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if you drive to work, do you take a rain coat?

28 replies

Crumpetdisappointment · 15/10/2023 09:21

or cardigan.
on friday my colleagues were saying they couldnt leave the office because they werent appropriately dressed
however i saw the forecast said rain at home time, 5 pm, and didnt want to get wet on the way to the car
are you an optimist like my colleagues?

OP posts:
Gnomegnomegnome · 15/10/2023 09:26

I always have one in the car but wouldn’t not leave the office for fear of getting a bit wet. I’m not made of sugar.

gotomomo · 15/10/2023 09:27

No I don't generally wear a coat unless very cold but do have an umbrella

LaundryWoes · 15/10/2023 09:27

If the forecast shows rain I try to remember my coat, but I always keep a small umbrella in my bag so I’d probably be ok with a surprise shower.

RoseRows · 15/10/2023 09:28

I don’t generally take a coat unless it’s very cold as well as rainy. I do always keep a little umbrella in my bag though and I tend to wear a cardigan most days anyway.

SirChenjins · 15/10/2023 09:32

Always - you never know when your car is going to break down or you’ll be involved in an accident, both of which means standing at the side of road (bitter experience), or when the forecast is wrong. I usually keep a warm coat on the car as well in case I do forget my raincoat.

Saucepan7 · 15/10/2023 09:32

I wear a raincoat, never wear cardigans! They make me feel like I'm a rugby player, shoulders really POP a little too much in them.

Dontfuckingsaycheese · 15/10/2023 09:34

I have to be prepared for any weather when I pop out for a ciggie 🙄

Majbluemug · 15/10/2023 09:34

I have a coat in the car. But I park meters away from my work entrance do if just leg it if I was without a coat. If I eked further away if def check the forecast and bring the right clothing.

Reach9kat · 15/10/2023 09:34

My mother used to always say to take a coat either a rain coat or winter coat in the car incase you break down and have to stand outside of the car. This is now ingrained in me. So I always have another layer in the car.

Squeakypipster · 15/10/2023 09:35

SirChenjins · 15/10/2023 09:32

Always - you never know when your car is going to break down or you’ll be involved in an accident, both of which means standing at the side of road (bitter experience), or when the forecast is wrong. I usually keep a warm coat on the car as well in case I do forget my raincoat.

This. And especially for the dc too.

VerityUnreasonble · 15/10/2023 09:35

Depends which bag I have with me, if I have my "work bag" it has an emergency pac-a-mac in it. If I just have my hand bag then it depends on how much attention I paid when I left the house.

Topofthemountain · 15/10/2023 09:37

I don't like driving in a coat so rarely have one on
I do have a rain jacket at work though if needed, but I should keep one in the car in case of breakdowns etc.

SirChenjins · 15/10/2023 09:39

Squeakypipster · 15/10/2023 09:35

This. And especially for the dc too.

Yep. My DC are adults/teens now but when they were little I did the same. I remind them when they’re driving to take a coat too, in case of the above. Not sure if they pay any attention though, but it’ll take one incident and they’ll wish they had listened!

Wolvesart · 15/10/2023 09:40

I don’t drive to work but I’m sure if I did I’d base what I took with me on the weather forecast just as I do now. Friday was a case in point - the rain was forecast for later in the day as well as first thing here - so obvs take a coat or brolly. Brolly would not have helped much circa 5pm here mind you, it was a deluge

Baldieheid · 15/10/2023 09:42

Yes. I have a waterproof in the car boot even in the heat of summer in case I break down and need to stand by the roadside for a while in rain.

It's daft not to be prepared, and it's hardly a big task to shove a coat or brolly in the boot.

muddyford · 15/10/2023 09:44

I keep a waterproof in the car, just in case. If I had an accident, necessitating sitting by the roadside for ages, at least I can keep dry.

Alargeoneplease89 · 15/10/2023 09:46

I always take a coat .. what happens if you breakdown on a motorway or any other road?

MrsDeaconClaybourne · 15/10/2023 09:46

I usually have a mac and umbrella in the car but wouldn't necessarily take them into work with me. I'd just walk quickly to the car though or cadge a brolly from someone.

Sometimes I even walk to work without checking the forecast. I'd just get wet though!

Cotswoldbee · 15/10/2023 09:48

I always left a coat, a warm top and a pair of shoes in the office "just in case".
I always check the weather and will err on the side of caution taking a coat if there is a chance of a shower or if it is likely to be chilly.
I also have a brolly in my bag.
Thanks to my late mum drilling it into me, I always make sure I have a hankie (plus a spare).

I like to be prepared!

Oldthyme · 15/10/2023 09:48

I’ve always carried “wet weather” gear in a dedicated welly bag in car boot; thick socks, walking boots, over trousers, fleece, rain jacket, scarf and gloves. It’s just a good place to store my walking kit and has come in handy during a break down. I was warm and comfortable when I waited for break down truck.

Additionally, yes, I take my Mac’ in the car if travelling around and think I might need to park and walk anywhere. I learned from bitter experience so seems
common sense to me.

2chocolateoranges · 15/10/2023 10:01

Always have a jacket in the car, my mum always told me to be prepared… just in case.

NineteenOhEight · 15/10/2023 10:01

Not what you asked, but this was one of the things I noticed when I moved out of London to a village — people dressing entirely differently.

In London, you are likely to be using public transport, possibly changing between different types, and walking, to get to work, so you need shoes you can walk in (and/or a change for the office), and, in cold weather, appropriate layers so that you’re not boiling on the Tube or freezing on the street, and in wet weather, something that ensures you don’t arrive soaking at work.

In the village, I took the bus to and from work in a nearby city, so, other than it being colder in winter than London, I dressed much the same, but I noticed that most of our neighbours would get into their cars wearing indoor work clothes, and that as a result, had very different ideas about coats.

They might have a ‘dog walking coat’ or something glitzy to wear over an outfit if going out at night, or a North Face waterproof for hillwalking, but didn’t seem to have any equivalent to the coats I would wear leaving the house over a work outfit, because they were going straight from car to office.

LubaLuca · 15/10/2023 10:14

Sometimes I do. I'm not one of these organised people who prides myself on having a boot packed for any eventuality though, I often won't have stuff I could really do with. I don't consider it a failing tbh.

WeightoftheWorld · 15/10/2023 10:23

My DH drives to/from work and always always takes a waterproof coat! We do live in a very rainy city though where it can be bright sunshine in the morning and easily a thunderstorm by 5.

Crumpetdisappointment · 15/10/2023 10:25

particularly in october!
i guess they have never broken down and are eternal optimists

in london indeed you need to carry your layers as the tube is so hot and you come out of the tube and it is colder and may well be wet

OP posts: