Pakamac

Episode 348 TTHR, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnLi-asLNCY around 12:03. A few seconds of Mrs Mack in her nylon Pakamac.

At last, a sighting of Mrs Mack, in episode 339 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JcrkL3-3owA from about 5:30. Almost 2 minutes of her in a men’s fully buttoned nylon Pakamac.

From episode 70 up to 135, of Take the High Road, I could see no evidence of any Pakamacs or any plastic or nylon macs for that matter. Unusual perhaps, when it covers the years 1981 and 82. They were still relatively plentiful, especially in Scotland. What is more unusual is that in all of the episodes I have skimmed through, there aren’t any men wearing them. Not unusual today, of course.

In episode 136 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MO2Co-5BmdQ after just 00:48, a lovely semi transparent full length hooded plastic mac appears for well over a minute.

In episode 141, a young woman is driving a Landrover. It looks like she is wearing a zip up plastic jacket. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v64c_Rc-BdQ&t=507s Around 8:27.
The programme is from October 1982. Not all that long since the late 1970s when plastic jackets were seen everywhere. On July 30th, 1977, the Daily Mirror ran an article on the subject of such a range of plastic jackets from Pakamac Ltd, referring to them as the PAKAJACK.

Mrs Mack in her plastic Pakamac makes a welcome appearance in episode 153 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=evW3kwJo1jU at around 16:09 with a gorgeous minute long view of wonderful plastic mac.

In episode 168, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N3VV7jSr4Gs the plastic mac appears again, fully fastened and hood up (quick view) at 11:25

The green plastic mac is worn in the previous episode, 175, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z59zR8Q8ajw&t=485s at about 08:39

The green plastic mac appears once again in episode 176, draped over a sofa, implying it has been worn. The character (Morag Stewart, I think) is initially dressed in some kind of house/bedroom robe but later dressed and in conversation https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CoWaophpRR4 at about 16:11.

There’s a very brief sighting of that green plastic mac in episode 189 around 14:23 and again, but for longer, in episode 185 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fvJfEe-m00o around 21:25. I don’t quite understand why, yet, she doesn’t put it on. I keep plastic Pakamacs and nylon Pakamacs next to my front door and they are always too tempting for me and I have to put them on. What I do see though, is that the clothes worn do follow the weather, at the time of filming. Even Mrs Mack appears lots, without her Pakamac.

Susan

Excellent work. Mrs. Mack seems to have worn several Pakamacs throughout the TTHR series. I seem to remember she wore a blue hooded one in the millenium special! I’ll do a bit of trawling when time allows. There’s also an episode that features a storm which I’ve not been able to find yet. I can only imagine Mrs. Mack’s pakamac being sorely tested that night. So many windy corners to struggle around.

In episode 190, I don’t recall seeing Mrs Mack but a green plastic mac appears briefly hanging at the door, where other characters are involved https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sWl5Jz-nMYs
at 04:27
I’ve looked through all the 200 range of episodes and now looking at the 100 range.

Episode 215 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mspk5UQuopc
At 5:09. Lovely views of her in the plastic Pakamac

Episode 237 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cwDbk2MTX2o straight after the break around 12:12. The plastic Pakamac.

Episode 269 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HBVRPUIr8vU from 18:48. Some fabulous views of Mrs Mack’s fully buttoned men’s plastic Pakamac

Also episode 281 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YBmChjCkrOU from 5:26 and later from 18:06 onwards

Another lovely one McMac. You have me hooked on this, a programme I rarely saw because it was on when I was at work. Hope this will save you time, try episode 296
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oAp_kkRvPtM from around 11:05. Mrs Mack in her lovely men’s nylon Pakamac. She is my pinup lady.

Another lovely one McMac. You have me hooked on this, a programme I rarely saw because it was on when I was at work. Hope this will save you time, try episode 296
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oAp_kkRvPtM from around 11:05. Mrs Mack in her lovely men’s nylon Pakamac. She is my pinup lady.

Here's the redoubtable Mrs Mack again:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ySkoFTZMAo
It starts at 7.17 and it's raining heavily.
There are plenty more episodes like this. I just need the time to sit down and find them.

