Hi, Brian Boston from the US MVP Lead Team again. We are only days away from the 2008 MVP Global so the place is abuzz with activity. Our MVP Lead colleagues from around the world have been arriving the last few days and are we are reconnecting with other another just as many of you will be soon.
We are also answering your last minute questions and monitoring conversations around the Global Summit in places like mvp.private.summit newsgroup. One of the themes I found fascinating was the topic of what to wear. Aside from the agreement that casual clothes are welcome and logoware (all those shirt, hats and clothes with Microsoft logos) is encouraged, the answers were quite diverse.
One Size Does Not Fit All
It’s not surprising that many of you have different opinions on clothing. You come from different climates and are used to different temperature ranges. I have some relatives who grew up in the southern part of the state of Texas. When they travel to Washington State, it’s pretty clear they have been acclimatized where is it is usually warm and humid. We can essentially be wearing the same clothes but they will always complain about how “cold” they are. Conversely if I travel to where they live, I am always too warm.
I was asked this week if shorts made sense for Seattle at this time of the year. Since that MVP came from a southern climate, I said no…pants made more sense. If the person lives in an northern area where “warm” is 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit (10-16 degrees Celsius) is considered warm, I might have said, yes…pack those shorts.
Another item I heard were stories of people who packed garments that were too heavy, too light, or not sufficiently waterproof. Their chief discovery was that weather in the Seattle can be unpredictable, especially for someone who dressed for the day without the option of layering. So, rather than suggest a specific type of clothes, I prefer to offer a strategy for clothing layers you can apply. As a daily bus commuter with 20 mile (about 32 kilometers) trip to work with transfers, layering has been the key to my comfort for years.
Weathering with Layers
The “layered-look” is not just a fashion statement in the Pacific Northwest; it’s a practical answer to our environment here. The Puget Sound area is a melting pot of weather systems. Cold dry Arctic air blows from the North. Warm humid air sails in from the Pacific Ocean from the south and west around the Olympic Mountains. The tug-of-war between these systems is determined by the relative strength of these systems and the battle is forced by the blocking presence of the Cascade Mountain Range.
The varied topography of the land between water and mountains only makes it more interesting, creating multiple weather “zones.” Just in the city of Seattle, can be sunny in spots, rainy in others and even sport now snow and hail at some altitudes in a day. Since our many hills and valleys draw in weather systems at different rates and with different intensity, when and how the weather changes within a zone cannot be predicted well.
With that uncertainty, you need to be prepared for anything. Some of this can be mitigated keeping alternative wardrobe around with you. However, as Global Summit participant, you will be traveling quite a bit and will want to minimize what you have with you. That is why layering is the best solution for you.
What is Layering
The whole idea of layering is to regulate your body temperature by adding or shedding clothing layers. For those of you who are very active outdoors, there is a whole science around the strategy of layering. In short, the idea boils down to three levels
· Base Layer
· Insulation Layer
· Outer Shell
The Base Layer is designed to hold your warmth. In the outdoor setting, it’s also designed to wick away perspiration which could chill you as well. For urban layering, I think the idea of the Base Layer is that it be the base garment you are willing to strip down to when you can warm.
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