Are rain coats and thermals not a thing

[rainraingoaways]

I often meet up with my friends and there children or just friends and I’m amazed at how many people don’t have appropriate winter clothing or check the weather. The amount of times I’ve met up with friends and it’s rained or raining and they don’t have a rain coat or umbrella. Recently during a cold spell after Christmas one of my friends mentioned how cold she was but she had ankle length jeans with trainers thin top and light coat. I also had another experience recently of meeting friends for lunch on Tuesday and then popping off to an animal farm after if time allowed. after lunch I put my toddler in a puddle suit and wellies she asked if it was muddy. I did state it’s a farm and we’ve had non stop rain all week it’s most likely going to be muddy so she didn’t come as the child only had leather shoes and thin coat. Friends will also arrange to meet up in town for coffee but last minute suggest re arranging as it’s raining. When the weather is cold enough I always wear a thermal vest I keep a rain jacket in the bottom of my buggy with gloves and I check the weather in the morning. It’s rained so much where we live recently that I’ve been wearing wellies when out with my toddler as the parks are so muddy and wet. I have a decent cheapish pair of warm shoes for when cold. For 99percent of my friends money isn’t an issue they could afford a vest or rain coat and one friend has recently bought a rain coat to match mine after getting wet while I didn’t. Is it that they are trying to be fashionable still

My 9yo asks Alexa the weather every morning and dresses appropriately. Incl if it’s really cold. She has been known to wear 2 pairs of tights!!!

My work is COLD. I wear a thermal vest, long sleeve top, jumper and cardigan or jacket. Leggings or tights under trousers plus knee high socks

I travel around on public transport a lot as well as walking and am always surprised at how so many women dress in winter, bare ankles, shorts, short skirts, no coat - i honestly don't understand. And almost never hats gloves or scarves - sometimes feel like I'm the odd one out, or overly sensitive to cold and wet. But i don't think it's me really, buses and overground trains are often very draughty these days.

For me it's a sensory thing. I hate wearing a coat, hate thermals, hate layers, don't like gloves, can't deal with a scarf round my neck I will wear a hat. I don't moan that I'm cold though, it's normally other people who mention it. If I'm going for a long walk or something I will dress more "appropriately" in boots and jeans and a big coat but I will remove said coat as soon as I'm slightly warm

In my job there's a possibility that we might have to work outside at short notice.

It's one of our core functions and a significant part of our job is practising for this eventuality. They've had to tell people to make sure they have appropriate clothing with them at work at all times because when we've done rehearsals, a lot of people have either caused delays by needing to go home to change or even refused to join in because 'I haven't got a coat with me and my nice office shoes will get muddy'.

It probably depends where you live. I live in the South West. It's always raining and most people have multiple proper waterproofs.

See I find public transport boiling most of the time. I drive to work (not walking 10 miles cross country) and always keep a coat in the car for emergencies but never drive in one, don't take it into the building, if I go for a walk at lunchtime I won't put it on unless it's raining or below about 8°. Worn gloves about twice this winter and apart from watching sport haven't worn a scarf at all. I can't remember last time I wore a hat. I do use an umbrella a lot. But I run hot, hate feeling hot and like the feeling of being cold for short periods (say up to half an hour), it's energising. People do often say "aren't you cold" as if it's a bad thing, but really it's not for me.

Ha ha, this is me. I love my Seasalt Janelle where I live. Cosy, dry and not out of place in my town. As soon as I go anywhere else I feel scruffy and frumpy and take to wearing a much smarter coat with no hood, no real warmth and no waterproofing.

I work in a primary school - and feel the cold. I usually have fleecy leggings under my trousers, a thermal top under a jumper and an enormous mid calf length duvet coat. I'm on playground duty break and lunch so will be outside in all but the heaviest rain. And if it's forest school we'd be out in that too.

There's no way I'd have dressed like that in my 20s working in an office. I had smart work coats and office wear from New Look or Select - and luckily a heater under my desk!
Dressing for the weather definitely applied more to going for walks than going to work for me back then.

In my experience if peopel tend to drive everywhere and can more or less walk from car to door they forget about wet weather / cold weather gear. Oit is a lifestyle thing rather than a conscious choice.

And yes, lots of Londoners are wearinf layers and layers but there is a strong chance they have a hideous commute to get in and out of work.

