Patent ID: 8332964

Claim:
An element protection system adapted to be worn as a protective garment by a wearer comprising: a storage case portion having a surrounding sidewall and an enclosed bottom defining therein a main compartment, the sidewall having an upper margin; a garment portion coupled to the storage case portion along the upper margin of the sidewall, said garment portion including a front panel, a back panel opposite said front panel and defining therebetween a cavity sized and configured for receiving a human torso, and first and second sleeves sized and configured for receiving human arms attached to at least one of said front and back panels, said garment portion including a head-receiving opening positioned remote from said storage case portion and between said sleeves; a reinforcing panel of a durable, water repellant material coupled to said storage case portion and extending from the upper margin, said reinforcing panel being sized and configured to overlie at least a section of the back panel intermediate said upper margin and the connection between said first and second sleeves and said one of said front and back panels, said reinforcing panel not overlying said front panel; and a closure member coupled to said upper margin of said storage case portion, said closure member including a drawstring, and wherein when said garment portion is received in said main compartment, said drawstring is operable to narrow an opening defined by said upper margin and said reinforcing panel is positionable within said main comparment beneath said narrowed opening and above a remainder of said garment portion; wherein said main compartment of said storage case portion is sized and configured to receive said garment portion therein, and said sidewall of said storage case portion including first and second opposite sides each having respective side pockets provided exteriorly of the main compartment, said side pockets further including coupling members having respective mating members configured and positioned for operatively connecting one of said pockets to the other for thereby shortening the effective sidewall length to reduce the volume of said compartment and compress the garment portion when received therein.