A quality product........................"should last a long time"

[Fascadale]

A provider of yachting wear says on their website "At ...................., we believe that high quality products should last for a long time.”

How long would it be reasonable to expect an almost top of the range garment (c.£400) to last?

Should this period of time be measured in years, given the garment spends most of its life hanging in a warm dry wardrobe: should it be measured in days at sea, though not worn all day everyday or should it be measured in sea miles traveled though again not worn for every inch of every mile? Ah...........................the advantages of keeping a log

Thanks

 

[Moodysailor]

I'm assuming you are talking about waterproofs when you say garment?

If so, from some recent browsing it appears that £400 is mid-range now, which shocked me a little bit. For that sort of money I'd ideally want one of those auto-drying jackets as seen in Back to the Future ?

But in a serious answer to your question - not as long as you think. About 5/6 years seems average, some get more, some less. My last jacket is still going, the salopettes I managed to get 10+ years out of and have just replaced.

 

[jamie N]

Fladen suits are those that are worn by many professional fishermen I believe, because of their effectiveness at keeping the wearer warm & dry, and their longevity.
The cost of the Fladen 2 piece is about the same as A Dubarry boot, which seems to indicate to me that form is better than function for many.

 

[grumpy_o_g]

I'm assuming you are talking about waterproofs when you say garment?

If so, from some recent browsing it appears that £400 is mid-range now, which shocked me a little bit. For that sort of money I'd ideally want one of those auto-drying jackets as seen in Back to the Future ?

But in a serious answer to your question - not as long as you think. About 5/6 years seems average, some get more, some less. My last jacket is still going, the salopettes I managed to get 10+ years out of and have just replaced.

Most sailing foul weather gear seems to be same price as or dearer than motorcycle gear which has broadly similar requirements plus the ability to cope with rider sliding down the road on his or her backside for a distance. I cannot see a justification for the prices beyond the fact that people seem willing to pay them.

 

[Poignard]

"At ...................., we believe that high quality products should last for a long time.”

Which is not the same as saying:

"At ...................., we sell high quality products that will last for a long time.”

 

[Sandy]

A provider of yachting wear says on their website "At ...................., we believe that high quality products should last for a long time.”

How long would it be reasonable to expect an almost top of the range garment (c.£400) to last?

Should this period of time be measured in years, given the garment spends most of its life hanging in a warm dry wardrobe: should it be measured in days at sea, though not worn all day everyday or should it be measured in sea miles traveled though again not worn for every inch of every mile? Ah...........................the advantages of keeping a log

Thanks

Have you asked them what 'a long time' means to them?

Will you disclose the 'provider of yachting wear' and we can all ask the same question and make an informed decision.

Disclaimer: My MUSTO HPX is 10 years old, still going strong, still waterproof but one of the wee bits of velcro needs reattaching.

 

[lustyd]

Unfortunately the £400 range are no longer Goretex which have the lifetime guarantee, although I've yet to actually make a set fail. In my experience most oilies fail because the owner mistakenly thinks the washing mashine will somehow cause them harm when the opposite is generally true.

 

[Wansworth]

Donkey jackets and jeans or a quality suit and waistcoat,without tie if you must…

 

[Fascadale]

Have you asked them what 'a long time' means to them?

Will you disclose the 'provider of yachting wear' and we can all ask the same question and make an informed decision.

Disclaimer: My MUSTO HPX is 10 years old, still going strong, still waterproof but one of the wee bits of velcro needs reattaching.

I have asked them the meaning of "what is a long time" but they are yet to answer that one.

At present, and while I'm still corresponding with them, I think it better to remain discreet.

They have agreed that the jacket is delaminating and say "This occurs naturally over time, but the process can be accelerated by several causes" so I think the the "what is a long time" question becomes more important.

According to my log, the jacket and I have shared 198 days at sea, meaning the jacket has had more than six but less than seven months wear

 

[Wing Mark]

As I thought it might be a bit nippy this last weekend, and we had two races 'back to back' , I decided it was 'drysuit time'.
My drysuit is about 10 years old, cost about £300 and has been used maybe 20 or 30 times per year for either dinghy racing or on RIBs etc.
That's a lot harsher use than sitting the cockpit of a yacht.
It's just starting to let me know I'll want a new one next year.

 

[lustyd]

According to my log, the jacket and I have shared 198 days at sea

Given the average days at sea for yachtsmen that suggests they are 40 years old! ?

