The good old days

[mason]

As much as I appreciate the Internet for helping bring rainwear enthusiasts (and other like minded fetishists) together, there's times when I really miss the good old days when I could trawl every army disposals, Clarks Rubber or even department stores for plastic and PVC rainwear. The former were especially fruitful hunting grounds for interesting rainwear.

The seventies, eighties and even the very early nineties was an era when people actually bought - and wore - rainwear to the footy or fishing or simply walking anywhere. Nowadays the majority of footy stadiums are roofed to cater for the soft corporate wankers they cater to. They may be more 'comfortable' but a lot of the fun's gone out of it along the way - but I digress.

It was also a time when Australian manufacturing actually meant something. We had our share of famous rainwear manufacturers including Dunlop, Bramac, Driclad (rainwear & PVC coated lifejackets) and several others. They've all since long gone now. Guess where everything comes from now?

I still remember the amazing rows and rows of heavy, smooth - unlined! - PVC and plastic rainwear which was usually positioned at the back of most disposal stores - or even side alcoves where I could try everything on without being disturbed. I don't know if the staff knew, but I was almost never disturbed or approached whilst trying practically everything on. They were untidy, haphazardly stocked places without the clean, tidy corporatised interiors that characterises the majority of places nowadays. These stores also had an unique aroma, almost totally lacking nowadays. One army disposal store in the city had a tonne of heavenly soft jelly bean jackets which I bought up over a few years. I'd rip one, and replace it with another one or two. Another place (in South Yarra) appearted to 'specialise' in beautiful soft, clear plastic macs which I loved wearing. One very giggly girl helped me with trying on, and buying a beautiful pair of shiny yellow bib pants at Clark Rubber in Forest Hill. I'm absolutely sure she knew why I wanted them so much ...........................

The Clark Rubber flagship store (located in Melbourne) stocked miles of rainwear (including one piece rain overalls) and lifejackets in the quiet basement and I used to spend hours trying every combination of rainwear on. No one, save for the occasional customer, ever disturbed me in my plastic Nirvana. Heaven indeed.

Nowadays, all I ever see is yards of nylon, Goretex or at best, limp, poorly made matt polyester rainwear from China. The only thing the poly stuff has in common with the above industrial/fishing stuff I used to buy is the colour. As you can guess, none of them do anything for me.

Although I still get my plastic kick from the Internet, nothing actually beats trying all this delicious rainwear on in these stores.

[TStorm56]

Mason, thank you for sharing your experiences. As someone in their mid-20s, I cannot fathom walking into a store, whether it be an army surplus store, hardware/gardening store, or department store and be able to find a section solely dedicated to rainwear. Come to think of it, I don't recall buying any of my rainwear at a store, it's all been bought online.

[Rainworshipper]

I would agree with this post in more ways than one. It is preferable to try the fit of any clothes rather than order from the internet. The remarks about the decline in manufacturing reflect the situation in the uk . It is also sadly true here that the amount of rainwear wether pvc or shiny nylon being worn began to decline from the start of the 1990's. Thanks we still have pvc u like here.

[milrubber]

Second hand stores for old raincoats and wellies, gothic shops for pvc clothes and of course army shops for proper military raingear used to hold a lot of interesting finds. And often at more than reasonable prices. I still occasionally wear army rubber coats and jackets i bought frum surplus stores more than 20 years ago.

Those shops are all gone now. Those old army dumps have been replaced by "tactical outdoor shops" or some such nonsene, which sell only cheaply made boring new stuff which in most cases isn't even proper military spec.

[annabell-cagoule]

Remember a surplus store in Shirley Southampton that had racks and racks of black heavy pvc navy foul weather gear, sou’westers, raincoats, some all in one bio hazard suits

[Deleted User 5375]

I don't know if they were elsewhere, but there used to be a chain of outfitters in the south east of England called Balldocks. They sold lots of wonderful rainwear. Unfortunately I was too young to make my own desires known, and certainly had no money to buy them, so had to make do with the trill of the sight, smell and naughty touch whenever possible. Unfortunately my mother never bought us any for us. In the early 90's department stores still stocked plastic, PVC and proper nylon rainwear,which was still worn. There was a brief fashion for shiny nylon joggers worn by women as a liesure item, which I much enjoyed. Sometimes I look through T.K. Max as about the only place you might comes across some decent rainwear.

[annabell-cagoule]

Last winter TKMaxx had a big range of plastic rainwear

[spitfire617]

In the East Midlands in the U.K there was a Military Surplus depot that sold everything from a Military Poncho to Chieftain tanks!
They even had a Harrier Jet at one time for Thirty Grand!

[rainwear-experience]

In the East Midlands in the U.K there was a Military Surplus depot that sold everything from a Military Poncho to Chieftain tanks!
They even had a Harrier Jet at one time for Thirty Grand!

That Harrier jump jet came in handy for shoots but kept blowing models off their feet so I swapped it for a drone

[Ilovecagoules]

I, too, don't understand why noone wears appropriate rainwear when the weather is foul enough. There was a time when a wet day meant I knew I'd have a chance to wear a cagoule outdoors but also had a really good chance of seeing others wearing them. Then it became uncool and/or unfashionable. Yes, we still have GoreTex, Karrimor or Trespass but you can't beat a good old Peter Storm or Regatt!