The Right to Bare Arms

I went coat shopping this weekend.  My heavy winter coat is 6–8 years old, threadbare, faded, and the pockets are just about ripped off.  It needed to be replaced last season but by the time I figured it out, the season was in full swing and selection was low and prices were high.

J.C. Penney was having a coat sale this weekend so we went to the local store on Saturday to see what they had.  The selection was limited (small town, small store) and included mostly fall jackets.  The 3 or 4 winter coat styles they had were all very trendy and just didn’t suit me.  I did walk out with a nice fall jacket in basic black.  It has a microfiber outer shell (nice and soft) with polyester filling and a fleece lining.  It was 50% off and cost ~$40.  Not bad considering my fleece-lined Eddie Bauer jacket (which is a little lighter weight) I bought almost 10 years ago was in the $60–$70 range.  Why did I need a new fall jacket?  I’m too fat.  None of my fall jackets fit.  Bleah!

Anyway, my wife noted that Burlington Coat Factory was also having a sale this weekend so we trucked down to Oklahoma City this afternoon to check them out.  I was searching for something in down filling and found several choices.  I really liked one by Champion that was fleece lined and reversible but it didn’t have enough pockets.  The wife also said she’d prefer it was black instead of blue.  There was another that we both liked but both agreed was too light.  A couple were too long and a couple others were too trendy (sorry, I just don’t feel comfortable in FUBU wear).  I finally found one that was heavy enough and had enough pockets.  It was very comfortable and had fleece lining and a microfiber shell. (honestly, I have no infatuation with microfiber, it just worked out that way) The only concern was that it is a light color.  Somewhere between white and khaki.  I don’t want it to be easily soiled but it was the only color choice.  It was ~$60 and we went ahead and bought it… now I’m all set for the annual trip to Winter Park coming up in a couple of weeks.