Foul Weather Rider Addendum

Combat Commuter: Cold Ride to School:

Combatscoot over at Combat Commuter has a good post on electrically heated gear. I've kinda wondered about the intricacies of how these things pull juice, but haven't really looked into it, as here in the Sound if you can stay dry, you'll probably stay warm. It's a post definitely worth checking out if you are (or aspire to be) a four-season scooterist.

If you use electric gear properly, what it gives you is reserve capacity. You still dress warmly enough for the conditions when you leave home, but you don't have to carry as much extra as before, and if conditions suddenly change for the worse while you are riding, you don't have to pull off the road and don more layers, you just reach-up and turn the electrics on. That's nice, because when it's cold, you really don't want to stop unless it's for coffee. And, that extra reserve capacity of heat can save your life if conditions get really cold. Hypothermia is alot like drunkenness, because your body doesn't know how bad it's being affected until it's too late.