My family have spent too many years hiking on Dartmoor, from when the kids were in backpacks, to not have all the layers for all the seasons. DS didn't own a pair of joggers in Junior school, I had to buy them for something, but I could have kitted him out to do Ten Tors🤣. We often used to bump into the teenagers doing training walks, looking less prepared than our 7 yr old.

I have a Seasalt Janelle, but it's far too hot for walking in unless it's bitterly cold (rare here in SE England), I only really wear it for standing or sitting outside eg at sports matches. I have a gore-tex coat for wet weather and even that gets too hot if I am walking briskly or working outdoors.

But I am always scratching my heads in puzzlement at threads where people are asking for really warm coats for dogwalking etc and I'm thinking surely that's overkill all you need is a waterproof for wet days.

I wonder if it's partly how you were brought up.

Your son will associate puddle suit/outdoor clothing with fun. Our only holidays as children were camping. I have nice memories of wandering around (usually Welsh castles) in matching macs.

I need to go outside or I feel terrible. So I wrap up and go in pretty much anything. This year so far has been near constant wind and rain or snow so decent gear (non of it expensive but practical) has been essential.

Perhaps if you don't feel this way and like to drive everywhere it's different.

Like people who choose white prams - I couldn't wrap my head round that as ours was dragged through everything but clearly they didn't take them through the same terrain.

I live in London and used to have an hours tube journey to work (wfh now). It was always hot on the tube and it was a pain bundling up in multiple layers then trying to take them off, hold on to them etc on a packed tube. I'd rather have a short spell of being cold, than have to drag around lots of outerwear.

Different if you're out in the cold all day but I rarely am. I'm not going to buy thermals etc when I'd barely use them.

I work outdoors so practically live in thermals and waterproofs from about October to March.

I find that lots of people don’t like the look of them though and would rather be wet/cold but “stylish” even though they all look rather stupid standing around shivering and bedraggled 🫣

It’s definitely not overkill to want something warm and waterproof for wintery dog walks!

What thermals do you have? Mine are silk, and are the loveliest thing to have against your skin. I wear them most days as it’s nicer against my skin that almost any other fabric!

@99pwithaflakeyou are a woman after my own heart. Get thee to Seasalt 🤣

When I bought mine there was another lady considering one… I asked ‘do you have a spaniel’ and she replied ‘no, a pointer’ and we shared a knowing look.

@EnchantedDaytimeyou are right that it can feel a bit warm but I like the feeling of the cool air if I unzip it.

I find almost the opposite. Everyone is banging on about Uniqlo heat tech thermals or wearing leggings under their jeans and all I can think is aren't you boiling? I bought one of those Seasalt Janelle coats when DD1 started school as we walk to school and back and I had to sell it on Vinted because it made me feel suffocatingly hot.

Like PPs I'd far rather be a bit cold than too hot. I don't own a scarf and absolutely hate umbrellas with a passion. I have a warm winter puffer coat with a hood that will do me when it is cold and raining.

Not having wellies or walking boots seems a bit weird, I suppose if you never go anywhere muddy you don't need them but for children not to have wellies for splashing in puddles is a shame.

I always wear thermals in winter - long johns and a vest. I'm too cold without them indoors, let alone outdoors! Also always hat and gloves and scarf/fleecy buff.

Its been around -30 lately where I live so dressing properly is essential, although I will still take the bin out or fetch the post (our post box is across the road from us) in just a t-shirt because less than 2 minutes doesn't count. The only thing that stops me being out longer in the cold is that my toes get cold (can't fit woolly socks in my new boots, rookie error) and the cold air hurts my lungs/triggers my asthma.

They say, there's no wrong weather, just the wrong clothes.

I live opposite a big park in a suburb, but I grew up in a national park.

I take my toddler out rain or shine for at least a couple of hours a day, and I'm kind of astonished that more people don't. Not because they should or have to enjoy being outside, but because keeping a toddler indoors or in soft play for days on end is surely hell?

I’ve never worn a thermal or raincoat but only because I prefer a coat, warm scarf and umbrella. So you can avoid those things listed and be outdoorsy.

For many outdoors activities you can’t use an umbrella though, so unless you want to end up soaked within two minutes, you need a raincoat of some kind.

I am tempted but we don’t have one anywhere near here - currently sporting a very stylish regatta dry robe for my dog walks 🤣