white_hart (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
white_hart) wrote2021-08-05 08:00 pm
white_hart) wrote2021-08-05 08:00 pm
Ponching (217/365)
A few weeks ago, I bought myself a rain poncho. It is neon blue, long enough to come just below my knees, and wide enough to come to within about an inch of my wrists. It has a hood, poppers down the sides, and it packs away into a bag when I'm not wearing it.
I've never owned a rain poncho before. I used to use umbrellas, and then when I decided it was better to have waterproof clothing instead I had waterproof coats and jackets, and waterproof trousers for really heavy rain (though they always make me so hot and sticky I generally prefer to get wet). But my Seasalt summer mac has stopped being waterproof, and my waterproof jacket only comes to my hips, and as long as I'm driving and parking in Summertown instead of getting the bus I don't have any choice about the walking bit of my commute, and you can get very wet trousers in 1.8 miles. So I bought a poncho, and I love it. It's swooshy and makes me feel a bit like a wizard. It's easy to put on and take off, and because it's so roomy I can add and remove layers underneath without taking it off. I can sling it on over the top of my backpack, which may mean I look like the front half of a neon blue pantomime camel, but it keeps my backpack properly dry in a way that waterproof rucksack covers never do (they all have the fundamental design flaw that they don't cover the bit of the backpack that sits against your back, and therefore all the water running down the back of your raincoat seeps in that way and around the straps). I can open the poppers at the sides for extra ventilation so it doesn't get clammy in the way waterproof jackets do in hot weather. It makes walking in the rain a much more enjoyable experience than I've ever found it before (though I'm not sure it would really do for hillwalking). All in all, it really is the best outdoor garment ever.
I've never owned a rain poncho before. I used to use umbrellas, and then when I decided it was better to have waterproof clothing instead I had waterproof coats and jackets, and waterproof trousers for really heavy rain (though they always make me so hot and sticky I generally prefer to get wet). But my Seasalt summer mac has stopped being waterproof, and my waterproof jacket only comes to my hips, and as long as I'm driving and parking in Summertown instead of getting the bus I don't have any choice about the walking bit of my commute, and you can get very wet trousers in 1.8 miles. So I bought a poncho, and I love it. It's swooshy and makes me feel a bit like a wizard. It's easy to put on and take off, and because it's so roomy I can add and remove layers underneath without taking it off. I can sling it on over the top of my backpack, which may mean I look like the front half of a neon blue pantomime camel, but it keeps my backpack properly dry in a way that waterproof rucksack covers never do (they all have the fundamental design flaw that they don't cover the bit of the backpack that sits against your back, and therefore all the water running down the back of your raincoat seeps in that way and around the straps). I can open the poppers at the sides for extra ventilation so it doesn't get clammy in the way waterproof jackets do in hot weather. It makes walking in the rain a much more enjoyable experience than I've ever found it before (though I'm not sure it would really do for hillwalking). All in all, it really is the best outdoor garment ever.
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I have had success reproofing seasalt waterproofs with that wash-in proofer stuff though - you can get ones that don't need you to tumble dry the jacket to get it to work properly. Made my summer mac like new again!
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