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[personal profile] shapinglight
Have been trying to revise my [livejournal.com profile] plot_wout_porn story. Haven't finished but eyes are hurting. Have to stop.

A question, though, to all you kind Americans on my flist:

What do you call anoraks (hiking jackets) in the US? I mean the real heavy duty ones a mountaineer might wear. And what about rucksacks? Are they rucksacks? Packs? Something else?

Any info gratefully received.

Date: 2009-05-20 08:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] antennapedia.livejournal.com
I'd probably call a serious rain/snow jacket a "parka". I'd know what a rucksack was, but I'm more likely to call it a "backpack" or maybe a "pack" if it was a particularly geek or technical piece of hiking gear.

Date: 2009-05-20 08:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] tx-cronopio.livejournal.com
Yep, parka (although that implies it's used in freezing temps) and backpack. NEVER rucksack :)

Date: 2009-05-20 08:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] twilightofmagic.livejournal.com
Backpack for the backpack. Hiking jackets are just called jackets, but might be a down jacket or a hiking jacket, I guess. Sorry, not much help. Definitely not an anorack.

Date: 2009-05-21 04:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] twilightofmagic.livejournal.com
A parka is specific to snow travel though. Is that the environment you have your character in?

Date: 2009-05-20 08:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] whichclothes.livejournal.com
Yeah. Definitely parkas and backpacks.

Can't wait to see it!

Date: 2009-05-20 09:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rebcake.livejournal.com
I third (fourth?) the parka and backpack contingent. If you really wanna sound fancy, you can refer to the parka as a gore-tex® jacket or coat, but that's for folks in the Pacific Northwest or other outdoorsy types, and refers to a particular breathable waterproof fabric favored by the serious. Also, a pack usually means the big, multiple day backpacking pack, while a backpack would more normally mean a day-trip sized bag or school bag worn on the back.

Ask me anything! I owe you several!

Date: 2009-05-20 09:36 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] 2maggie2.livejournal.com
Backpack for sure. But parka -- does imply for snow; and it has a hood. And while I didn't get deep into the climbing community, I did spend a few years around it. I don't recall people talking about parkas, even if they were going ice-climbing. Here's the link to Patagonia (outdoor clothing firm that's popular among climbers) for the alpine climbing page. No parkas:

http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/shop/alpine-climbing?k=3f

But definitely not an anorak, either. Down jackets.

Date: 2009-05-21 12:18 am (UTC)
deird1: Fred looking pretty and thoughful (Default)
From: [personal profile] deird1
*tilts head*

How interesting. Apparently, in this case, Aussies use the American terms...

Date: 2009-05-21 01:57 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kassto.livejournal.com
Yeah, here in NZ we use the Yankee terms too — pack (the big one for many days) and parka. But we call it tramping.

Date: 2009-05-21 09:14 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kassto.livejournal.com
As in tramping=hiking=bushwalking=walking

Date: 2009-05-21 03:28 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] shipperx.livejournal.com
I'm Southern so that may impact it since generally coats are a rarity in the first place, but I can't think of a specific word for those jackets. It's usually just "coat" or "jacket" or, at most, "ski jacket" (if it's down) or 'fleece jacket' if it's fleece.

And it's usually just backpack or pack.

Date: 2009-05-21 05:03 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] owenthurman.livejournal.com
If it's just for rain (no heavy insulation) it's a shell rather than a parka. People who don't play hard outdoors would probably just call all of the above jackets or coats.

Date: 2009-05-21 06:01 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] http://users.livejournal.com/mad_brilliant_/
Anorak is a jacket or coat. Unless! It's lined with fur and has a hood and is meant for extremely cold and snowy weather, then it's called a parka.

And then there's the backpack. :)
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