Stupid Cold

Dear Columbia:

When you contacted me and asked me to field test one of your new Omni Heat Jackets I admit that I was both flattered and confused. Well, and really, really happy because I was getting a nice new expensive coat out of the deal. You know, in the interest of full disclosure and all.

I'm not an outdoor sport kind of person. I'm certainly not an outdoor WINTER sport kind of person. I haven't been skiing since I was a kid - never been snow shoeing - think winter camping was born of the devil. So I couldn't figure out why you'd want me, of all people, to "field test" a coat.

Then it dawned on me that maybe you were trying to get the message out that your product was NOT just for people that were active in outdoor cold weather sports. Because, like most people, I like to actually stay warm when I go outside and watch the kids sled or when I run from the house to the car and the car to the store and vice versa. So I stopped fretting that I was going to have to go out and rent some skis or something and just put the darned coat on.

Here's a list of places I wore my new Omni Heat Jacket:

To start the car
To the grocery store
To the Mall
To take my kids to school
To watch my kids sled
To watch my kids Ice Skate
To shovel the walk
To get the mail

See? I AM active in the winter. Heh. I have to tell you, though, that I was pleasantly surprised by this jacket! It is seriously lightweight. I'm talking spring jacket feeling. I live in Montana and we have some Arctic Fronts that make the snot freeze right up in your nose and your limbs freeze and just break off (the first week I wore it the temps were well below zero!). Just didn't see how it was going to keep me warm - but it did! And it wasn't bulky or make me feel like Nanook of the North while I was wearing it.

My only real beef was that I have large hips and too much junk in my trunk. Oh, wait - what does that have to do with a coat? Nothing really - except the jacket was cut more for people with a slender build so, while it fit great up top, it was too snug for my liking on the bottom. BUT I didn't get to try on this jacket first - so it might just be this particular jacket and not ALL of Columbia or Omni Heat things.

Oh, you've already seen pictures of me in the jacket. Remember these?





That's my new coat. :-)

We took a couple others but the darn sun was so bright I couldn't even open my eyes!





Bet those won't end up in a marketing campaign somewhere, eh? Eat your heart out, Klum.

Anyway. Thanks for the coat, yo.

Warmly,
heidi