Re: Bravest Rainwear Wearing
Posted: October 9th, 2022, 12:47 am
Not necessarily a "brave" story but this past summer I kept a retro long olive green Helly Hansen raincoat in my backpack for my treks into the office in the hopes of catching a good storm. I did have some apprehension towards wearing it given how bold it is but I figured a storm would be enough to get me over the finish line of wearing it. I rarely needed it because the raincoat had an uncanny ability to ward off or divert heavy summer storms entirely. It became a bit comical at times - the days I was NOT in the office were when the downtown area would be drenched by summer downpours but the days I was in the storms would hold off or change directions entirely.
One day I finally got what I wanted which was a good heavy rain during the evening commute home. I would take the light rail to and from the office and then drive home from my stop so there was plenty of distance to cover in the elements. Around 5pm a storm was rolling in bringing with it extremely heavy rain. I entered the elevator with my raincoat on and umbrella in hand. Faces were grim on the ride down. Everyone (except for me!) was completely unprepared for what awaited them outside the comfort of the tall glass skyscraper known as "the office". Those who worked at home that day chose wisely and those that didn't... Well... They were going to be getting a bit wet. Once on the ground floor of the building the rain was slamming down as hard as it could. People were running full sprint on the street with their backpacks, newspapers (???), and bags covering their heads in a hopeless effort to protect themselves from a hard, driving rain. Some people were running with umbrellas in hand but given their small size it simply wasn't enough.
I buttoned my raincoat up, popped the collar (this raincoat does not have a hood), and deployed the umbrella and headed out into the rain. The intense pitter-patter of rain hitting up my raincoat and umbrella was deafening, and so was the storm outside. The rain streamed down my raincoat and gave it a nice glisten. While others were running I was walking at a leisurely pace, completely dry and without a care in the world. I arrived at the light rail stop and decided to stand under some cover as not to rub it in to others less fortunate. A short time later the light rail arrived and I stepped on. Nearly all of the commuters were drenched and as we made our stops and the train filled with more and more victims. Men had their nice dress shirts and pants completely drenched and a number of young, unlucky women were soaked to the point where their bras were in full view for everyone to see through their blouses.
By the time I arrived at my stop the storm had died down to a light rain. My socks, oxfords, and bottom of my pants were the only casualties on my end. After that storm I began rotating raincoats in and out of service - a rainwear tour of duty of sorts! Right now I have a Kleppermantel sitting in my backpack waiting to be deployed on a rainy commute home.
One day I finally got what I wanted which was a good heavy rain during the evening commute home. I would take the light rail to and from the office and then drive home from my stop so there was plenty of distance to cover in the elements. Around 5pm a storm was rolling in bringing with it extremely heavy rain. I entered the elevator with my raincoat on and umbrella in hand. Faces were grim on the ride down. Everyone (except for me!) was completely unprepared for what awaited them outside the comfort of the tall glass skyscraper known as "the office". Those who worked at home that day chose wisely and those that didn't... Well... They were going to be getting a bit wet. Once on the ground floor of the building the rain was slamming down as hard as it could. People were running full sprint on the street with their backpacks, newspapers (???), and bags covering their heads in a hopeless effort to protect themselves from a hard, driving rain. Some people were running with umbrellas in hand but given their small size it simply wasn't enough.
I buttoned my raincoat up, popped the collar (this raincoat does not have a hood), and deployed the umbrella and headed out into the rain. The intense pitter-patter of rain hitting up my raincoat and umbrella was deafening, and so was the storm outside. The rain streamed down my raincoat and gave it a nice glisten. While others were running I was walking at a leisurely pace, completely dry and without a care in the world. I arrived at the light rail stop and decided to stand under some cover as not to rub it in to others less fortunate. A short time later the light rail arrived and I stepped on. Nearly all of the commuters were drenched and as we made our stops and the train filled with more and more victims. Men had their nice dress shirts and pants completely drenched and a number of young, unlucky women were soaked to the point where their bras were in full view for everyone to see through their blouses.
By the time I arrived at my stop the storm had died down to a light rain. My socks, oxfords, and bottom of my pants were the only casualties on my end. After that storm I began rotating raincoats in and out of service - a rainwear tour of duty of sorts! Right now I have a Kleppermantel sitting in my backpack waiting to be deployed on a rainy commute home.
