Batman's CAPE is a Superhero, Even Without Bruce Wayne
Bruce Wayne doesn't need his cape and cowl to be Batman, the world's greatest detective, but what can the cape and cowl do without Bruce Wayne? The answer, surprisingly, is a lot -- as evidenced by Batman #101. Bruce, Dick Grayson and Alfred are doing some Spring cleaning around the Batcave, because that giant penny isn't going to dust itself, when Dick finds souvenir from a previous case.
Some unnamed foe had apparently deduced Batman's true identity and mailed him a cape with a note pinned inside reading, "Bruce Wayne is Batman." Luckily for Wayne, the unnamed criminal the abruptly died before revealing Batman's true identity to the world. Suddenly news come over the radio that a massive hurricane is battering Gotham, so the Dynamic Duo suit up and head out to patrol. Spotting a sign dangling precariously, Batman is in the process of securing it to prevent damage when a strong gust of wind rips Batman's cape off and sends it spiraling away into the night. It's at this point that Alfred radios in to tell him he'd accidentally switched the capes and the one now blowing in the wind is the one revealing Batman's true identity.
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The pair frantically try to track it down, but it's a a down on his luck French stuntman who happens upon it. Unable to find work in America, he dons the cape and performs an elaborate stunt sequence at a local movie studio, impressing the filmmakers, who thought it was actually Batman, Andre Prevot reveals himself and is immediately hired. Tracking down Prevot, Batman is relieved to learn that the Frenchman can't read English and his identity is safe. However, the cape is gone, being taken by a gust of wind out an open window (basically the wind is Batman's greatest foe in this story). The pair take off after the cape again only to find it's been caught on a no parking sign. Thankfully casting the shadow of what looks to be Batman over a mugging in progress, scaring the thieves off.
Moments later, an unknown man finds the cape and reading the message decides to hide it behind a trash can to retrieve later, knowing how valuable the information is. But a dog drags it away and it's found by Floyd Baker, a former pilot who probably should have gone into a different line of work, considering his fear of heights. Baker dons the cowl and is immediately approached by a girl begging "Batman" to help her get her cat off a tall building ledge. Inspired by Batman's bravery, he overcomes his fears and rescues the cat. "I'll never be scared again," he proclaims. Tracking down Baker, they find that he did see the paper inside the cowl, except it was blank.
It turned out that, in a seemingly impossible stroke of luck, the mysterious man who'd hidden the cape in the alley was none other than Superman, who had used his X-Ray vision to erase the message. So even without Batman wearing it, the cape was able to find work for an unemployed Frenchman, foil a robbery and help a man overcome a crippling fear. So if Batman #101 teaches us anything, it's that Batman can probably just throw a cape or two into the wind and take a day off.