The Sacrificial Hat

When a gust of wind grabs your hat, you don’t stand a chance. The hat lifts off before your hand is halfway up, and then you look silly chasing it down the street as it bounces and rolls like an acrobatic rabbit. Instead, get a sacrificial hat, and your bare-headed, windy days are over.

Available in models ranging from Panama to fedora to baseball cap, the clever chapeau works by shedding its thin outer layer to remain on the brain. The outer hat’s satin lining allows it to depart in high winds, leaving a narrow-brimmed cap hugging the skull. The two are joined by a cord that serves three purposes.

The cord keeps the outer hat from disappearing among tires, shoes and dog teeth. The cord is attached to the inside crown of the retreating part, causing it to turn inside out to diminish air drag. Most importantly, the other end of the cord is interlaced through the inner hat’s sweatband, so the pull on the cord causes it to grip the cranium like the drawstring of a purse.

Then merely reel in your flapping headgear half, reunite it with its mate and press on through the cruel elements with covered head held high.