The Heavy-Duty Gear

Well, winter has gotten serious. It's been a while since we've had temps below zero (2005, according to the news); it was -1 when I got up this morning, and actually went down a degree before I'd left the house, however that can be.

[I have a coworker who is a native of Minnesota, so of course she scoffs at the somewhat overblown reaction to this; to her, this is normal winter weather.]

Being a public-transit commuter means you have to be prepared to stand outside in weather like this. In the past I've mentioned my flannel-lined pants and jeans and my insulated boots, but a morning like this one calls for something with a bit more cold-fighting power. I headed down to the basement and broke out the black Eddie Bauer down parka that I've had for more than 15 years.

I purchased this coat in the winter of 1994-95, when there was still an EB retail store on Boylston Street, across from where the Borders and "Filene's Basement" (this will always appear in quotes until such time as the real Basement reopens, if that ever happens) are now.

At the time I was still working as a book buyer in the gift shop of a local cultural institution, but I had a second part-time job at the Huntington Theatre on the front-of-house staff, which had a jacket-and-tie dress code. I needed a coat that I could wear over a a sport jacket in very cold weather; at the time I owned a trench coat, but it was woefully inadequate below about 30 degrees, plus whatever substance was used as a lining between the outer and inner layers of fabric made a crinkling noise when I wore it out in the cold, so it had to go.

I have no idea how I became aware of this coat, but it was probably from stopping in the store to browse. I do remember that it went on sale in January, for about 1/3 off its original price of $200. I liked its appearance because the horizontal, tubular down chambers (I think they're called baffles) were not visible from the outside of the coat; the exterior is plain, smooth fabric without the visible seams common to down outerwear that I've always disliked so much.

At the time I was earning around $20K a year from my main job, so the primary reason I was working a second job was to accelerate paying off my student loans, and I was diligently dedicating all the money I earned from it to that purpose. But we also received tips from the theater's concessions and coat check, which we divided after each show among those of us who worked that shift.

I quickly realized that if I held onto the tips I received, instead of just adding them into my pocket after each shift, I could accrue enough over the course of a show's run (I was working an average of three shifts a week for the four or five weeks each show ran) to buy myself a present, so to speak, something that I might otherwise not be in a position to buy. And tips were better during the winter, because of the coat check, so that's how I paid for the coat.

Over the years I have needed it only occasionally; in fact, it's just too warm to wear most of the time. It only really makes sense to wear when the temperature drops below about 15 and the wind cranks up, otherwise it's just too warm. It has a hood; I hate hoods, but considering the parameters of its usefulness, having a hood is actually quite appreciated when I need to wear it. And the hood warps around in front into a chin piece, which adds a little extra wind protection for my lower face.

A couple of winters ago I was going through my clothes and considered donating the coat to a shelter. But then we have a day like this one, and I'm really glad I still have it.