Where can I buy a lapel cord?

Ok, so I've had enough of my hats blowing off in the wind (hoorah for Monticristi's elasticated hat band which has kept my panama firmly in place in a breeze!). Im' drawing a blank, though, on finding lapel cords for sale anywhere. I'd have thought someone did them?

I know the Akubra Fedora comes with one already fitted - do all the Akubras, or is that peculiar to that particular model?

I haven't seen any yet. there seem to be two reasons: (1) It's just a button on a string. That makes it pretty easy for you or anybody else to make your own. (2) The factory wind trolleys usually had the string color co-ordinated to the hat and the button covered with matching felt. The first factor reduced the demand and the second increased the inventory requirements. Your best bet will probably be to make your own.

J.T.Marcus said:

I haven't seen any yet. there seem to be two reasons: (1) It's just a button on a string. That makes it pretty easy for you or anybody else to make your own. (2) The factory wind trolleys usually had the string color co-ordinated to the hat and the button covered with matching felt. The first factor reduced the demand and the second increased the inventory requirements. Your best bet will probably be to make your own.

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Good point, I think I will have a go at it myself. I've had to run down the road after a hat a couple of times, and it's never dignified! Somehow, a lapel cord strikes me as much classier than a chinstrap!

They're easy to make, but I've only seen black or white elastic for sale - this has limited the number I've added to hats. Using pre-covered buttons, made for dinner jackets, makes it quicker.

Optimo Hats

I have bought several from Graham at Optimo Hat Company... Great guy to do business with.:eusa_clap :eusa_clap

http://www.optimohats.com/thecompany.htm

Prof Branestawm said:

They're easy to make, but I've only seen black or white elastic for sale - this has limited the number I've added to hats. Using pre-covered buttons, made for dinner jackets, makes it quicker.

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That's a good tip for the buttons. I've not tried this, but if you can't get a matching color in the elastic you might want to go with black and mount it on the inside of the hat, wrapped around the inside of the sweatband. Take it out when you need it. That also routes almost directly down to the lapel button, instead of it having to go out over the brim, then back in.

Just a though.

Cheers,
Tom

Concealed Wind Trolley

I was talking to someone today about the wire inside the sweatband seam of my Akubra Federation (Deluxe) today. A lot of people like to remove the wire, because it can work itself out of its hem and stick you in the back of the head, apparently. Anyway, i got to thinking...

Say you decided you didn't want the wire anymore. If you could figure out how to attach a piece of decent weight fishing line to the end of the wire, you could pull the wire out, and draw the line into the hem in its place. If you then tied the fishing line off at the back, where the hem opens, you could leave a tiny loop there. Then, if you ever wanted to go out in windy weather, you could attachd whatever you wanted to that little loop - a piece of elastic to your lapel, a string with a crocodile clip attached to your collar, etc. Because the connection point is at the rear of the hat, it would be barely visible, even when being used.

Its a similar idea to Tango Yankees, in that the attachement is on the underside of the hat, so the elastic doesn't pass over the brim, but it differs from his idea because in this case, the fishing line is hidden completely inside the hatband, in a hem that is already fir for purpose.

I currently have no plans to remove the wire, but if anybody else was planning on removing their Akubra wire, this might be an experiment worth attempting.

Tango Yankee said:

That's a good tip for the buttons. I've not tried this, but if you can't get a matching color in the elastic you might want to go with black and mount it on the inside of the hat, wrapped around the inside of the sweatband. Take it out when you need it. That also routes almost directly down to the lapel button, instead of it having to go out over the brim, then back in.

Just a though.

Cheers,
Tom

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I'll probably give something like that a go. I would never have expected a cord in a cheaper hat, but it'd be nice to see it across more of the likes of the Akubra range as standard - IME, no matter how well fitting the hat, once you add a wide brim to it, you're in toruble on a windy day. There's only so long you can walk around holding your hat on - once this last spring I actually ended up with the hat in a bag, carrying it because the wind was such a hassle with it. Not ideal!!

Tango Yankee said:

That's a good tip for the buttons. I've not tried this, but if you can't get a matching color in the elastic you might want to go with black and mount it on the inside of the hat, wrapped around the inside of the sweatband. Take it out when you need it. That also routes almost directly down to the lapel button, instead of it having to go out over the brim, then back in.

Just a though.

Cheers,
Tom

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That's what I was thinking of doing on a brown fedora. Given I wear it in the wind and rain a cord would be useful. I haven't quite given up my search for the right colour elastic yet, though.