Another amusing newbie mistake

I decided to take a walk around my neighborhood after work last night so I could enjoy the somewhat decent weather and finally try out my new jacket.

I had gotten one of those lightweight Columbia jackets that is wind and rain proof, with a hood that you can roll up and tuck behind the collar. It’s also got this neat venting thing on the back so I was looking forward to how nice it was going to be.

It fit a bit tight around the hips, but that’s a common problem given my pear shape so I was happy it fit over my hips at all!

I started off on my walk and it wasn't even 5 minutes before I noticed a problem.

I had just worn a sports bra and t-shirt under the jacket. No problem, right?

Well, I had bought the cheapest jacket I could find that would fit me and that meant I just bought the shell, without any kind of a liner.

It is great for keeping the moisture out, but it is also great for keeping the moisture IN.

By the time I got to the trail head, I could feel my upper and lower arms sticking to the inside of the jacket. The more I walked, the more I felt like a slowly marinating chicken breast under Saran Wrap. I refused to go back home for fear I wouldn’t finish my cardio so I toughed it out for my 2.6 miles.

By about halfway through my walk, beads of sweat were running down my forearms to my wrists, trying to escape the jacket. At one point, I thought I was getting hit by a few droplets of a beginning rain pour, but it was just more drops of sweat jumping from my jacket to my hands.

When I finally got back home, I took off my jacket- actually, it was more like I peeled off the jacket since the sleeves were stuck to my arms and it would only come off by peeling it off inside out.



I don’t know how well you can see this, but these are the droplets of sweat that were left on the inside of one sleeve an HOUR after I took it off and tried to dry it.

Eew!

In summary, just a word to any other newbies out there: if you get a weatherproof jacket, either make sure you buy one with a liner or ALWAYS wear a long sleeved shirt with it.