Last night, we finally went out and got me two things I've really been wanting for our Scotland trip; a jacket that didn't have a fabric shell and a pair of hiking boots. We first went into
Chicks Sporting Goods, and was a bit disappointed when I asked the sales people if they sold hiking gear. They said no, but asked me to specify what I was looking for. I said boots - and a jacket. They said they carried a very small selection of hiking boots and I could look through the snow gear for the jacket.
They weren't kidding about the very small selection of hiking boots - and the one pair that was waterproof in the woman's section was actually a kids boot! They said that since kids had such a small section and was closer to womens in size, they just mixed them in. I asked to try them on anyhow and was surprised to find that they fit - and fit well! Apparently, I'm a size 4 in boys. They're
Hi-Tec brand, and they fit really nice - wide in the toes which I love. When I wear them though, my feet look so small - almost peg like - and I felt toe-less. Interesting feeling, I must admit.
We looked around at their jackets and I found one I feel in love with almost instantly - despite the high "sale" price. I even succeeded in talking Paul into it! However, when I pulled it on I discovered that snowboarders must not have any boobs because even the large couldn't close comfortably over the bust. So we left, me dejected and Paul promising we'd stop at a Burlington's Coat Factory while at his parents this weekend. However, I wasn't prepared to give up on the jacket yet - I was on a mission.
Our next stop was
Big 5 Sporting Goods - which I originally had ruled out because their prices are really high. However, having seen the competition's prices I decided to give them another shot. We browsed their boots and discovered I'd lucked out at Chicks, and their jacket selection was small too. However, I found one I could live with, a
Columbia Sportswear brand. It's a good color, light weight, had a hood and is not too tight but still snug. I'm not married to it yet though because the price was high and compared to all the bells and whistles the other jackets had for the same price I feel I over-paid even though it was on sale. So we're still going to go to Burlington Coat Factory and if we find something better we'll just return the one to Big 5.
Anyhow, all in all I felt I was successful in my shopping quest :)
Clothing Folder. The reason I'm attracted to this is because the clothes we're bringing are not wrinkle-free and we don't have the money to go out and buy wrinkle-free shirts, the average price I've seen so far (I might just be looking in the wrong place, correct me!) is $40 for one shirt. No thank you. This folder holds up to six shirts and has a folding guide (that doubles as a stiff insert to keep the folder as stiff as possible during travel). The other reason I think its nice is because I can take out all of my shirts at once - if I have to rummage through my bag. The large (which holds 6 shirts) is about $28.
Toiletry Kit. I'll be the first to admit that I need a lot to be clean & ready. I need two types of shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, deodorant - the list continues with less than important items. I don't want to have to find all of this stuff rummaging around in my bag in order to take a shower and I don't want to make a million trips to my bag while trying to get ready. What's more, airlines now require that you have liquids in a clear plastic bag. The kit shown unzips to lay flat when placed in luggage, but zips into an easy to carry & compact size that hangs on a door. Price is $29.95 (of course, doesn't include bottles).
Packing Cubes. This concept seems simple and unnecessary - but again the idea of being able to find as well as unpack/pack quick & easy is what draws me to this. They have half ($10) & full ($12) sizes as well as tube shapes in half & full sizes (appears a bit more rectangular than tube-ish to me). Both shapes feature see-through mess on the top, zippers and handles. In theory I could use them for socks and underwear as well as clean & dirty separation.
