Wind Trolleys: A North American phenomenon?

[Lefty]

Those winds have really done a number on this thread.

 

[Michaelshane]

I love a hat with a wind cord.To me it says quality hat.

 

[Dreispitz]

Interesting thread!

You come across wind trolleys in some current production Borsalinos in Europe. I cannot recall any vintage golden aera European hat featuring this gadget.

To my knowledge there is no German word for that. When I saw it for the first time, two years ago in a German shop on a Borsalino, I thought it is some silly appendix, loocking quite unmanly when used.

Thanks to the Lounge, I now see wind trolleys in a diferent light.

Would be interesting to find references for:

1. Inventor

2. Manufacturers

3. Early marketing references

Another topic of interest is: Are they ever used?

 

[Dreispitz]

Interesting thread!

You come across wind trolleys in some current production Borsalinos in Europe. I cannot recall any vintage golden aera European hat featuring this gadget.

To my knowledge there is no German word for that. When I saw it for the first time, two years ago in a German shop on a Borsalino, I thought it is some silly appendix, loocking quite unmanly when used.

Thanks to the Lounge, I now see wind trolleys in a diferent light.

Would be interesting to find references for:

1. Inventor

2. Manufacturers

3. Early marketing references

Another topic of interest is: Are they ever used?

 

[avedwards]

I am struggling to think of an example of a non-American fedora from the golden era which bore a wind trolley.

Are non-Americans still allowed to use them? I find that at times a wind trolly or hat securer would be incredibly useful, even if we don't have gale force winds.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Of course. But you risk looking rather inelegant. Again, my opinion.

This was meant to be about a specific feature of a hat, but has become slightly hijacked as Lefty states. It's pointless getting into arguments - my wind is stronger than our wind! - so i won't, but i can assure you that the winds get pretty damn strong at the top of some of the Scottish hills, and my non-wind trolley hats have never blown off.

This thread is part of an ongoing discussion between Alan Eardley and myself regarding hat "fit", and what appears to me to be an American penchant for a hat that fits "too loose" (comfortable, apparently) and is capable of blowing off in even the mildest wind . This could be down to climate (no good having a tight fitting leather sweatand in the high heat and humidity you guys get over there).


Regarding the use of trolleys on older hats. I have a 1930s Adam with a wind trolley. So they were certainly in use in the 30s. I believe they may be a development from the chin strap - less intrusive and easier to use, i guess. But we all know where logical arguments belong when they are not backed up by data. An idea t think about, anyway.

bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Nice one.

I'd never heard of a wind trolly, until I came to the Lounge. I would have thought it was a "green" form of intercity transport.

lol :eusa_clap lol

bk

 

[Lone_Ranger]

Anyone hazard a guess as to when the wind string (lapel cord, wind trolley, whatever) made its debut? And who might get the credit (or blame, depending on your take on 'em)?

I'm not sure about it's current form. If you go back to the early 1800's. European cavalry uniforms, Uhlan, Hussars, etc., with elaborate busby, or chapka hats, sometimes had a similar feature. It was usually a braided lanyard of a sort to keep the hat from being left behind.

 

[Bob Smalser]

...It's pointless getting into arguments - my wind is stronger than our wind! - so i won't...

...This thread is part of an ongoing discussion between Alan Eardley and myself regarding hat "fit", and what appears to me to be an American penchant for a hat that fits "too loose" (comfortable, apparently) and is capable of blowing off in even the mildest wind ....

Fair enough.

I don't know much about hat collecting, but I do about woodworking tools, and my take is that wind cords are more about the dynamics of North American capitalism than weather or fit.

Between 1860 and 1930 there were around 200 makers if chisels here (and in England) competing hard with each other for the American tradesman's dollar. Stack them all up by time and you have a Darwinian pyramid tapering from 200 to around a dozen. In the end, the successful makers were the ones who provided the most value for the dollar and at the same time could best adapt to market changes.

This was also true in Europe, but North America's exploding immigrant population required a lot of new goods quickly, and those needs were best met by innovations in machinery and manufacturing. Innovations that were unhampered by population stagnancy or loss with attendant impact on demand, government regulations, hidebound trade guilds, and frequent wars. In all the trades, hand work became less and less common and more a feature denoting premium quality more quickly here than in Europe.

Of course tying ones hat down predates contemporary wind cords...the merit of the trolley design is it's one of the most elegant methods to perform the inelegant. The problem with them for the hat maker trying to equal or better his competitors is that it's another small detail that requires expensive hand work.

So what began as an innovation from one hat maker scratching and clawing with other makers to achieve market share, became the mark of a quality, hand-finished hat as mentioned by Mr. Shane, just like leather washers on chisel handles did. Their usefulness is limited, but that's not what's going on. Competition is what's going on.

Like in tools, the best arguments are often made by imitators. Adam Hats made a lot of lower-priced copies of the top brands. This Adam Open Road knockoff looks like it has a Stetson wind trolley, but it's really just a button sewn to the ribbon.