The BE PREPARED Principle for OWS -- selecting rain gear & $20 DriDucks "ultra-lite" hiking suit

[vets74]

Staying healthy is critical. Sine qua non.

Wall Street is damp, cold in fall and very cold in winter. Windy area because of New York Bay and the Hudson River.

Rain gear is going to be critical. Problem with rain gear is that heavy suits will cause you to sweat and they're not suitable for sleeping. This ultra-light set is loose, comfy,

Driducks offers a $20 solution. I have used my set for hiking in Upstate New York and Jersey in winter. Perfect. This includes getting caught out in a turnaround blizzard where the Driducks went on over my normal gear -- I was dry and mostly comfortable.

When I bought mine, the alternative brands cost twice to ten times as much as the Driducks for an equivalent pants/jacket sets. I have no idea why.

Mine have been washed in a washing machine several times. Gentle setting. Hang up to dry out. Mine are 5 years old. The jacket sizes out quite large -- their LARGE is a 46-48 chest instead of 42-44. The aim is to fit over a thick sweater. The very loose fit encourages evaporation.

(Checked out eBay. $16 + $7 shipping. Now labelled as "Frogg Toggs DriDucks." The regular Frogg Toggs rainsuit is heavier stuff. The Driducks pair together weigh less than a pound.)

The Frogg Toggs site has this as the DriDucks® Ultra-Lite2™ Rain Suit, starting At: $19.95.

Driducks ultralite manufacturers page

Got mine at a big supermarket in Binghamton NY area.

If you're going to Occupy Wall Street onsite, be prepared.

Also, please-pretty-please, get a pneumonia shot to go with your flu shot. Takes a couple weeks to reach full protective strength after the injection. Staying healthy is a big deal.

[Rabblevox]

1. Good advice. Also hand sanitizer, plenty of spare socks, Vitamin C, and a brolly. /nt

[salin]

2. k & r

[formercia]

3. I have some experience camping in the Winter

When it gets cold, the body does its best to maintain the Core temperature, Torso and Brain are part of the Core. You have to keep your Head warm due to high heat loss from the Head (warm Brain). The body will restrict blood supply to the extremities, so your feet and hands feel cold. Warm gloves are important. The best mix I've found is a light pair of gloves that allow you to handle objects, like when cooking or handling your Gear, and a heavy pair of Mittens that keep your hands warm. Gloves allow cold air between the fingers, thus allowing your hands to cool much faster. Try not to use your bare hands when it gets below freezing. Once your hands get cold, it takes a long time to get them warm again. I wear my mittens over the gloves for extra warmth when it gets really cold.

Keep your feet warm with insulated boots if you can. At night, keeping your toes warm will make the difference between getting a good rest and being miserable. I wear a pair of Sorel boot liners. They are designed to keep your feet warm in Arctic conditions. They weigh very little and can be bought online. Get a pair at least one size bigger than your street shoes to allow for a pair or more of warm socks. I wear mine inside my sleeping bag and use them only for that purpose, so they won't get soiled.

http://www.sorel.com/replacement-boot-liners/liners,default,sc.html

I prefer wearing Wool. It doesn't get as stinky as the synthetics and I think it does a very good job. If you're sensitive to Wool, wear a comfortable shirt underneath that you can take off and wash to keep your wool garments clean.Silk is the best, and it feels great. I wear two Wool shirts and wash the inner shirt and replace it with the outer shirt, that way, with 3 shirts, you can keep your clothes clean, sort-of.

[Hotler]

4. k&r n/t