Hats In The Car/A Newbie Question

[leo]

The many posts confirm that there are big differences in car headroom whether vintage or modern.

I'm 6-1 and can wear hats up to 5-inch crowns, at least, in all the family cars...except the convertible even with the top down ;-) Go figure.

Bill

 

[citRon]

6'3 and I can wear my Fed in my Chevy HHR.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I was wondering if anyone else had one - it's odd to be able to wear a hat comfortably in a 'small' car - I'm only 5'9 so have lots of room. It very much irritated my friend with an Audi A4 when I got my Mini and it turned out to be more comfortable inside...

I love my car. It's so much fun; a true driver's car.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

I sat in a new Mini a couple of years ago, and I was quite surprised by how roomy it was in the front seats. And I ain't a small guy.

Haven't driven one yet, I ought to give it a try.

 

[John in Covina]

Trucks

Pick up trucks seem to have more head room than cars these days. A lot of cars have a bit more sporty influences and the low roof line re-inforces the sporty lines and makes it more streamlined or aerodynamic.

I will hit my hat on the door of my 97 Nissan Pickup but usually not the roofline. 5'11" and the Akubras have a higher crown too.

 

[carldelo]

Yep

I love my car. It's so much fun; a true driver's car.

Almost 5 years in mine, it still makes me smile every time I see it - the driving experience is very immediate and exciting. I suppose if you had kids it wouldn't be practical, but it's surprisingly capable:

http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l234/carldelo/Accord NY/?action=view&current=Accord005.jpg

Tony - you should test drive one - you'll be hooked, especially if you like a manual transmission (it's really the way to go in my opinion).

 

[Thwack]

In my '03 T-bird any hat is fine with the top down.
With the top up I usually remove my fedora when I enter and put it back on when I exit.

I could touch the ground while seated in an old Triumph but I'd need gorilla arms to do it in a Mini.

How many hats have you lost?

 

[katiemakeup]

Amazingly enough, my hat fits comfortably in my Mini Cooper, and I am 6'2"! I was surprised, pleasantly!

Yes, but what about your sombrero?

 

[Lindy's]

Hat/Head Room

I had a 1934 Buick and I had plenty of room left past my hat to the roof it was so high. Imagine my delight when I bought a 2008 Chevy HHR and the headroom fits a tall crown vintage hat comfortably. I didn't think of wearing a hat when I bought the car, but it ends up having adequate head room. Plus the HHR looks "Mobster" and "Biker" all at the same time. I love it !

 

[AlterEgo]

Safety: Driving While Wearing a Brimmed Hat

According to automobile safety experts, the head of a car occupant should be no more than two inches from the head restraint in order for it to provide any protection from whiplash.

What this means for us is that we're taking a calculated risk to wear a hat with a brim having more than a two-inch brim while driving or riding in a motor vehicle.

For me, practically speaking, if I'm wearing a hat with much more than a 2 1/2-inch brim, the head restraint knocks it akimbo, so I have to remove it even though I'd rather keep it on to keep the sun out of my eyes and/or for warmth when the sunroof is open. Style? Oh, of course not, who needs to look good while driving?! Ahem.

Since the widest brim hat I regularly wear while driving is my Fed IV Deluxe with its 2 3/4 inch brim at the rear--it's really less than that since I have it curled upward, which also allows it to bend up as it brushes against the head restraint--this has not been much more than an annoyance that necessitates the occasional readjustment. I have a 3-inch brim Akubra Lawson that will arrive soon and wonder what I'm going to do.

So, what do y'all do when in a car or truck? Wear the wide-brimmed hat and accept the risk; take the the hat off; or drive a 40+-year-old vehicle, which avoids the issue but punts safety entirely?

 

[Geesie]

I have trouble wearing any hat in a modern vehicle because of roof clearance.

 

[Cracker]

Well, my 2 3/8 brim works fine in my late model Honda sedan, and I have my eyes on a '41 Oldsmobile. If your hat fits in your car, wear it. Life's too short for me to worry if my airbag's gonna kill me.

 

[donnc]

I have trouble wearing any hat in a modern vehicle because of roof clearance.

Right, this has been advanced as a major factor in the disappearance of fedora style hats. Didn't do so much to western hats, though, which are certainly as tall crowned. So maybe the solution is to get a pickup truck.

 

[Widebrim]

With my Chrysler PT Cruiser, it is a problem not just with the head restraint, but with the roof. If I wear a mid-brim, and lower the seat to its maximum, then I solve the roof-to-head problem, but not the head restraint one. So if I really want to wear a hat while driving, that's when I roll out the '51 Packard Patrician...

 

[Zombie_61]

If I'm wearing a brimmed hat I generally remove it when I'm driving. I have a bad back and, in an effort to sit as upright as possible while driving, I have the seat back positioned almost straight up and down. As such, the headrest is quite close to my head and, to paraphrase AlterEgo, it knocks my hats akimbo.

Mind you, I'm not a "devoted" hat wearer. I've only begun wearing hats on a semi-regular basis in the last couple of years and don't consider them to be an essential part of my wardrobe so, for me, the bigger issue is the ability to maintain control of the vehicle. If the hat I'm wearing is interfering with that in any way, brimmed or not, off it goes.

 

[Warbaby]

I've always driven older cars (my current ride is an '87 Crown Vic) so low roofs and headrests have never been a problem for me. I find headrests more of an obstruction and an annoyance than a safety feature - the few cars I've owned that had them soon didn't.

 

[scottyrocks]

Yes, again, it depends on the car. I could wear a flower pot on my head in my MINI Cooper and still have clearance.

 

[Brad Bowers]

Right, this has been advanced as a major factor in the disappearance of fedora style hats. Didn't do so much to western hats, though, which are certainly as tall crowned. So maybe the solution is to get a pickup truck.

What he said. I have no lack of hat room in my F-150.

Brad

 

[gtdean48]

... I have no lack of hat room in my F-150.

No problem in my Silverado either, even with my 4 inch brimmed Westerns!

 

[Big_e]

This is one of many other factors that I chose to wear stingy brimmed hats, that plus I just like them. Honda Fits have a high headrest. I wear my stingy or caps most of the time so it's not too much of a problem.
If I wear my porkpie I just sit it on the passenger seat or lay it on the back seat. This gives you a good incentive to keep your car interior vacumed to prevent lint from getting on your hat.
Ernest