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What is an Anorak Jacket and Do You Need One?

Anorak

An Anorak jacket is described as an article of outer clothing that is long enough to cover your hips, which is also accompanied by a hood to protect your head from the weather's harsher elements. The higher quality anorak jackets are also known to be water-resistant and in some cases, even waterproof. Whether or not you feel you need one depends on how much of your body would you like to cover up. For people who live in harsher climates, anorak jackets are highly recommended as a means to better protect the body from the cold, the wind, and even rainy weather. While a hooded jacket certainly does the job to protect your head from the elements, unless you have something covering one of the most neglected parts of the body, namely the hips, then your ability to properly protect yourself from even the most extreme weather conditions is not as optimal as it should be. The word anorak comes from the Greenlandic annoraaq, which roughly translates as the word "wind."

From Head to Hip

While there is the argument about how much percentage of heat escapes through the head, the bottom line is when this area is cold, no matter what you're wearing is going to matter. That head needs to be protected. While a beanie or toque may seem to fit the bill, unless you have a scarf to protect your neck area to go with it, you still lack providing your head and neck area the proper protection it needs. With an anorak jacket, this issue is taken care of as usually, the hoods come with drawstrings where you can tighten the fit-up for better protection. On the flip side, when the weather is too hot and you need head protection, a beanie actually does the head area more harm than good. Baseball caps may be okay, but a lightweight anorak jacket can do a better job to protect you from a potential sunburn due to overexposure. With the anorak, when the hood is up, not only are you protecting your head but your ears and neck area as well. Most headwear doesn't factor in the need to protect your ears, nor your neck area whereas the anorak jackets do. Most of the time, anorak jackets tend to be loose-fitting. Some may feature elastic around the waist area and/or at the bottom of the jacket, which is ideal for people living in colder climates. As in the head area, drawing in the string to cut off unwanted airflow that will cool off your body is a huge help to keep yourself protected.

Anorak Style

Whether you feel you need an anorak jacket or not, sometimes just the styling alone gives this article of clothing that added appeal. If you like the idea of glamorizing your look, this is easy to achieve regardless of the season and/or weather conditions. If it's simply your preference to be practical, the anorak works. What anorak jackets are best known for is how timeless they can be when they're well cared for.

Anorak for Children

Normally, when parents are shopping for their kids, the most favored form of coats and jackets they buy feature the anorak style. They do this because they know it's the most practical. The hood protects the child's head and the jackets are long enough to cover their buttocks and hips. This is important, especially since children don't always think about full-body protection while outside, especially if they're playing with their friends.

Anorak for Seniors

One of the biggest issues that become a growing concern for people as they get older is bodily function control. Over time, our bones become less dense and the tissue of our skin becomes drier. As gracefully as we try to deal with the reality of aging, how our body changes along the way usually have its own ideas. Conditions such as arthritis, bladder control, and blood pressure issues need to be taken into consideration when considering what sort of jacket is best suited for older adults, especially seniors.

Sporty Anoraks

For backpackers, fishermen, hikers, hunters, mountain climbers, and even tradesmen who work long hours outside, the ideal anorak is one that is waterproof. For joggers and walkers, anoraks that can help protect them from less than ideal winter is every bit as essential to them as it is for a rock climber. For the reason of head and body protection, anoraks are the most favored item of outerwear by individuals who spend a tremendous amount of their time outdoors.

Windbreakers

Originally, anoraks were simply called windbreakers as they're designed to do exactly as the name suggests. The higher the quality going into these anoraks/windbreakers the better. Between the styling options, the protection value, and the versatility, it's no wonder such jackets are considered to be timeless pieces. With today's society becoming more aware of the need to better protect their bodies, the popularity of the anorak jackets has risen dramatically and it continues to be the clothing trend to watch. These types of jackets are also classified as rain jackets, which are aptly named as an article of outerwear designed to keep the water out.

Best Anorak Jackets Money Can Buy

Helly Hanson is just one of a few household names among the sportsmen and women who invest in top-quality anorak jackets. Some are in the form of pullovers, like a longer-length version of a hoodie. Others are zip-up options. If you want something thick and heavy to best handle the extreme cold, there's an anorak for that. If you'd rather have something lighter, there's an anorak for that too. Like any other article of clothing you choose to wear however you want to style it is up to you. Regardless of the price range, anorak jackets have your body covered at least from the top of your head to at least past your hips.

Lily Wordsmith

Written by Lily Wordsmith

Lily Wordsmith is a freelance writer who has had a love affair with the written word for decades. You can find her writing blog posts and articles while sitting under a tree at the local park watching her kids play, or typing away on her tablet in line at the DMV. In addition to her freelance career, she is pursuing ebook writing with an ever-growing repertoire of witty ebooks to her name. Her diversity is boundless, and she has written about everything from astrobotany to zookeepers. Her real passions are her family, baking desserts and all things luxe.

Read more posts by Lily Wordsmith

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