Absolutely gorgeous links to TTHR clips, McMac. Mrs Mack epitomises my style, wearing men’s plastic and nylon macs with female clothing, especially lovely when worn over a winter coat. I try in my small way, to show that in my own pictures. Before anyone looks, I need to warn viewers that I’m trans. However, it’s not about me, it’s about the macs.

I think both clips show Pakamacs.

You reflected my thoughts entirely in regards to that last scene.

Overcoat fastened to the neck
Nylon pakamac to the neck
Hat
Headscarf
Plastic rainbonnet

Truly spectacular

Here's an episode with a triple helping:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qTblvKTWmc
The first (at 1.50) Mrs Mack's has her pakamac open at the neck but the second (at 18.04) has it over her arm and finally the third (at 21.10) she is fully buttoned up for maximum protection in preparation for an open boat trip. She's also sporting a hat, silk scarf and rainbonnet to guard against the damp chill. What a spectacular woman!

A wonderful episode, thanks for posting. A shame the top button wasn't fastened as it was in the clip from Old Summer Wine. Mrs Mac was certainly of the no nonsense brigade wasn't she? I suspect her son would have been similarly attired in his formative years!

The belt does look like part of the raincoat and not an add on. Another of life's mysteries. Here's another possible Pakamac on TV:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLdK5fSqMvo's
The interesting part starts at 8.18. The lady in question is called Mrs Mack-how appropriate, maybe the writers were having an in joke at the time. I remember watching this back in the 80's and it featured nylon rainwear fairly regularly. It is supposed to take place in Scotland after all.
I have other links involving the fabulous Mrs Mack and one or two others as well. I'll post them in the near future.

A lovely link. Definitely a genuine pristine Pakamac for ladies, the buttons give it away, along with the occasional rustle. It’s the Suzanne style. I still have 2, one in light blue, one in red.

https://flic.kr/p/2cnmmcv

I bought lots of them in the 1970s, but what puzzles me is the belt. That style never had a belt.

Things seem to have gone a bit quiet on the Forum, so I though I'd add in another link to a Pakamac sighting. This time it's Last Of The Summer Wine, but not Norman Clegg as you would expect. Here's the link:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzzmUcKZdbo
The interesting part starts at 4.46.
I think beige is my favourite colour and the lady in question must love her Pakamac since it's bright and sunny when she wears it! Mature and stern to boot, what more could you ask for. Does anyone else have similar links to videos of interest?

All the comments about Lollipop ladies were can you buy one of there mac's ?

