Public image of men in rain capes

[Ron]

Hi Hugo, I also love rain capes and have a tough time wearing them in public. But I have to force myself to do so. The more I do it the easier it becomes and most people don't pay attention to me. Once in a while I get some strange looks. I have several capes nylon and pvc. I am from the USA and it is more acceptable here than in Europe. Travel to Germany a lot and always have my capes with me. As soon it rains I wear them even in towns when shopping or walking. I get way more strange looks there. It is not what we wear, but how we wear it. I wear it with pride. It is much easier to do where nobody knows you of course. Ron

[Peter Haaswijk]

Some years ago I was in an German town ,Hildesheim ,with my wife.
We would go out to visit another town. That morning it was dry weather , but rain was expected. I could take an umbrella with me or my pvc raincape from PUL.
I choosed the cape ,hoping that it woud rain that day.I put it in my rucksack .
Until that day I was always shy (Like some of you here ) to wear a cape in public, so I should force myself to wear it if it should rain....

The day went on, it stayed dry...But when we went back by train to our home town, it began to drizzle...
And when we went home from the trainstation , it suddenly began to rain!
My wife took her umbrella, and I had to put on the cape ,if I liked it or not (You understand how I feeled )
We walked through the shopping center ,it rained ,and -nobody looked at me ,nobody!
From that day I am not ''affraid'' to walk in public...
Greetings ,Peter

[Ron]

I agree, the more we dare to wear our rain capes in public the easier it gets. I also take my raincape with me whenever and wherever I go and hope for it to rain. Then when it rains I have no other choice but to wear it. Afterwards I fell real good about myself and can't wait for the next rainy day.

[kagoul]

A rain cape or poncho is an extremely praqctical item of clothing which seems to be gaining in popularity. I often wear a nylon rain poncho when visiting London business. Unlike an umbrella which keeps the head and shoulders dry my knee length poncho provides good cover for my legs and is a more practical alternative to a cagoule and waterproof trousers which are not easy to put on and take off quickly. The sight of a man in a business suit protected by a nylon poncho does not seem to attract attention although I was asked once by a young lady in Starbucks where I had bought my poncho as she was looking for something to take to a festival. Hunter were selling a very nice example aimed at festival goers during the summer.

[kulshan]

Much rain and cold here in the Pacific Northwest. yes, I had occasion to use an umbrella and my legs got wet. Two days ago I had to tend to flooding on my property and work with highway department people standing out in cold rain for three hours. Had my super heavy clear PVC poncho on with hood. Totally dry aided by some muck boots I was wearing. Poncho's are great provided the wind is not too bad, then it's on with the PvC rain suit.

[Peter Haaswijk]

Hallo,
If you wear a cape, and there is wind, you get wet legs, my PUL cape is about 30 cm /1 ft under my knees, so I wear a raintrouser.But my trousers get wet above my knees, because of ''water tranport '' from my boots to the inside of the cape and then to the trousers.
So in spite of the long cape, raintrousers are a must as there is wind.
Greetings from Peter in a snow covered Netherlands-West Europe

[Hugo]

I did some biking in Spain a few years ago, off-season and with occasional rain. At that time, I used a simple poncho - a sheet folded in the center, with a hood at the fold, and some buttons to secure the sides. This was a very good protection down to the knees, and I used to wrap the backside around my hips and tucked a bit of it into the trousers to secure it there. The front part automatically wrapped around because of the wind while driving. At that time, I didn't need any rain pants, it was warm enough, only my biking shoes suffered horrbly, I would have needed some cover. There used to be nice covers by Campagnolo, a rubber-like sock-shaped tube with an elastic band to secure it under the shoe. But I was out of luck, they were sold out each time I asked and now completely removed from the product range.

[capuchelatex69]

Hi there,

First I wish some good end of year feasts for all of you.

And now, such a delightfull chat about wearing a cape or not in public!!
Really, don't be afraid of that and don't be shy.
My Master is fond to make me wear capes and wellies every day.
I wear my black Hunters or Superga and my klepper capes in public, wherever we have to go and whatever is the weather, shiny, cloudy, windy, rainy or snowy. Not a problem.
Most of people in the streets, in the railway stations, in the malls, or in the supermarkets don't pay attention to you.
If someone looks at you, be proud, and cross his (or her!!!) sight. As, you will see with experience that the young ladies are the most interested into a man wearing a cape. A pity that most of them do not dare to ask you where you got it...
The first times are a little difficult, but very rapidly, you will see that it is quite natural to out dressed so.

So, feel free and enjoy!!!
If you have any question about, I shall answer with pleasure.

[Ron]

I agree, the more I wear my cape in public the more it becomes natural and I do not care as much what everybody thinks. Once in a while one get a curious look, but that's all. I wouldn't wear a raincape if it is not raining, even if I would like to try it.

[rainbeau]

Never worry about what other people think - It's what you think that counts!

Years ago I was always nervous about wearing my shiny black pvc one-piece motorcycle suit, rubber boots and rubber gloves in public, now I do it all the time, even on boiling hot sunny days. You get the odd strange look sometimes when it is sunny, but thats about it!