Some of us that have been around a few years, have a variety of clothing and that includes top coats. Most of which has been aquired over the years and if the others are like me- they have made a few errors in the choice of that clothing.

20 years ago I did not have much spare money to be able to afford good clothing and if it looked suitable for Cycling- I bought it. That $10 coat that was lightweight and looked as though it was suitable for cycling was a mistake. Wasn't waterproof- or windproof and offered no warmth. All it did was keep the mud off my $20 cycling jersey and the waist of my $15 shorts. But gradually better clothing was bought- some from Sales and some from recomendation.

We do seem to have a bit of wet weather over here in our mild summers and my favourite top coats are a Polaris smock that came from a sale bin and a completely waterproof- but breathable- Yellow lightweight outer jacket that I bought from a Hiking shop. The Polaris is no longer waterproof and the inner rubberised material is peeling away- but it is warm. So cold weather and I wear that and if it is wet- the hiking jacket goes over the top. Then if it is really wet then the Goretex is used. Windy and it is the pertex.

But this was bought home to me this week. Son-in law is on a tight budget and recently bought cheap clothing from a Chain store. All cycling specific in fit but not quality. He commutes on a daily basis now and he was moaning that by the time he got to work- he was either cold or running in sweat. Took him to my LBS and bought him a Base layer wicking long sleeve and a good waterproof. Base layer is worn every day and the waterproof is in his Camelback. Only complaint he has now is that the Bib Shorts are not up to grade- but at the quality he is looking at- he had better start saving. He has learnt the hard and expensive way- like me- that Quality cycling specific clothing works better than something from the supermarket ------- or the cheap stuff from chain stores.