Wearing a bike helmet can help keep you safe during everyday commute. If you prefer accessorizing with a hat than a sporty vented helmet, though, you might want to look at Bandbox and their ever-growing collection of bike helmets.
Designed to encourage cyclists to wear their helmets more frequently, the protective headgear is cleverly hidden underneath a selection of traditional hats. Want to wear a wood felt fedora? They got one. How about a cowboy hat? Yee-haw, they got that, too. Want to give the lady a summertime cloche for her mid-morning rides? There’s one of those, as well. Over 20 hat designs are available.
The actual safety gear in each Bandbox Bike Helmet is a compact headwear made from elastomeric foam. Because the material is more impact-resistant than traditional styrofoam, they can do a sufficient job of protecting the head while remaining relatively slim (they’re two inches smaller than traditional helmets), allowing a hat to be added on top of the actual helmet. Each of the hats are sewn by hand before being attached to the helmet. All helmets meet US CPSC standards for safety under normal operating conditions, with the insides lined using memory foam for cushion.
Do note, some of the hats in the collection look dorkier than if you wear a bike helmet to a party, so make sure you choose the right one when ordering. Seriously, they have ladies’ hats straight out of Boardwalk Empire and similarly retro stuff on offer.
The BandBox Bike Helmet itself costs $60, while the hat covers start at an additional $40.