Hats In The Car/A Newbie Question

[Pompidou]

My hats have never caused me problems when driving. My natural position is closer to hunched over the wheel than lounging back in the seat, as my truck seat is a single bench. However, there are a half dozen other things I could do if safe driving was my highest priority. For example, I drive too fast when I'm in a hurry. I get road rage when I'm stuck behind people not doing the speed limit. Sometimes I drive with headphones on, when my iphone has music on it that I don't have a CD for. The list goes on. Hats and headrests are somewhere around #10 in the list of safe driving priorities I should take a look at. I'm glad, because I probably won't be getting around to priority one any time soon, so I won't need to worry about the size of my hat brim for a long time.

 

[Pilot99]

Yeah, I drive a new mustang, the way the seats are made they are up to my head past the area my fedora brim would make it over the seat. I wear them anyways, but if I wanted to lay my head back I would be forced to take off my fedora...Of course I haven't taken it off yet lol.

 

[59Lark]

head clearance in automobiles

In my stable of autos, in my gmc van i can wear my fedora and drive in comfort and in my studebaker sedan of course but my wifes twenty year old buick century i put my fedora on the floor hump. I find the height an issue more than the headrest but its depends on your height something not mentioned too much and of course roof height of the car. Most modern autos do not accomodate for the driver to wear a hat. 59Lark. ps in the brochure for studebaker it mention having enough headroom to drivers to wear hats.

 

[bbshriver]

A snapbrim should always be snapped up when not being worn.

Thanks! Did not know that.

 

[jamespowers]

True enough! When I was 20 50 seemed old. Now that I'm 50, I guess I was right!

%0 ain't that old. Now 100--- that is old.

 

[Cracker]

Man, this thread jinxed me. I had no problem wearing a hat in my wife's Honda Odyssey. But I traded it in for a new Odyssey this weekend, and the 2010 models have redesigned headrests that tilt forward and ... hit the back of my hat.

 

[Phineas Lamour]

I drive with my hat on most of the time. If I do take it off the dash has plenty of room and is exactly the right shape. Like it was made to put a hat there.

 

[Zombie_61]

I drive with my hat on most of the time. If I do take it off the dash has plenty of room and is exactly the right shape. Like it was made to put a hat there.

I know exactly what you mean. I walk with a cane sometimes because of back problems, and in my Honda Ridgeline there's a space on the floorboard between the driver's seat and the door threshhold that holds my cane perfectly while I'm driving--it couldn't have been a better fit if the designers knew how I would be using it and put it there intentionally.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled thread, already in progress.

 

[David Conwill]

This must be why I associate flat caps with British sportscars.

Seriously, though, different vehicles call for different headwear, though that’s not always an option. My Falcon would practically allow me to wear a busby, if I were so inclined. In fact, I have contemplated elevating the seat tracks.

My wife’s ‘96 S10 Blazer presents no problems for my Fed IVs, but some of that may have to do with my driving style (hunched over with a mad gleam in my eye), so I rarely encounter the headrest. My father-in-law’s Chevrolet HHR is quite the opposite story, headrest clearance is a chronic problem (and headroom is not great), and the hat usually rides in my lap or atop my briefcase. Sun protection is left entirely to the beat-up aviator sunglasses in those cases.

By contrast to my wife’s Blazer is her mother’s Blazer, which is a newer model, but in most respects the same. However, it has a retractable moonroof that costs about two inches of headroom, and I’m forever bashing the crown of my Fed IVs into the headliner. Again, the hat usually comes off in that vehicle.

I always find it amusing to see a photograph of a ‘52 Chevrolet Bel Air (Chevy’s first pillarless hardtop) with a caption indicating that its lowered roofline was a major contributor to the decline in hat wearing. Yes, it’s no ‘49 Plymouth, but it’s cavernous compared to most modern cars, and would likely present no problem to one of us.

-Dave

 

[Silvan]

Concerning trading up for a pickem-up truck in order to have more room for your hat, I think you folks might find it interesting to learn that this is a really big issue in the adult sized trucks that have 18 wheels.

