How do you keep a hat on while riding a motorcycle?

Considering motorcycles can go up to high speeds, keeping a hat on isn’t the easiest of tasks. If you want to wear one instead of something like a bandana, it’s essential to know how to keep it on while you’re riding and the laws that can vary depending on where you’re travelling. 

Wearing a Hat and a Motorcycle Helmet

Motorcycle helmets are meant to protect your head in the event of a crash. Even the thinnest hats, like beanies, may impact how the helmet fits against your skull. Avoid wearing a hat under a helmet to ensure the latter fits as designed.

Motorcycle Helmet Laws in Canada

Anyone in Canada who is on a motorcycle, which includes the driver and passenger, must wear a motorcycle helmet. This means that – if you’re following the law – how to keep a hat on is null and void and your focus should be on having the right helmet. 

Motorcycle Helmet Laws in the United States

Laws are different if you’ll be riding your motorcycle throughout the United States. While wearing a helmet is a must in every part of Canada, USA laws vary depending on which state you’re in.

For instance, in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California, all riders must wear a helmet. However, American helmet laws require individuals 17 and younger to wear a helmet in Arizona, Oklahoma, and North Dakota and persons 20 or younger to sport one in Pennsylvania, Florida, Utah, and Texas. It’s a must to know and adhere to the helmet laws where you’re travelling, especially considering they can vary from one side of a state border to the next.

Keeping Your Hat On

The key to keeping your hat on while riding a motorcycle is to wear one with features that allow it to stay in place. For example, sport a standard cowboy hat, and it will likely blow off in the wind as soon as you take off. Use one with a chin strap securely fastened, and expect it to stay on. Any other hat with a secure, adjustable chin strap will also likely remain in place. A beanie is another type of hat that can easily stay on your head while you’re riding. 

Take steps that can help thwart issues along the way before you hit the open road for a long motorcycle trip. Test out the hat you want to wear on a short jaunt to check that it will stay in place, make sure you’re wearing a high-quality helmet, and review the laws where you’ll be travelling. If you need suggestions from fellow motorcycle riders, don’t hesitate to ask in public biker forums and read through existing posts. Redline Harley-Davidson in Saskatoon is also an excellent place to get advice. Prevent potential problems before you leave, and you can focus more on having a great time while you’re out and about.