April (or late March) showers bring May flowers, which is the motto that has gotten me through this recent rainy (and snowy!) weather we have been having. Hopefully, you aren’t showing up to class soaking wet because you aren’t dressing for the weather… but if you are, check out some of these rainy-day essentials I use to stay dry:
- Umbrella
A lot of college kids hate umbrellas, but I am here to tell you that no one is judging you for carrying one. If anything, people should be jealous that you are staying dry and they are not. I always keep a small umbrella during this time of year in the spare water bottle holder of my backpack or an unused pocket. I personally have never regretted this because not only do I stay dry, but my backpack does too, and the last thing I want is some torrential downpour to soak me, my backpack, and work its way to soaking contents in my backpack like my laptop. - Raincoat
I will say, bringing out the whole umbrella for some light sprinkling gets annoying. So, if the rain is light enough for me to not have to worry about my backpack getting soaked, I just throw on a raincoat. I have a super lightweight one from North Face that has never failed me. I even throw it on sometimes when I am using my umbrella if the rain starts to become more horizontal. - Leather shoes (or rain boots)
Hot take: I have never had rain boots, and I don’t think I ever will.
I think wearing rain boots whenever there is a chance of rain would get annoying here because it can “possibly” rain a lot and I don’t want to get stuck wearing boots every day for just a possibility. I have found wearing leather shoes like Air Forces does a good enough job around the Iowa City area to keep my feet dry. Now, don’t go jumping in puddles on your way to class because they aren’t waterproof, but the leather makes them water-resistant compared to cloth tennis shoes. - CAMBUS
The cambus is the University of Iowa’s bus system. On a given day, I have classes across campus from where I live and I often walk to them. On a rainy day, you will catch me on a bus going to these classes. Why trudge through the rain if you can get a quick, sheltered, and free ride? - Lots of homework
If the weather is nice, in between classes I might walk to get coffee, visit with friends, or just spend time on the Pentacrest. When it is rainy though, all of those plans go out the window. A rainy day is the perfect time to stay inside as much as possible and just be productive. I stay in my class buildings to study instead of making an unnecessary trip out and about in the rain. I always end up getting enough work done to have some extra free time on a day when the weather is nice and I would normally be doing school work.
