More info on hat "tethers" please...

[Gumby]

Came across a post that showed a picture of a fedora and listed a feature about a "tether" that could be fastened to another article of clothing (such as a shirt or jacket?) for especially windy days to keep one's lid from blowing away if it flew off your noggin, and avoid the terrible fate of landing in the wet gutter.

Could the erudite members of this forum enlighten me. Are these things still used and available? Whereabouts on the hat is the thing attached? Can one be affixed to a hat that currently does not have one?



"Talk low, talk slow and don't say too much."
-actor John Wayne

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Wind Trolley

The wind trolly or wind catcher is just that, and cord to loop into your lapel to keep the hat from blowing off and down the street, into the Bay, or lake.

Very functional

 

[Dave Keith]

These elastic cords with a covered button are sometimes referred to as a "wind cords" or "wind trolley" by some. They were typically attached to the nicer quality hats and are still put on some Borsalino hats (and probably some others I don't know about). I would think they could be put on by most any custom hatter.

There was a recent thread here about faux wind cords on some vintage hats.

The ones I have seen are sewn to the hat behind the bow on the band. I am unable to verify this story, but someone once told me the button hole in the back of men's oxford shirt collars was one place where the wind trolley could be buttoned. Who knows?

I have not personally used a wind cord although several of my hats have them.

Surely some one more knowledgable than myself will add to this info.

Dave

 

[SHARPETOYS]

More info on this old thread.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=2602&highlight=trolley

 

[stinker]

Hat tethers

After loosing my favorite straw Borsalino in San Francisco Bay, I became an adamant believer in hat tethers. I damn near jumped in the bay to save it, but, came to my senses before jumping. I did hire a boat and went out in the bay looking for it, though, but never found it. Still miss that darn hat.

After sharing my story with them, I learned a neat trick from the Hat Guys in Oakland for using a tether. They inserted one of those little plastic doo-dah thingys used for attaching price tags through the sweat band on the back side of the hat. When not needed, the plastic doo-dah can be pushed thru on the inside of the sweat band. Then, when windy, you can pull it out and clip on the tether on and attach the other end of the tether to the shirt collar. Works great!

pw

 

[Hemingway Jones]

I have a wind trolley on my vintage Borsalino. I haven't used it yet, but I rather like that it is there and I think it looks sort of stylish circling the crown. I wouldn't add it to a hat, but I certainly wouldn't excise one from a hat either.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Try Art

I had Art Fawcett add them to my hats that didn't come with one.