The Postman’s knees Always Knocks Twice
Dear Andy,
Don’t know exactly why I’m writing you—-huh!!! I’m by no means anyone special. But, I have done a lot of dumb things in my life i.e. cold weather instructor for U.S. army, a little mountain and ice climbing, paratrooper, cross country skiing and other stupid stuff. However (on the more normal side of life) it must be noted I have been a “mailman/letter carrier” for the postal service in Kalamazoo, Michigan for the past 20 plus years hence my note to you.
Just recently I ran across two articles written by you about “softshells”. I loved it—-most notably your reference(s) to “Buffalo” clothing. Now understand I’m just a mailman who walks about 8 miles a day and spends 5 or six days a week outdoors for about 7 or more hours a day year ‘round (just a job that pays the bills) Well, ya know Michigan has some weather variances that can be a little nuts. Bear with my Andy; I am getting to something and I think its about to come your way. While carrying mail in Michigan winters for all these years I have been on a constant quest searching for warmer/less bulky, comfortable and “relatively” comfortable gear to wear. My activity level on winter days can go from moderate to heavy (depending on snow levels and rabid dogs) in the blink of an eye. I own fleece, pile, softshells, Gore-Tex, rain gear, wool and any other damned thing you can think of. This December (2008) I was playing around online and ran across the classic Buffalo mountain shirt and of course didn’t believe a thing the company was touting. So, I started asking questions and reading reviews from the “real world”. Lo and behold, you and a whole lotta other folks said it was good stuff. I bought one—and just in time no less. The December weather turned brisk—a lot of -17C to -3C temps and pretty steady winds much of the time in excess of 40kph. January and February was a lot of the same. Guess what. That Buffalo worn next to the skin was almost perfection (at least better than anything I’ve ever owned)—and at my age (58) any advantage I can have is a godsend. I can honestly say it was the first winter where I didn’t have to take a thousand pieces of clothing with me without worrying about what changes might come about during the course of my workday.
I have since gone on to read more of your articles and have (to my amazement) found a good bit of your advice about clothing in winter conditions similar to my own experiences and thought processes. As a matter of fact, on too many occasions to count, I have attempted to pass some of that info on to rookie letter carriers (most of the time to no avail) throughout the years.
Anyway Andy, I just want to say thanks; for a couple of things. Firstly, thank you for being a determining factor in my purchase of the “mountain shirt” and secondly for affirming what I have been saying for too many years about winter attire and how to feel the best while working in cold/wet AND cold/dry conditions.
Oh yeah, I’m going to buy you’re book “Psychovertical”. I thoroughly enjoy you’re style of writing—good stuff. I’m looking forward to you updating your “psychovertical” website as well.
Sincerely,
Dan (the mailman) Shannon
— April 04, 2009 01:24 PM
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