I used to be a trucker before the economy imploded, and the only hat I could wear while driving was some packable wool Resistol I've had for ages. It worked because the brim would flex readily at the back whenever I leaned into the headrest (which was inevitable, as my head stayed in constant motion while driving one of those things, in spite of all the modern air ride amenities).

I was always the "I am not cowboy, in spite of the image frequently associated with what I do for a living" type of trucker, and I don't think I've had a fully western-style hat on my head since I was little kid, watching Howdy Doody and Gunsmoke reruns at my grandparents' house. (I don't shoot revolvers either. The 1911A1 is the only pistol that exists in my universe.) As such, I've never had the pleasure of trying to wear a hat with a 4" or larger brim in an 18-wheeler.

One of my best trucking friends, however, has always been the 20-gallon hat with a 40-pound belt buckle type, and he is rarely seen without a honking big cowboy hat perched on his head. He used to drive wearing a straw that he had creased sharply in the back, so the brim at the back of the hat would fold down perpendicular to the crown. Problem solved, although the hat looked pretty ridiculous when he got out of the truck.

I haven't tried driving in my new hat yet. I found this forum in the course of shopping online for the hat I had been trying to find in a brick and mortar store for years (and I've been lurking for a few days). I've picked up a lot of hats in western-oriented stores, mostly Resistol, a Drizabone, hovering at the "least western looking western hat" fringe, and picking up some pretty respectable head pieces along the way, but none of them ever quite right.

Now I own a real fedora, and I finally understand what a "snap brim" is now that I've gotten my hands on one. I'm really stoked, in spite of the mixed reviews of modern day Stetsons. This is the finest hat I've ever owned, and this lid is the perfect topper for my coat. The only annoying thing is that the weather is way too hot to be wearing any of this at the moment. I should have bought a Panama.

 

[danofarlington]

The only annoying thing is that the weather is way too hot to be wearing any of this at the moment. I should have bought a Panama.

All in good time, my son.

 

[150719541]

Jeep ¡¡¡

This is Bently.....No problem here.

[/IMG]

With that car, I can use my "charro" hat. Funny Car :eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[danofarlington]

This is Bently.....No problem here.

[/IMG]

Great layout of the Open Road or similar hat with the duds. One thing I like about Stetsons is that they really look like a man's hat. I've got to get me some light brown cowboy boots. Another thread mentioned they go well together, and I think they do. Works even in urban areas. You can get other kinds of boots than just cowboy boots too; Alden shoe company has some that I like.

 

[Max]

When I'm driving, I usually wear a cap, or I put my fedora on the backseat.

 

[WesternHatWearer]

Hats and Vehicles

I have some hats I would like to wear while driving and I have a vehicle that is not western hat friendly.
So I wanted to ask what vehicles if any are hat wearing friendly. I do understand that one's height is a large factor in this. As I am 6 foot 3 inches tall (or 1.91 meters) I will be limited from the start. Nonetheless, I am eager to hear your responses to such a situation.

 

[DesertDan]

Most full size trucks, vans and SUVs will have enough headroom to allow one to keep his hat on.
I drive a truck and haven't owned a car in quite a number of years but most of the ones I've been in have required me to remove my hat.

 

[dh66]

I too am 6'3", and I find my 1961 Galaxie to be the most hat accommodating. Also had a '59 that was nice and roomy, maybe even more so. And had a 1979 K-5 Blazer that was up to the task.
Kinda wish I still had that one.

As far as modern vehicles, I've owned a couple of F-150s that had plenty of room. My wife's Honda Odyssey also surprisingly has enough headroom, but sometimes getting in and out can be challenging with the hat on. I currently have a Nissan Frontier pickup as a work truck, and don't really have any problems in it either, other than sometimes knocking my hat getting in or out if I'm not careful, but it gets waaaay better gas mileage than either of the F-150s did so it's worth the inconvenience.

 

[1mach1]

I have had no problems in my vehicles, except for my wife's 2008 Mustang. Surprisingly, the '71 Mustangs have enough headroom for a hat, and I am 6'-0". Obviously, no issues in the Imperial, Bronco or the Expedition.

Dale, I am sure you miss that '79 K-5. Those are nice!

 

[dh66]

Yeah........but I'm not so nostalgic for the 6 mpg.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I can wear my hats while driving my small hatchback...