As promised the final part:-

Part3 – The Blizzard
Hazel bought a hooded yellow Pakamac to remedy her lack of waterproof head protection and equally importantly it had popper closures all the way down to below the knee. She wisely decided to change into her new purchase while still in the shop and was glad of the extra coverage it provided on their return journey.
The blizzard had shifted direction and so they had to buck the icy head winds once more. The snow build-up on their Pakamacs was even worse this time around, necessitating more doorway stops. Their nylon shells had become translucent with the continual soaking they were receiving, but still managing to protect their owners.
Hazel’s scarf was now largely redundant and so she shared it with Mum on the way back. They also linked arms and huddled into each other to reduce the amount of nylon exposed to the windblown snow. Mum jokingly said that the wind gusts were strong enough to blow a solitary woman over so this would help them both stay together and on their feet.
The snow was becoming thick on the ground and walking was becoming increasingly difficult, so they decided to stop in at a coffee shop half-way along the High Street for a brief rest and hot cuppa. They stood in the doorway and patted themselves down, while stamping the snow off their boots. Both women pushed back their hoods before peeling off their dripping Pakamacs and still dry duvet coats in one go, hanging them up on the hooks by the door. The coffee shop was empty apart from them and after a quick deliberation they decided to take a window table.
Despite the weather’s best efforts Mum & Hazel’s inner layers were still dry and keeping them comfortably warm. They sat and chatted almost continuously, feeling animated and energised at the same time. Without admitting it to each other, both were looking forward to the last leg home.
The coffee rejuvenated both women for the trudge home. In the next half-an-hour they only saw the occasional hardy pedestrian pass the window, all with heads down and completely covered in a layer of white. All the while they sat there the snow outside got steadily heavier and the wind picked up to almost blizzard level.
”Better to make tracks before we need skis to get home” said Mum. Hazel nodded in agreement. They each donned their duvet coats and still sodden Pakamacs and securely fastened both. The nylon was cold and slippery to the touch, making closing the poppers difficult. They secured their hoods and headed out into the storm. They stopped outside and wrapped Hazel’s scarf around their already snug hoods.
The wind pummelled them with large flakes making walking even more of an effort than before.
As usual Windy Corner proved the greatest test. Here the snow was being driven horizontally. They adjusted their communal scarf to cover up any remaining exposed flesh. Fortunately, the general snow cover made everything very bright and enabled them to see enough through the scarf wrappings to continue walking.
They were covered in so much snow that it was hard to see that there were two women underneath. Mum pulled Hazel into Fiona’s doorway so they could dust themselves down one last time before home. Hazel pulled down her scarf wrappings. “This has been some shopping trip!” she said. “I’m amazed at how our Pakamac’s have kept us dry despite all the snow. God know’s how we’d have coped without them” Quickly pulling the scarf back up ready for the next leg of their journey. Their Pakamacs were absolutely dripping wet even after a thorough patting down. Mum had begun to feel a slight chill permeating through her protective layers. She realised that the Pakamac was so wet that the any air passing under her coat hems and being forced up by the wind was laden with damp. “Are you feeling a chill setting in around your legs?” Hazel nodded. “Time to make haste before they become completely numb”
With this they headed back out into the open, fully exposing themselves to the howling blizzard. Hazel held her shopping bag across her Pakamac skirt to keep the now small amount of unfastened skirt from being blown open while her other arm was intertwined with Mum’s as they huddled together for security. They made slow but steady progress until they were just about clear of Windy Corner.
The wind suddenly started swirling in a vortex and blew both women first one way then the other, trying to separate and blow them off their feet. They were forced to a standstill, knowing that to move would give the wind the opening it was eagerly seeking. Finally, it abated enough for the women to battle there way up the footpath while under a constant barrage from the wind driven snow. The snow was now hitting their Pakamacs with such force that it was beginning to seep between the gaps of the popper fastenings and spread onto the duvet coats beneath.
They struggled across the road and into the relative safety of our garden. Mum unwound her end of the scarf and gave it back to Hazel. They briefly embraced and then Mum kept a watch on Hazel as she continued alone up the short distance to her own door.
I opened the door to find Mum standing there looking like a living snowman. She shook her Pakamac and boots free of their snow cover before stepping into the hall. She carefully peeled off the Pakamac and duvet coat before moving to the hall radiator to warm her chilled legs up. Otherwise, Mum looked like she had come through her snow adventures remarkably unscathed.
At their next tea session, she admitted to Fiona that because of their proper attire, they’d enjoyed battling the elements while staying snugly warm. Her Pakamac had performed magnificently and kept all but the very bottom of the duvet coat dry. Her hands had stayed toasty warm and dry with the help of the ski mitts.
Oddly Mum didn’t buy anything on their shopping trip. Did she then just tag along because of the thrill of her Pakamac’s enveloping protection against the snow? I suspected this to be the case but would never have the courage to ask her.

Hi Susan and happy New Year. That's a very nice clip, although the lady in question should have been wearing her mac properly.
My previous post was about why Pakamac and others did not offer their raincoats with matching overtrousers as a set. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. Perhaps there wasn't a market for this combo, but to me it was only a small step from wearing a two piece rainsuit.

