Stormin Here In The Ozarks

It was a very rainy day here in the Ozarks. The projection was for around an inch of rain, and I bet it was at least that much, if not a little more. That also brought up a bit of a quandry for me.

It started last week when we had a windy day, a day with a cold, artic type of wind. I usually wear fleece in layers when it is cold, but that does nothing to stop the wind. My leather jacket will stop the wind, but my fleece won't fit under it and looks funky over it. Of course, my duster blocks the wind, but it is bulky. Today we had both the cold wnd and plenty of rain. Out came the duster which is fine if you are outside not moving much, like walking the dog or just meandering. but it is not something to wear if you are driving around and getting in & out of the car.

I also have a nice waterproof trench coat, but for casual stuff it is a bit dressy. Quite frankly, it is not very warm. Good for business calls on a bad day or going out, but again not for a casual day where alot of getting in & out of the car is on the agenda.

That led me down to Bass Pro Shops in Branson, MO. There I found a Gore-Tex PacLite Rain Jacket. I bought it large enough to wear over both a fleece jacket and a fleece vest. In addition I picked up a pair of RedHead Windstopper Gloves. The PacLite Rain Jacket is a thin shell. Putting on a fleece jacket and the shell over it, I found I was able to move quite well without binding. The gloves fit well, not too tight and not loose either. They have a surprising amount of feeling through the material. Now it was time to test them out in the elements. Getting in & out of the car was no problem, driving with the gloves on was a piece of cake. I went out to lunch and then to a couple stores, parking far enough to have to walk through the wind & rain in order to get to the establishments. The PacLite Jacket was superb. No rain got through and it did a great job of blocking the wind. One time, walking back to the car the wind was driving the rain into me so hard my face stung. None got through the jacket and with it zipped all the way up the hood stayed tightly around my head, which was insulated with a Carhartt Acrylic Watch Cap. The gloves did their job just as well. My hands stayed warm & toasty. I also wore them while walking the dog and had excellent feeling and control of the leash.

It looks like my search for an adequate layering system to keep warm through an Ozark Winter is almost over. The last thing I have to do is go back to Bass Pro and get the PacLite Pants to match the jacket!