By: Blonde Two
I have recently become the proud owner of a second hand Buffalo jacket. This jacket has another name but I don’t know it, it may be “alpine jacket” for the snow, “belay jacket” for standing around holding ropes or “fell jacket” hopefully not for falling over. For those of you who are not outdoor gear junkies, Buffalo mostly make jackets not out of animal hide but out of a clever fabric called Pertex. Buffalo jackets do lots of very clever moisture, wind, rain things but the very best thing about them is the fact that they have a soft, fleecy inside.
It is perhaps though, this fleecy inside, that makes Buffalo jacket wearing an rather odd experience for someone who is used to wearing layers of clothing to keep warm. You see, the thing with a Buffalo jacket is that you are supposed to wear it next to your skin.
I, being a good Blonde who always tucks her own vest in and tells other people to do the same, put aside my strong feelings on this matter for a couple of days and decided to run a few “bra only” trials:
Trial One – The Supermarket: I rarely go to supermarkets but with Christmas approaching and the need to purchase enough fancy cheese for family Blonde Two becoming more urgent, I decided to try the Buffalo in the Lidl’s freezer aisle. A friend did the same and we both found the jackets kept us warm whilst shopping and packing the car but a bit too hot when loading the trolley. One possible problem I noted was that, in the flurry of trolley loading, it might have been tempting to remove ones jacket forgetting that one was wearing only a bra underneath. I have never been forcibly removed from a supermarket but there is a first time for everything.
Trial Two – The Sports Car: I took Six-Foot out for a ride in my little MX5. It was so little and he was so big that we decided the only way he would really fit was with the roof down. The Buffalo performed (images of dancing cows here) well and I was laughing in the rain while he fretted about the happiness of his new down jacket (it would appear that “gear lust” is inheritable).
Trial Three – The Windy Walk: Yesterday was particularly windy and I have to confess to being so worried about being caught out without a vest that I packed one in my rucksack before setting off up the hill. Buffalo jackets, it would appear, are perfect for walking in and I was very cosy. The only problem I did have was that naughty wind trying to sneak its fingers up my jacket. Bearing in mind the peculiar boob problem that I had the other week, I was a bit concerned about this. The problem was solved, however, as soon as I put my rucksack on as its waist strap is tight enough to stop any type of marauding fingers.
To ensure a proper trial, I sat in the wind as well as walked in it and I stayed warmer a lot longer than my cup of tea did. I did consider donning my vest for the return trip but came across another problem, in order to vest-up, I was going to have to take my jacket off and reveal all to the elements and family groups of walkers. I hadn’t quite thought that through!
So the Buffalo Jacket passed all of its “next to Blonde skin” trials. Warmth and protection aside for a moment, I believe that the best test for a new jacket is whether or not you want to take it off when you get home. I am still wearing mine several hours later!
Aha, a clue, amenable to deconstruction. An MX5. It might well say something about the length of your blondeness and your wish to stream (the older meaning of the word before it was reduced to an electronic procedure). About your ability to withstand cold. About a tendency to elevate the aesthetic above the practical. About a mistaken belief that toplessness (again the older meaning) connects you more obviously to Nature when watering eyes actually prevent this. Oh what the hell, go out and enjoy it. But please, please, always remember Isabella Duncan.
At last, a reference I didn’t need to look up. I make a point of never wearing long scarves in the car for exactly that reason. Today’s outdoor Blonde wears a Buff (the newer meaning of the word) – you may need to look this up http://www.buffwear.co.uk/
You are right, I love the impracticality of my car, you may be interested to read this post to find out how the Blondes cope with this little issue http://wp.me/p2OiIR-A9
Ah the beloved Buffalo. I have been a fan for many years.. From time In Military, role i perform in my current job, as well as being a DofE leader. I wear it virtually every day… It’s the only outer layer I have that you actually get warmer the fewer mid layers you wear!
Yeah I have got a nice Rab down jacket, but it doesn’t keep you warm when it’s wet and my waterproof… Well it doesn’t keep you warm… Just dry. The buffalo keeps me warm no matter what even when soaking wet!!!
I am beginning to see what all the fuss is about these jackets. Wore mine out in the weather today and felt toasty.
I’ve got one (not an MX5) . Used it to run in winter on the hills (not competitively). Does everything everybody says. Has zips down the side allow cool air when you overheat. Now seems too small – must have shrunk, or…
…maybe, just maybe, j’ai grossi?
They do appear to shrink – that is how I inherited this one.
: )
Happy New Year!!