This is one of those "way back when" stories ...

Way back when (I'm talking about the 1970s) we used to just call them jackets or coats and overalls.

Now they are all considered outerwear.

Yep, there's all sorts of items of clothing these days that would have been nice to have back when I spent more time out in the snow.

But we managed with what we had.

Today, skiers and snowmobilers keep their hands toasty with gloves made from the latest exotic materials.

Way back when, they were just getting the hang of nylon. The gloves were warm, to a point.

Nowadays, many people use "lobster gloves," which separate the outer two and inner two fingers, allowing air to circulate around them to provide warmth.

Still, nylon was the hip choice back in the day.

It was great having nylon coats and ski pants, since I crashed a lot on the slopes, and was able to just slide down the hill, without getting all soggy in the process. It kinda felt like cheating, but hey, with lift tickets so pricey, I really wanted to get my runs (or slides) in to make it worthwhile.

Today's rubber-feeling outerwear still keeps you dry, but it's not slippery enough to give you any extra distance when you're off your skis.

Way back when, we also didn't have the little hand warmer (or feet warmers) packets that could be activated to provide heat for your extremities. They seem to work better for me the farther away from my hands or feet I can locate them. If I have them too close that hand or foot sweats, so I tend to insert them in the mid-layer region.

You caught me - I'm daydreaming about what outerwear will consist of 20 years from now.

Maybe we'll all be cozy, wrapped up in some material that hasn't even been invented yet.

Or maybe some enterprising individual will just invent some type of transparent, lightweight sphere that we can power up and not even need outerwear.

No doubt the outerwear industry is spending millions to keep that technology under wraps. Because hey - it'd be a bad rap for them if we quit buying their wraps.

A bundled-up Jerry Hitchcock might be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2017, via email at [email protected] or on Twitter at HitchTheWriter.