I've had a bit of time on my hands over the last few days and have revamped and extended my memory of my neighbour Hazel. Here's the first two parts:-

Part 1- Hazel
I always found it odd that Pakamac and other raincoat manufacturers didn’t offer matching rain trousers or even rain skirts with their raincoats. As we’ve discussed at length, Pakamacs did have one failing- not providing adequate below the knee protection on windy days unless they had that rare extra fastening.
I’m sure most ladies would have been glad of the extra protection. Covering up that most worrying of gaps between the lowest coat button and the top of their winter boots.
I can only remember two occasions where I witnessed this very practical combination. One was Lollipop lady Fiona and the other involved a neighbour called Hazel who lived two doors away. Hazel always took great care in making sure that she was properly attired for whatever the weather would throw at her.
On cold windy days she was always well wrapped up in a variety of voluminous winter coats. On bitterly cold days she wore a very heavy tweed coat with a deep fur collar. The collar had two button fixings allowing for it to be turned up and completely closed, protecting the nose, mouth and ears from the cold. She usually accompanied this with a furry Cossack style hat secured with a large head scarf and knee length fleecy lined boots. The obvious warmth of this very snugly coat was compromised by the lack of a below the knee closure.
Hazel was a local councillor and had to attend regular meetings irrespective of the weather.
On many winter’s days I would often see Hazel exit her garden and head off into the wind. She would be huddled into her coat, but every so often the skirt would blow open and you could almost feel her grimace at the chilling discomfort. In response she would pull the coat skirt tightly closed with one hand while the other was buried deep into her coat pocket. All the while scurrying down the road trying to limit the icy chill creeping up from below. On meeting days she would have a brief case and this would be a handy shield when required.
On one particularly awful day she appeared at her gate with this ensemble covered by a yellow Pakamac, rainbonnet and matching nylon trousers. Both the Pakamac and tweed coat fell to mid-calf leaving only the hint of a dark border below the nylon hem. The winter coat stretched the Pakamac tight, like it had been ironed smooth and the thickness of the tweed meant that the top button had to be left open.
The overtrousers surprised me because I had previously only ever seen her wear a skirt. To be fair on this particular day was not one you’d want to be out in unless absolutely necessary. The sea air was laden with wind driven sleet and any exposed skin would quickly become raw and chapped. Once she was out in the street, Hazel’s Pakamac skirt was pushed back on itself by the heavy tweed coat being blown open in turn exposing the yellow over trousers. Only her eyes were visible between the hat brim and upturned collar. The over trousers allowed her to ignore the flapping coat skirts. Instead, she concentrated on huddling into her coats, head down and balled hands thrust deep into her Pakamac pockets. Periodically she would raise her head, the brief case shielding her eyes to check the pavement ahead. The wind would torment her rainbonnet to the point where she would have to grab it and pull it forward again.
Her nylon shell quickly became coated with watery snow as she was pelted by the sleet. Despite this she managed to make steady progress to Windy Corner. The wind here was particularly nasty making the back of her Pakamac swell up and skirt flap around uselessly. You could see her rainbonnet being blown around mercilessly.
The Pakamac was receiving an absolute lashing and was quickly becoming so wet that the yellow was becoming translucent. Despite this Hazel’s ensemble seemed to be just about coping with the weather’s onslaught. She only had to turn her back once to retie her sorely tested bonnet.
She was blown to a standstill at the corner of the flats and had to grab the nearby drainpipe to steady herself. Leaning forward for balance, she moved off again around the corner and into the beginning of the High Street, disappearing from my line of sight.
This sighting has stayed with me for over 40 years even though Hazel wore her over trousers on several other occasions but never in such dramatic weather.
Over the years Hazel swapped her yellow Pakamac for a green belted nylon trenchcoat. Her winter coats were supplemented by a beige hooded duvet coat which on certain days was teamed with the trenchcoat. I would often see her set out with her husband Fred sporting this ensemble ready to battle their way around Windy Corner. His rainwear of choice was a blue nylon parka and matching waterproof overtrousers. He would draw her close when the weather was at it’s worst and she was most vulnerable to the elements. How I longed to be in his place on those occasions.
On one occasion the weather was so bad that Fred tucked her in behind him as they approached Windy Corner. She huddled into his parka’s protective shield and held on as if her life depended on it. I could only imagine what reward she would give him for his chivalrous behaviour once they were safely home.
