Needed Improvements of the Rainwear in Bangkok

Most of Southeast Asia has a monsoon season that people have to deal with on an annual basis. It causes flooding around Bangkok and in many other cities around Thailand. 

I spent a year in Shanghai and was impressed by a simple creation that I’m surprised isn’t a big hit in Thailand. The creation eased transportation, preserved your clothing in the rain, and was easy and quick to dry. 

I thought about why they weren’t popular in Thailand and came to the conclusion that rain was not looked at as a big problem in Thailand. It rains, you get wet, and you go on with your life. 

Improved Rain Poncho

The creation was a simple rain poncho, the type that you can buy at any 7-11 in the country. But these ponchos weren’t designed the same as the ones in the convenience stores. These ponchos were made out of waterproof nylon so they wouldn’t tear as easily and would dry quicker, they were roomier, and they had cleverly placed clips that could be clipped onto the handlebars of bicycles and motorbikes.

I brought one home as a gift to a motorbike rider in Bangkok, and she uses it to this day. But then I started thinking back to my days bicycling through the streets of Shanghai and realized why they seemed to be so essential there. 

Shanghai often has cold rain in the spring and fall. The ponchos, being as roomy as they are, also offered a bit of heat trapped by your body that warmed you up as you rode. In Bangkok, the last thing you need is any more heat. 

Still, the nylon construction and the clips were a vast improvement over the flimsy plastic ponchos of Thailand. I miss those ponchos every time it rains.