Hangin' Out with Connecticut Mike

Although he considers himself a "newbie," having only begun wearing union suits within the past four to five years, Connecticut Mike is a Union Suit Fan for sure. He hangs his suits, flannel shirts and other clothes on a clothesline for that fresh outside feeling. Here are some shots of his long one-piece underwear... 

He reports, "All through December we had mild weather with fog, drizzle and straight up rain all the time so that definitely interfered with any clothes hanging.  Over the past 2-3 weeks though we've had plenty of single digits and a couple of nice snow storms.  The past couple of weekends have been good for drying; good sun, a breeze and cold!  You had asked why hang the suits out.  Well, growing up with Depression Era grandparents probably instilled some frugality for sure but, along with that, everything hung out smells just great and fabric seems to last longer and shrink less.  Good union suits tend to be hard to find and anything with wool is a bit pricey so it just seems to make sense to take good care of them so old school hanging on the line is what we do.

It was about 9 degrees when the pictures were taken and I can assure you that those were frozen stiff as a board.  A few hours later inside and that underwear was dry and pliable. Had some flannel shirts out there too.  Flannels and Union Suits, might just be a good title for a country western ballad!

Thinking the frozen days may be behind us til next winter, starting to see some daffodils pushing up pretty good.  Still getting some nights cold enough to enjoy a good union suit but the days are warming up... Mike"  

Thanks, Mike! Nothing like that sunny, out-door freshness. Here are some more shots of long underwear flapping outside in the breeze. Guess you're not the only one displaying union suits in the great outdoors:

Even on a city rooftop:

In previous emails, Mike and I discussed union suits. From Mike, February 2019:

"Good evening Chris, Greetings from Connecticut. It is a little cool here at the moment.  Snowing but changing to freezing rain in a few hours and then by tomorrow afternoon they are saying 50 degrees so I'm not sure that tomorrow will be a good union suit day but, the last week was for sure.

Unfortunately, I can't say that I had any family influences to sway me towards union suits.  As a kid I saw them worn in old movies like Abbot and Costello and the Three Stooges and definitely saw Alfalfa boxing in them.  But, they were never offered as an option but weren't necessarily looked at negatively either, just something from a different era.  I did have the two piece thermals and could never stand them.  They just seemed so bulky under street clothes that you couldn't move comfortably, they definitely didn't seem all that warm and probably worst of all either the shirt rode up in the back or the waist band rode down and you were the recipient of a nice draft.  So while I had them they probably spent the majority of their lives in a drawer.

I'd probably have to credit Amazon for perking my interest in union suits. I received an email from them with a ton of things that they thought might interest me and there was a red suit. I like reading some reviews as they can be pretty darn entertaining so I thought that I'd see what the union suit feedback was. I saw a lot of praises and some warnings to stay away from stuff like Hanes and Indera. So I poked around online and found referrals for good quality brands and did more research but didn't really pursue anything as the better suits just seemed a little pricey.  

One day I stumbled onto your blog and really enjoyed the stories and general info and that probably got my interest going again.  With enough diligence online I eventually found a retailer in Canada with some closeout wool/cotton Stanfield's at a very attractive price so I made the plunge and ordered one up and waited patiently for it to arrive. I was like a kid at Christmas on the day that the mailman dropped it off and I wasn't disappointed in any way.  

The fabric and construction of the Stanfield's is top notch. I was completely thrilled with the fit and promptly went out for a good forty-five minute walk to test them; it was about 24 degrees out and they didn't leave me cold anywhere. I love how there is never any riding up or down at my back so we are draft free. Without waist bands and shirt tails overlapping there is no bulk at all in the middle and there is just plenty of room overall so that you can move freely. I really like how even your body temp stays, it's kinda like you have a central heating system since the same temperature air can move from your ankles to your neck and wrists. That won't happen at all with a two piece job.  

They are completely comfortable wearing around the house (especially a drafty 100 year old one) by themselves or with a flannel shirt on top and you can quickly throw your trousers on over them to go to town.  I found myself living in the first set so it wasn't long before a few more found a new home with me so I never need to be without while they are going through the laundry.  I've never ever had any garment that was so practical and comfortable.  Even the misses got a kick out of them and thinks that maybe she might get herself some to try too, LOL.  That might be a hint for me to remember at birthday or Christmas time...Mike"

Some guys like to hang their union suits indoors to dry: