Ready for a secret to getting through anything Michigan’s Mother Nature dishes out this winter?
Here you go: Flannel-lined blue jeans.
Honest.
Yep. That’s it. You can wear ’em outdoors and laugh at the cold. Wear them indoors and dial down the thermostat (and even if you don’t, you still won’t be too warm). Wear them out on the town and no one will ever know.
Jeans are about the most comfortable and versatile pants on the planet. They have one big shortcoming. Jeans are ice cold in winter. Basically, they seem to absorb the icy temps instantly and then transfer that cold directly to your legs and other body parts.
However, put a layer of flannel between the cotton and the leg and the chill disappears. Do it and I’d bet you’d never know you were in the middle of a Michigan winter.
I started wearing flannel lined jeans a dozen years ago when Santa brought me a pair. Now I have several. I dig them out of the closet around Dec. 1 and put them away March 10, the end of my 100 days of winter (see earlier blog).
I get my jeans from Eddie Bauer, although a number of other retailers stock them also. There are other types of pants besides jeans that contain a layer of flannel. However, I don’t think those other pants hang right so I stick with jeans. I might be 54 and married, but I still like to look somewhat stylish. No stripes with plaids unless absolutely necessary.
Bottom line: Flannel-lined jeans might help you survive a Michigan winter. Put a pair on your Christmas list. You’ll thank me for it.
Honest.
Trains, Reins and Shantyboys 