I hate

No doubt marketing loves the idea, until analytics shoots it down with numbers.

Marketing only use analytics when it agrees with their preconceptions.

Not all marketingers

I should have caveated that - Analytics shoots it down, then marketing ask them to find a way to make the numbers agree with their amazingoriginalidea and can-you-just and why-doesnt-this-agree-with-the-numbers-i-produced

It's incredible.

I'm not sure supermarkets bother with this sort of tracking

The WiFi vendors claim it is awesome and very powerful and you would be mad to be missing out on the customer insight. So you are probably right.

Commission more research! With biased questions, narrow scope, firm I know, mates rates, etc....

Waterproof, breathable jackets. Specifically those that are not aimed at the filthy rich.
Basically, it’s a total lottery.
My £150 bike jacket is ace, but finding a similarly priced, lightweight walking jacket has been a total pain. Recently had the misfortune of following the advice of many and buying a Rab Downpour. With a name like that you would expect it to have serious water repellency capability. Nope. Ten minutes of walking in moderate rain and 3/4 of the inside was soaked. Was I ever glad I didn’t try walking across Dartmoor!
Got through 3 of them, they all did the same and each one required a 30 mile round trip to return them.
Now trying a Mountain Warehouse item, similar RRP but double discounted so nearly half the price.
Wish me luck.

Try New Forest Clothing, big and reasonably priced suppliers of the country set, who would very quickly return anything that didn't do what it said on the tin. Alternatively, fishing brands. Both of these will be in neutral or camo patterns, but should be fit for purpose. Note: avoid Musto/Partridge/Schoffel/Barbour, all perfectly good but with massive prices!

Previous waterproof breathable membranes used chemicals that were quite environmentally unsound. AFAIK buy a NOS ten year old jacket if you want decent waterproofing

@Chopsicle may be able to shed more light on this

I've a Montane jacket - it's great. I don't rate Rab highly at all.

Which jacket is that? Currently looking AGAIN

Waiting rooms with commercial radio playing. It’s just ambient noise, with adverts about half the time, forcing people to talk more loudly and increasing aural pollution.

Membranes are still ok, it's the DWR treatment that has changed. The old (good) standard was C8, but was shit for the environment and is illegal pretty much everywhere. C6 is less bad, but will soon also be banned, leaving C0 which is AFAIK environmentally friendly, but less effective.

C0 doesn't have the same beading effect so the perception is that it's not 'waterproof', and also the face fabric holds more moisture so feels colder against bare skin. This is even though the membrane is technically keeping the water out (assuming properly taped construction).

Shakedry was discontinued for similar use of flourocarbons. It had the membrane as the face fabric which is why it performed so well, but also why it was so fragile.

Lightweight, waterproof, breathable fabrics really are a bit of a unicorn at the moment. We may have to accept as customers that there will always be a compromise.

TL:DR Yeah - jackets aren't as good as they used to be, but polar bears.

Waterproof, breathable jackets.

No such thing in my world.

See also most train announcements.

"See it, say fuck all, sort your Angry Birds out"

"Oyster is not valid at some stations"

"Mind the gap"

"Let people off first"

"Move down inside the carriages"

and all the other shit everyone ignores.

Jesus fucking Christ, if people have made it on to the fucking train without dying trying to cross a road or smashing their own head in their door repeatedly I think they'll fucking cope on your stupid fucking train you pack of cunts.

Am currently in a minor injuries unit trying to work out if I have either got a stress fracture or ligament strain in my foot, initially caused by dancing a few months ago. So not enjoying middle/old age.

But the drivel that is Smooth FM is not helping my overall mood, especially as all it does is elevate the general hubbub.

Phone + headphones or concentrating on a book is how I drown out normal people's shite.

I lost my headphones during AMR so I stuck my phone to my head using a buff and played podcasts or dead set bangers on its speaker...

not aimed at the filthy rich.

I really rate my Pategonia Torrentshell 3L.

You can get them for under £150, and they're good.

I did a 3 hour walk yesterday in the pouring rain and wasn't wet underneath at all (sweat or rain - except cuffs, they always seem to get wet on every jacket I've ever owned).

Also have generous zipped armpits so more breathable than most.

If you have your own bag, put that down first. Don't give me that "but the bagging area always fucks up if I do that". It probably happens 1 time out of 5

If I have to use a self-checkout in my local supermarket, I pile up the groceries like Tetris, because if I try to put them in the bag, the whole thing becomes unstable on the platform, which has recently got even smaller and no longer has sides, and invariably sets off the alarm.

a simple call to the attendant to reset the till

Often there is no 'attendant', but people who have to be called in from other tasks, sometimes in the back, and so it is not a simple call.

Yes I use the staffed till whenever feasible.

Waterproof, breathable jackets

It's called an umbrella.

At least you won't be tempted to dance.

Just to make life more difficult, I had a Torrentshell for a little bit and it was awful. Barely waterproof and as soon as it got remotely wet it stuck to me like a shower curtain. Got rid fairly quickly!

People like this :

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-67250020

Sure let's stop the vitally important gas pipe upgrade due to a collapsing river bank so people looking at some lights in a woods aren't upset.

Ah that's odd. Guess luck of the manufacturing draw?

Who knows. Maybe there are different versions? This was quite a few years ago.