Go Outside

I’ve been meaning for days to write a little smidge about my recent ladies trip to Algonquin… while I haven’t had the time, I do want to mention another product that I found very helpful.

I’m not one to talk about products like I’m selling them, but if I really like something, then I like to share the news.

Most people who know me know that I love a cheap deal as long as the product doesn’t suck.  Well this time around I want to talk about my super cheap rain suit.

Last summer I took a leadership tripping certification class and there was a huge list of things that we had to buy. Some things I splurged on and some I cheaped out on.  Instead of a nice rain jacket, I bought a super cheap rain suit from Sail. Not the most attractive thing I’ve ever worn, but certainly dry.

There came a time on this past trip that we were paddling and we got caught in the rain.  It wasn’t so bad at first but once the temp dropped a bit I started having a pretty hard time.  I was pretty glad that this wasn’t a solo trip and I had a good friend there to look out for me.

Once I started shaking I tried to shrug it off, but then I became colder than I’ve felt in a long time.  Being soaking wet and cold and shivering uncontrollably, I knew I needed to get warm and dry in a hurry.  I was a little panicked but my solid-as-a-rock friend was awesome. She directed me to get undressed, put my rain suit on over my skin, then put the pdf back on top.  This worked like a wet suit and I started to warm up right away.  As I changed she started the stove to make me a hot drink.  The cheap ugly rain suit turned out to be as invaluable as a great friend and another lesson learned out in the backcountry.

Edited to add this very informative article from Paul Kirtly. He gives a very in depth explanation of cold injuries. Good to know if you’re out there in cold weather!