Sailing clothing

Denek

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Hi all
up until this point I have been using a ski jacket when required but we are fair weather sailors really so mostly shorts a t shirts. Inevitably we will get caught out eventually but my question is this .would you buy coastal,inshore or offshore gear? We may be heading down to the Spanish rias next year ( was going to be this year but Covid put a stop to that) so need to bear that in mind.
i would rather not buy both as it seems rather extravagant
 

Wansworth

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No only extravagant but space occupying,sailing down to Spain in the summer won’t be stressful on a normal coastal trousers with a bib and a jacket from my experience.
 

RJJ

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Coastal should be fine. Definitely only one set required.

Each to their own, but I would recommend looking at the Plastimo XM range (which I wear) or Decathlon. If the latter, probably consider what they describe as "offshore" which seems to approximate "coastal" for the big brands but is still less than half the price. Or of course you can literally fill your boots with Musto, HL or whatever.

Again personal preference but I also like to have a dinghy spray smock for lighter conditions and day sailing.

Don't wear cotton except in fine weather. All other layers (silk, various forms of wool, fleece, polyester are basically fine).
 

jac

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Definitely only 1 set. Type depends on how you sail. If you have hanked on sails or need to be out of shelter onboard it's worth offshore. If you will be huddled up behind a sprayhood whilst the autohelm dpes the work and you have furling everything then coastal will be plenty
 

Sandy

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Wait for the sales and buy the most "extreme" kit you can afford.

My coldest watch was in June under a cloudless sky. A storm is a storm and you still get wet and cold. As a mountaineering instructor once said to me. When your underwear is soaking wet I need to be just damp, its my job to get you safely off the hill. I apply the same theory as skipper.
 

Stemar

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I would recommend looking at the Plastimo XM range
Don't wear cotton except in fine weather.

Several years ago, my trusty oilies were getting a bit scruffy. I was about to go as sighted crew for a blind skipper and Milady said "You're not wearing those horrible things" "But he's blind" "Don't care" Well, I know when I'm beaten, so I went off to Force 4 and tried on a variety of outfits. I'd just about decided on the XMs when I made the mistake of trying the Gill Atlantic. A few minutes later, I came out of F4 in a state of shock, having just spent roughly twice as much money on a set of clothes than I'd ever spent in my life. Milady wasn't even mad, and I have to say I've never regretted them.

Cotton is horrible stuff at sea or any other difficult conditions. When it gets wet, it stays wet and loses all insulation value. That's one reason why I won't wear jeans. My collection of ageing Craghopper trousers is a constant aggravation to Milady, but they're perfect for the boat.
 

Spirit (of Glenans)

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In my experience, oilskins after more than one season's use, will eventually wet through, given enough rain/spray, so I bring two sets on passage.
During a Biscay crossing two years ago a forced stopover (another story!), in Concarneau brought me to Decathlon where I found the offshore suit at a very reasonable price( about €200 AFAIR). Haven't tested them properly yet.
 

KAM

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I'm a convert back to PVC. None of my fancy goretex gear has ever been waterproof and all the extraneous pockets flaps and fleecy bits take ages to dry. PVC is completely waterproof and can be just shaken dry and even shoved into a cockpit locker. Clamminess wise it's similar to wearing leaky goretex but when the going gets tough it wins hands down.
 

Quandary

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I bought Decathlon Offshore to use when working on the Canal because they were cheaper and looked well made, they have proved to be much more breathable when working hard than my XM suit or my old Henri Lloyds, now they have been promoted to sailing as well. My only complaint is that the red colour chosen to make me visible on my bike has tended to fade.
 

Graham376

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Spanish Rias can get pretty wet at times, rather like UK weather but warmer rain. I bought some coastal gear from Mailspeed as offshore was just too warm and heavy but haven't used it for a couple of years - we don't do rain :) Living on mooring or anchor most of the time, we keep some lightweight walking wet gear in dinghy as that's where we're most likely to get wet. As said above, Decathlon have reasonably priced stuff.
 

