KathyO
11-26-2002, 12:32 PM
I have a second-hand Rugged Bear snowsuit (Bearcub Fleece Lined Bunting) as a back-up/get dirty/not quite as cold weather suit for my 19-month-old DD. (The Seriously Cold Weather snowsuit is a Mountain Equipment Co-op Toaster 3.) I've commented here already on how much I've liked the Rugged Bear's detailing and design and general quality, but yesterday we really put it to the test.
The weather was just hovering above the freezing mark, and DD found a five-inch-deep mud puddle at the park. Life is short, and she loves mud, so I figured I'd let her go crazy, then we'd run home and whip her into dry clothes before the hypothermia set in.
She had a blast. She stomped in the puddle, swished her arms in it, even SAT DOWN in it so the freezing water came up to her mid-chest and flailed away. Grinning from ear to ear. She's got her Granddad's polar-bear blood. When she was done, we ran home and I peeled the suit off, expecting soggy, mud-logged clothes from chin to toes, and a chilly baby in need of a hot bath.
Well, her boots were full of water from where it rushed in over the tops of her boots, but her pants and shirt weren't even DAMP. New socks were all we needed. Pretty impressive for a garment not exactly designed for scuba-diving!
I had to e-mail the company for washing instructions on the snowsuit, since the previous owner clipped off all the tags. They replied within the hour (even though I admitted I hadn't bought the thing new). The muddy suit went into the washer, then the drier, and it's set to go again, looking as nice as when I got it.
I'm so impressed that - hey - pinchpenny that I am, I might even lay out the $$ to buy one new next year!
Cheers,
KathyO
The weather was just hovering above the freezing mark, and DD found a five-inch-deep mud puddle at the park. Life is short, and she loves mud, so I figured I'd let her go crazy, then we'd run home and whip her into dry clothes before the hypothermia set in.
She had a blast. She stomped in the puddle, swished her arms in it, even SAT DOWN in it so the freezing water came up to her mid-chest and flailed away. Grinning from ear to ear. She's got her Granddad's polar-bear blood. When she was done, we ran home and I peeled the suit off, expecting soggy, mud-logged clothes from chin to toes, and a chilly baby in need of a hot bath.
Well, her boots were full of water from where it rushed in over the tops of her boots, but her pants and shirt weren't even DAMP. New socks were all we needed. Pretty impressive for a garment not exactly designed for scuba-diving!
I had to e-mail the company for washing instructions on the snowsuit, since the previous owner clipped off all the tags. They replied within the hour (even though I admitted I hadn't bought the thing new). The muddy suit went into the washer, then the drier, and it's set to go again, looking as nice as when I got it.
I'm so impressed that - hey - pinchpenny that I am, I might even lay out the $$ to buy one new next year!
Cheers,
KathyO