As Long As You Dressed For It The Game Yesterday Was Fine

Okay, it’s October. But it may as well be winter. After all, the temperature when we left for the Penn State-Minnesota game was about 34 degrees, and it was a light snow. For the rest of the day it was a light on-again and off-again cold rain, that added up to a lot of moisture. The temperature didn’t change much all day.

So how do you stay warm and comfortable? Here was my checklist:

--L.L. Bean silk long underwear
--Thin sock liners under rag wool socks, also purchased from L.L. Bean
--L.L. Bean waterproof Maine hunting shoes (low-cut) with thinsulate lining
--Nittany Lion pendant and earrings (purchased from Betsy Suhey of Aurum Goldsmiths in State College)
--Gray wool lined pants (also from L.L. Bean)
--L.L. Bean waterproof Goretex rain pants
--Penn State navy blue turtleneck purchased at Lion’s Pride in State College
--“Lions Gopher The Gold” button created by Citizens Bank
--Heavy boiled wool navy blue sweater purchased in Scotland a few years ago
--Eddie Bauer waterproof and insulated parka with hood– temp rating -20 F
--Wool navy blue felt hat with a brim to keep my glasses dry with Lion pin (gift from my mother)
-- L.L. Bean waterproof Goretex insulated ski mittens
--Driver’s license, enough money for snacks, health insurance card, one credit card in a quart-size plastic bag to be stowed in a pocket in my parka
--Automobile “key” (transmitter), and my cell phone in a quart-size plastic bag to be stowed in another pocket in my parka
--Camera case and camera with a gallon-size plastic bag to keep camera and batteries dry

I pulled out all the stops. Dressed for late November. Had to dig into closets to find all this stuff that I don’t normally look for until later in the year. Took a shuttle to the game so had to carry everything with me, wear it all day. No car trunk to store extra layers in. Left the purse at home because I didn’t want to get it wet.

Don’t mean to make this an advertisement for L.L. Bean or Eddie Bauer, but perhaps these retailers should consider a new product line of collegiate licensed outerwear. They could start with the Big Ten due to colder climates. Their stuff works, and it lasts for years. For cold weather gear, my loyalty goes back and forth between these two retailers depending on the purchase and mostly the fit. Most of the items listed above from these two retailers were purchased at least ten years ago.

Being warm at games has been a priority since November 1987 – my first Penn State football season – when we played Notre Dame at Beaver Stadium and the wind chill factor was -40 in the stands. Yesterday’s game in comparison was a day at the beach in mid-summer. Well, maybe not!

Did the clothing strategy work? Absolutely. I was dry the entire game and reasonably comfortable. But I also needed everything I brought with me! It was ridiculous to wear all these clothes in October.

But when you witness a great 20-0 win, it is all worth it! More on that later today.