Windy days

Keeping a hat on when the wind picks up

Wind gets under a brim from the front and lifts. Everything that keeps a hat on is a way of denying it that gap.

Use the drawstring before you blame the hat

Most of our wide brims have a cord inside the crown. It is easy to miss, because it sits flat against the lining until you pull it. Tighten it until the crown grips the widest part of your head rather than resting on top of it.

A hat sitting high on the head is a sail. The same hat pulled down to where the crown grips will stay put in the kind of breeze that was taking it off before.

Chin ties are not only for children

A tie under the chin is the one solution that works in real wind, and about a third of our warm-weather styles have one. On a ferry deck or an open beach it is the difference between wearing a hat and carrying it.

If the tie is long, run it behind your head instead of under the chin. It holds the back of the crown down and is out of the way when you talk.

Turn into the gust

Wind lifts a brim from the front. Angle your head slightly into it and the same gust presses the brim down instead of under it. Cyclists work this out in their first week.

With a soft packable brim you can also fold the front edge down for a minute and let it spring back afterwards. A stiff weave will not forgive that, so leave those alone.

Winter is a different problem

A beanie does not blow off, it lets cold through the gaps in a loose knit. What you want there is a lining rather than a tie, and a band deep enough to cover the whole ear.

If your hat has a pom and the wind is behind you, the pom pulls the crown back off your forehead. Pull the band down again and it stops.