at least -- your hat doesn't get blown into the ocean or off a cliff.

I'm thinking there may be no good solution for this ... unless I was able to sew 2 straps on the interior headband -- then pull them down and tie them/snap them together around my chin when it's windy. Maybe I could velcro them to the headband when not in use.

Coincidental that you should bring this up; I was thinking about posting a similar topic just a few days ago. I have terrible problems with any hat I wear blowing off in the wind... and there always seems to be wind whenever I'm wearing a hat. As you note, it doesn't matter how far I jam the hat down on my head, it is always susceptible to wind gusts.

I've been wondering how forum members here who claim to wear hats every day deal with wind.

The fact that Indy manages to keep his hat on during his adventures is one of the top giveaways that "it's only a movie."

I've found in my case it's the amount of stiffener that's been applied to the felt that gives the hat the 'lift' the wind needs to pull it off my head.

If the felt gives, it doesn't go anywhere, so when I have my hats worked on, I request less stiffener in the brim, and I haven't lost a hat since, even in HIGH winds.

That's just MY experience, though.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson wrote:I've found in my case it's the amount of stiffener that's been applied to the felt that gives the hat the 'lift' the wind needs to pull it off my head.

If the felt gives, it doesn't go anywhere, so when I have my hats worked on, I request less stiffener in the brim, and I haven't lost a hat since, even in HIGH winds.

That's just MY experience, though.

Regards! Michaelson

Thanks for your suggestion, Michaelson.

P.S.> Nice to hear from you -- been a long time.

Thanks! Good to 'see' you too!

I'm here everyday. You just don't see me when I'm around.

Regard! Michaelson

I've worn fedora type hats for some years before I got my Indy hat and I found gusty wind was the most awkward because of it's sudden increases. I once had a Chester hat blow off my head and straight into the road! i was so worried it would be crushed by a car I foolishly ran out to get it without really looking. Luckily the car coming toward me was a police car and the WPC driving stopped well in advance. When I picked up my hat and signalled my apology she was scowling at me like a disapproving mother and shaking her head slowly at me as if to say 'you stupid boy'.

On windy days I find it helps to tip the hat forward when I put it on and keep my head looking down a bit. As long as I can see peoples feet under the brim as they come near I avoid walking into anybody in good time. I've not had my Indy hat blow off yet, but in reference to the previous comments I have short hair and my hat has a firm fit on my head.

I also have an old Aussie bush hat which is made in brown leather and seems almost indestructible. However, it has got loose over time. As it's designed to be used on horseback it came with a leather thong loop stitched to the inside and with an adjustable sliding toggle on it so I could tighten it up. I usually have the loop tightened around the back of my head under the bowl of my skull where it meets my neck. This keeps the slack part out of the way as it dangles behind my neck and has the effect of pulling the front of the hat onto my forehead keeping it firmly in place even in strong wind.

I created the same effect using some black elastic I got from a fabrics shop for another hat. When the weather was good I could put the elastic loop up inside the hat and out of sight. When it was windy, I simply slipped it around the back of my head as with the Aussie bush hat and it was fine. Hope this helps and you're able to get more use from your Indy hat.

All the best.

Get a wind trolley for your hat:

Michaelson wrote:I've found in my case it's the amount of stiffener that's been applied to the felt that gives the hat the 'lift' the wind needs to pull it off my head.

If the felt gives, it doesn't go anywhere, so when I have my hats worked on, I request less stiffener in the brim, and I haven't lost a hat since, even in HIGH winds.

That's just MY experience, though.

Regards! Michaelson

I agree with Michaelson. I think it's a combination of floppiness, fit and sweatband. I have had a rabbit Garrison since 2013, which keeps its shape but is floppy, fits very well and has an awesome leather sweatband. I've worn it in wind storms in lots of places, from the top of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka to the windy beaches of the Outer Banks. It hasn't come off once. You can also try "screwing" it down on your head with a slight turn if you're particularly concerned it's going to fly off. Just my 2 cents. Cheers for David Garrison!
ijq8

I have to agree with what everyone is saying.

My Sahara colored AB fits just a bit snugger than my other fedoras and is super floppy so it it my go-to windy day hat. The brim will fold back against the crown so I don't have to worry about the wind catching it.

On really windy days, I will give the hat a slight twist and help lock it down on my head as well as I tend to pull it down a bit lower and tilt my head down into the wind to the wind hits the top of the brim instead of getting underneath it.

Finally, a wind trolley is a good idea. Here's a thread from a member that made his own very robust version. http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f ... it=trolley" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Michaelson wrote:I've found in my case it's the amount of stiffener that's been applied to the felt that gives the hat the 'lift' the wind needs to pull it off my head.

If the felt gives, it doesn't go anywhere, so when I have my hats worked on, I request less stiffener in the brim, and I haven't lost a hat since, even in HIGH winds.
.........

This is my experience as well. My 10 year old Akubra is very pliant now, so when the wind hits it the brim just flaps up or down.... again, as long as my hair isn't long. My akubra or my cowboy hat will not stay on whatsoever with my long hair.

The flip side to that (pun not intended ) is if you're in a REALLY windy location, your brim will about beat you to death!



Regards! Michaelson

Thanks Indy Magnoli & Indiana Jeff!
A wind trolley sounds like the ticket!!!

Glad to be of help.

An alternative is to use the idea of the wind trolley I linked and modify it for a proper chin strap.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

I concur with both points.

As someone who lives near the desert, and therefore runs into some fairly high winds i can tell you that my regular beaver felt Penmans will take flight, but an ABL, which is MUCH floppies stays put.

And a wind trolley is exactly the ticket to thwart an unexpected lift off. I have a couple of Borsalinos that have them and as long as I remember to use them they keep my hat on a controllable leash.

Michaelson wrote:I've found in my case it's the amount of stiffener that's been applied to the felt that gives the hat the 'lift' the wind needs to pull it off my head.

If the felt gives, it doesn't go anywhere, so when I have my hats worked on, I request less stiffener in the brim, and I haven't lost a hat since, even in HIGH winds.

That's just MY experience, though.

Regards! Michaelson

Total agreement here! I have had my hat(s) blow all over the place, but never off my head and it is because I make certain that there is not too much stiffener in the brims.....I really don't like the concept of 'stapling' them to my scalp, so this proves to be a much better concept, at least for me. ! W>

My Akubra's usually take about two years of daily wear to shrink enough to stay on my head in a stiff wind. If you get your hat custom fitted it shouldn't be an issue as well. Fortunately for myself Steve at Adventurebilt had 7 3/8 LO blocks. Back in the day Hatsdirect gave out free chin straps with every hat they sold.

I had to use them with my Snowy River for the first year or so. That wide stiff brim would catch the wind every time.
Johnny

Just sayin'

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/Ls0Ld" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, there's always the staple-gun solution Harrison Ford demonstrated in the early movie promo clip. (That was for "Raiders," wasn't it?)

Over time, with practice, I've developed more skill at aerodynamic angling of head and hat, and changing whether the hat sits higher in the back or the front, depending on the direction of the wind. Think of it as "head-surfing"!

But some days, it's just too windy to wear a fedora or western hat. We had an especially blustery winter in Maryland this year, so there were a lot more baseball-cap days than fedora days.

Parttimeteacher wrote:Just sayin'

https://m.imgur.com/gallery/Ls0Ld" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

LOL.
Nice find, PTT.