Matt had apparantly
owned a Gortex coat for a long time. A year ago, he convinced
Joe to buy one too. Which Joe did. But in typical
Joe fashion, it sat in his closet in a bag for a year. When he decided to
vacation in Iceland, he took the jacket out of the closet and found that
it didn't fit. This was the beginning of an oddessy to find a jacket in his
size three weeks before Christmas. Eventually he had to drive 100 miles to
north jersey to exchange it.
Throughout the trip both Matt and Joe will make fun of Kyle and Linda who wore wimpy (though very groovy looking) leather jackets. The remark "I feel warm," by either one of them will be answered by the other, "I feel warm too. And dry." Kyle and Linda will, for the most part, feel cold and wet and stylish. Early on in the trip, Kyle suggested that they looked like a couple in their matching jackets. This made Matt feel noticibly uneasy.
Though they look silly in them and are constantly fussing with zippers and linings and hats and things that come in and go out of various pockets, the Gortex jacket will be of inestimable value in Amsterdam where it rains for 20 minutes every 15 minutes. Not wanting to be out done in looking strange, Joe also brings Gortex pants.