Shameless Gear Plug

Working for REI does have considerable benefits.

Our CEO has the ear of the president, for example. Note she's sitting at his right hand.

We also have twice-a-year Mega Prodeals, where the Gear & Apparel department picks about 12 products that we get for 75% off. They are new or updated pieces they want staff to try out and see how it works.

Last Fall, all the hype was eVent. eVent is a new waterproofing system that actually breathes. There are many waterproofing systems out there, but most of them - by sealing out water - also seal out the ability to release sweat or heat, meaning they can get quite wet from the inside and be rather hot to wear for workouts. eVent has solved that. I understand in the right conditions, you can actually make the jacket steam.

Progress does not come cheap. The jacket is $300, and I think the pants are about $150 or $125. But in the Mega Prodeal, the jacket was $75 and I logged in from Wisconsin to get one.

We did a staff feedback follow-up this Spring on the jacket. May I mention now that REI staff are very picky, because they do a lot of outdoor stuff, and they see a LOT of gear. They also hear from customers what works and what doesn't. So ratings from staff tend to be considerably lower than they would be from customers. For the eVent jacket, they were extremely high - I think more people said the jacket exceeded their expectation than said it met their expectation - and that's with all the hype.

Me, I've been poking along using it as a rain jacket, not aerobically. But today I knew it was supposed to rain, and I needed to ride my bike. A bonus feature of this jacket is the hood is designed to fit over a helmet. At 4 p.m., I rode back with my friend Valerie - jacket on - and it really was quite remarkable. It kept me dry and ... dry, inside too. The hood being over my helmet was fabulous, because I was able to keep my head dry. It just made me realize I need to get the eVent pants... I had some nylon rain pants with me, but for the very reason that they wouldn't be breathable, I didn't wear them, and my legs are quite cold still.

In other news, I'm just happy to be home tonight. Phew!