Country boy attire part 2: Jacket

An essential part of being a country boy is being able to weather the elements. I have personally been in some really nasty weather and have tried to get some work done even when it seemed impossible! The important part of all of this is having the right attire, and for the elements the most important thing is a jacket.

There are many kinds of jackets for many occasions. I recently went into a sporting goods store and Carhartt has launched a soft shell work jacket to compete with the soft shell outfitters of the world. For me I need 4 kinds of jackets. The first is my Carhartt, big and thick, this thing can stop a bullet. It's not the warmest but in its defense it was made to layer. The arms are usually polyester on the inside making it easy to slide a hoodie through it or another jacket. A work jacket or coat is essential especially on those cold days when you have work outside and you can't worry about it getting snagged on something and shredding.

The next one I need is a fleece. I use a North Face fleece with elbow pads as a base layer or if it isn't too cold I just wear it. A good soft shell would be nice in this situation too. These are especially nice because many are waterproof and windproof and also don't rip easy. They are quiet and flexible which are an essential for hunting or working outside. One way to test the jacket is to do the blow through test. Put it up to your lips and blow hard, if your breath goes through it it's not weatherproof but if it is woven tightly it won't allow your breath to go through and you know you have a good jacket. As I mentioned before, Carhartt makes one now that can be really useful but North Face, Mountain Hardware or any other major outdoor brands usually has them, including Target, their G9 line sells a pretty good one for cheap.

The third kind of jacket I use is a pea coat. I use it for nicer occasions, traveling, church etc... these are coming down in price and www.target.com has them for fairly cheap right now. Also check Old Navy.

The last is your go to, your hoodie, or quick jacket, something that you don't care if it gets dirty but you have it and it's been reliable. You mentally have to have one of these if you are a country boy, it's old faithful and you can wear it with anything. I sometimes wear a hoodie and my levi jacket. My wife almost throws up every time, but it's old faithful for me.

I think it's important to be prepared for almost every situation, not mentioned here are my ski jackets and my hunting clothes... also a must, but if you don't ski, don't worry about it and also hunting... sometimes a nice camo shell works just fin.

Staying warm is essential to being a country, you have to be able to do work and stay warm doing it.