Wansworth

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Long johns,thick worsted shirt with decent tail,underpants to suit,thick Norwegian socks,moleskin trousers with braces if required,leather boots to mid calf,tarred full length oilskin,sou’wester.
 

Quiddle

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Coastal should be fine. Definitely only one set required.

Each to their own, but I would recommend looking at the Plastimo XM range (which I wear) or Decathlon. If the latter, probably consider what they describe as "offshore" which seems to approximate "coastal" for the big brands but is still less than half the price.

I have a Decathlon Tribord 900 jacket (which has crossed the pond twice with me), having had HPX and the like in the past and it is at least as good as the expensive stuff.
 

laika

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Isn't this "Coastal"/"Offshore"/"Ocean" thing all a bit of a marketing gimmick and sort of more like the old car "luxury" levels of L, GL, GLX? So as you go "up" the range you get soft material round the neck, better pockets, more reinforcement on knees etc. and more expensive (ie breathable/waterproof) material? All that can vary with manufacturer so surely better to think about what you want and see what the differences are in any individual range.

I absolutely agree with Sandy in post #6. Decent clothing is a safety issue and I have seen what not having it can do to people. A good set of foulies will last years, especially if you don't use them often. It was about 10 years before I even got round to reproofing my musto MPX. You may normally only day sail in good conditions but if you're spending money on "something" wouldn't it be good if you have kit available in case someone invites you for a more hardcore weekender, or for your possible trip across Biscay?

Lightness and breathability is good if you mostly sail in warmer weather. Do think about how easy it is to move around while wearing it. Be aware that materials change: The modern Musto MPX range is *way* lighter and than my 14 year old ones, so when people say "This new cheap thing is better than my old expensive thing" the new version of the old expensive thing may be a completely different animal.

FWIW I've been very happy with my Musto MPX and even in some fairly horrendous conditions never thought "I wish I'd got the HPX".
 

duncan99210

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I bought a set of Gill coastal foulies 11 years ago and found them to be fine for the sailing I do: some UK, some Med and the odd longer trip. The jacket has been reproofed twice and is still reasonable but showing it’s age.
I got a Musto coastal jacket for Christmas this year which hasn’t yet been used on a boat but is great for walking and cycling: the fabric lets the sweat evaporate easily but keeps rain out. It’s Less than half the weight of the Gill jacket and packs away to next to nothing: I’m impressed with it.
Has to be said that much of the time in the Med, I use an ancient Berghaus walking jacket. It’s been an amazing bit of kit, still going strong after about 20 years use.
But for long trips and cold watches, nothing beats the layers approach: decent base layers (Lidl do good ones), intermediate layer of Mountain Warehouse walking kit and then a fleece and gillet with the foulies over the top. No good for doing anything very active but great for sitting in a cold cockpit keeping watch.
 

pandos

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I have a Decathlon Tribord 900 jacket (which has crossed the pond twice with me), having had HPX and the like in the past and it is at least as good as the expensive stuff.
I have a set of the same, 15 years old (albeit they were only used on a regular basis for 5 or six of those those years but the still are pretty good. importantly when they were new I was with guys in 1000 quids worth of new mustos and henri lloyds who were soaked to the skin whilst I was warm and dry.

I just re-waterproofed (for the first time) my Decathalon set as they left in a little after wetting out during 2 hours of torrential rain a few weeks ago ( I deliberately put them on and pranced about the deck and boatyard to test them out I was also power-washing the deck etc)) ... I look forward to testing them again for real..
 

KAM

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I've got a 500. It's the one I wear to the pub. Pity it's black not very practical paddling back over black water on a black night but it's a bit less flashy in the pub. I change back into the pvc for sailing. I can't reccomend highly enough the simple pull on Guy Cotten pvc trousers for paddling ashore in a dinghy. Just pull em on. No more wet bums for me.
 
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