Part2 – The Shopping Trip
Occasionally Hazel would venture out shopping with my mother. One of these outings happened to coincide with a heavy snowstorm. I answered the door and was met by Hazel standing there wearing her duvet coat and green nylon trenchcoat. Although the hood was deep and well-padded it lacked any means of being secured against the wind and to make matters worse the trenchcoat had no hood to do the job either. To counter this, she had tightly wrapped a huge wool scarf around the hood, covering her face all the way to the bridge of the nose. Her hat of choice that day was made of super snugly sheepskin with a deep downturned brim that shielded her eyes. This left only a slit of skin exposed between the brim and the scarf.
She was already covered from head to toe by a thin layer of snow despite the short hop from her house. I ushered her in out of the cold, in response she proceeded to brush herself down and stamp the snow from her boots before stepping into the hallway. At this point my mother walked down the stairs dressed in her blue hooded down coat and had a matching belted and hooded Pakamac over her arm.
“I didn’t think you’d be put off by the weather” said Hazel. “You know me to well” replied Mum.
She turned to look in the hall’s full-length mirror and pulled up the down hood before sliding on her Pakamac. She pulled the nylon tight, snapped all the poppers and Velcro closed, finally cinching the waist belt tight. She pulled up the nylon hood and tied it tightly, reducing the face opening until only her eyes and top of her nose were visible. She pulled the hem down as far as the belt would allow and then ran her hands all over the Pakamac smoothing it out. All the while the Pakamac made delicious swishing noises.
Mum suffered from Raynaud’s Syndrome, especially in winter so she would often wear two pairs of gloves. On this occasion she wore thick waterproof ski mittens on top of her black leather gloves.
She took one last lingering look in the mirror swishing left and right catwalk style, jokingly saying “Will I do?” At this point I wondered if she was getting some sort of thrill from all this. I was in a dilemma about the feelings this display was arousing. This woman was my mother after all!
She picked her shoulder bag up from the hall stand and turned to Hazel “Umbrella or not? It might give our raincoats a bit of a respite”
She handed one to Hazel and chose another for herself.
Mum opened the front door and stepped out into the snow. She quickly opened the umbrella and held it in front of her to ward off the blowing snow. Hazel quickly followed suit. The two women headed down the garden path all the while the wind tormented Hazel’s trenchcoat skirt blowing it clear of the duvet coat. At the gate she turned for a moment pulling the skirt closed again and then placing her shopping bag on top of it. Mum waited patiently unaffected by this due to the velcro additions to her coats. Both then headed off down the street sheltering behind their combined umbrella shield seemingly oblivious to the weather.
Their progress was slowed at Windy Corner as the squally gusts made them both struggle with their umbrellas. They were visibly bending and the edge of their nylon canopies were fluttering madly. An unexpectedly strong wind gust almost made them lose their footing on the icy pavement. Their feet briefly skittered for grip unbalancing both women and exposing the vulnerable underside of their umbrellas to the storm. One moment Mum was safely behind the protection of her large umbrella and the next she was fully exposed to the blizzard. As she regained her balance the wind had forced the umbrella up and behind, completely inverting it. She turned her back to the storm, desperately trying to regain control but the wind quickly mangled the frame and tore part of the canopy away.
Simultaneously Hazel’s loss of balance resulted in her umbrella being blown horizontally before she could regain control. The wind still managed to inflict fatal damage by tearing the front section of the canopy away from the frame and forcing her to quickly close it to prevent further damage. Hazel turned to help Mum with her umbrella, but it was immediately apparent that it too was beyond saving. They would now have to rely solely on their Pakamacs for protection.
They set off again, huddling into each other for comfort and bowing their heads low to avoid the stinging snow hitting what little of their faces they’d left exposed.
Now bereft of cover, their raincoats were quickly covered in so much snow that any other pedestrian would think they were being approached by two snowmen. The now useless umbrellas were deposited in the first bin they encountered. Doorways were used as shelter to allow them to brush down their Pakamacs ready for the next snow covering.
The shops were virtually deserted due to the weather. Shop staff were surprised when two white apparitions appeared out of the blizzard only for them to dust themselves down and transform into two very heavily clad women on a shopping trip.

Part 3 coming soon.

Here’s a link to Pinterest, Mr McMac, showing a woman in a plastic mac trying to open an umbrella on a windy day https://pin.it/6yCutlC