Rainy day gear (that would’ve been useful in Portland!)

I hadn’t yet left for the airport last Wednesday when Jeran texted from Portland that it was raining, reminding me to toss an umbrella into my suitcase before leaving the house. Because when you’re visiting the Pacific Northwest, you should probably bring some rainy day gear, right?

By the time I arrived late that night, the rain had passed, and the next two days were sunny, warm, and gorgeous. So I never unpacked my umbrella — even Saturday morning, when the sky was spotted with a few gray clouds. It drizzled a bit as Sarah, Rachel, Jeran and I left brunch at Tasty n Sons in North Portland, but I stayed dry beneath my military jacket.

Since it had all but stopped raining by the time we returned to the Ace Hotel, I didn’t think to grab my umbrella before Sarah, Jeran and I took off on foot to explore Downtown Portland. We wandered in and out some of the most beautifully curated locally-owned shops like Woonwinkel (above) and popped into the Apple store so I could drool over the rose gold iPhone 6s Plus.

It was still overcast as we made our way to the waterfront, and when it began to drizzle again, I simply pulled on my hood. This time, however, the drizzle became a sprinkle . . . and the sprinkle became a rain shower . . . and the rain shower became a torrential downpour.

Sarah pulled out her travel umbrella, Jeran tucked herself into her waterproof anorak, and I said a little prayer that my somewhat-water-resistant jacket would keep me somewhat dry from the rain. To protect my bag from getting soaked, I carried it on my shoulder underneath my jacket. MZ Wallace’s coated nylon fabric is water resistant, but we were basically standing in an outdoor shower with our clothing on.

By now you’re probably wondering why we just didn’t seek shelter in a coffee shop. Goodness knows there are plenty of them to be found in Portland! Well, we were heading to the Hotel Monaco for a meeting and simply didn’t have time to wait out the storm.

However, if you ask why we didn’t flag a cab or request a Lyft to the hotel, well — you’ve got me. That probably would’ve been the smarter idea than getting soaked on a 15-minute walk.

Earlier that day, Jeran commented on my still-white Converse sneakers. By the time we made it to our meeting, they weren’t clean anymore!

Here’s some rainy day gear that I wish I had had that afternoon in Portland:

Umbrella (to stay dry) / Eye opener barrette and Rosetta barrette (to style my soaking wet hair afterward) / iPhone case (not practical, just pretty) /  Handbag rain coat (to avoid having to carry it awkwardly underneath my coat) / Rain boots (to keep my canvas kicks clean and dry)

So maybe the handbag raincoat isn’t quite an essential. It actually reminds me of my grandma, who once (to my mortification) wore a plastic shopping bag on her head when she couldn’t find her rain bonnet. I’m not sure I’d want to be seen draping my handbag in plastic (would you?), but I’ll be honest, it would’ve been useful in Portland last Saturday!

PS – Looking for stylish jackets to keep your kids warm and dry this winter? I’m sharing 12 of the best looking and most durable winter coats for boys and girls over on Cool Mom Picks. Which are your favorites?

(top photo via Instagram, taken at Ink and Peat)