 

[Poignard]

Donkey jackets and jeans or a quality suit and waistcoat,without tie if you must…

?

I wonder what this guy would recommend:



Still, at least he would have had a nice heated forecastle to go and dry off in at the end of his watch

What is he doing, by the way?

 

[penberth3]

?

I wonder what this guy would recommend:

View attachment 124863

Still, at least he would have had a nice heated forecastle to go and dry off in at the end of his watch

What is he doing, by the way?

Washing his socks?

 

[Daydream believer]

Most sailing foul weather gear seems to be same price as or dearer than motorcycle gear which has broadly similar requirements plus the ability to cope with rider sliding down the road on his or her backside for a distance.

In the 70s before decent breathables came along, my mother fitted a padded hood ( Buttons & button holes, so removeable) to a Belstead motorbike jacket. Long version. Every season I re-waxed it & it was super waterproof & very warm. I never slid down the road, but I did slide down the foredeck a few times.
These days I wear Musto & would not have anything else. Brilliant kit. It works so price- in the grand scheme of things- is pretty much irrelevant, if I am comfortable. I do wear the correct base layers etc so the system operates as designed.

 

[Kelpie]

Fladen suits are those that are worn by many professional fishermen I believe, because of their effectiveness at keeping the wearer warm & dry, and their longevity.
The cost of the Fladen 2 piece is about the same as A Dubarry boot, which seems to indicate to me that form is better than function for many.

I've had a two piece Fladen since 2006, still just about holds together although it's been used more for building and croft work than for sailing.
When I was fish farming, a one piece Fladen would stay waterproof for about six months of daily wear. After that it was a steady decline. But that's a job where you are out in all weather, all day, ask year.
The main downside with a Fladen is that you overheat pretty easily. Wearing just the jacket is a good compromise (not for work- we had to wear a LJ over the top of the full suit). I've tried out the jacket only during a sea survival course and it's similar to wearing a buoyancy aid, so I'm happy using it for things like sheltered water dinghy trips.

 

[Moodysailor]

Most sailing foul weather gear seems to be same price as or dearer than motorcycle gear which has broadly similar requirements plus the ability to cope with rider sliding down the road on his or her backside for a distance. I cannot see a justification for the prices beyond the fact that people seem willing to pay them.

I'm not justifying the price, just saying that £400 is mid-range according to what I have seen.

Having said that and following on, I currently need a new hiking jacket. Having done my research, i've come to the conclusion that a sailing jacket is better value that a hiking jacket, if you look at the price/performance ratio.

I try not to look only at price, but rather value - what do I get for my money, and does it make me happy

 

[Koeketiene]

A provider of yachting wear says on their website "At ...................., we believe that high quality products should last for a long time.”

How long would it be reasonable to expect an almost top of the range garment (c.£400) to last?

These days... a couple of seasons.

After all, Musto's 'lifetime guarantee' (early 2000s) was only good for 10 years.

 

[awol]

I've had a two piece Fladen since 2006, still just about holds together although it's been used more for building and croft work than for sailing.
When I was fish farming, a one piece Fladen would stay waterproof for about six months of daily wear. After that it was a steady decline. But that's a job where you are out in all weather, all day, ask year.
The main downside with a Fladen is that you overheat pretty easily. Wearing just the jacket is a good compromise (not for work- we had to wear a LJ over the top of the full suit). I've tried out the jacket only during a sea survival course and it's similar to wearing a buoyancy aid, so I'm happy using it for things like sheltered water dinghy trips.

Off topic but possibly relevant - when I did my sea-survival course I tried my Fladen one piece in the pool and by itself it was excellent at keeping me afloat face down. With an inflated life jacket it was the right way up but impossible to make any progress by swimming.

 

[penberth3]

I'm not justifying the price, just saying that £400 is mid-range according to what I have seen.

Having said that and following on, I currently need a new hiking jacket. Having done my research, i've come to the conclusion that a sailing jacket is better value that a hiking jacket, if you look at the price/performance ratio.....

Agreed. Hiking jackets are expensive fashion items, and most are so short I wouldn't call them "jackets". Useless, and don't get me started on "waterproof and breathable". Farming, fishing, motorcycling wet weather gear is a much better choice.

 

[lustyd]

After all, Musto's 'lifetime guarantee' (early 2000s) was only good for 10 years.

Musto never had a lifetime guarantee, GoreTex have this and it applies to anything made of GoreTex and it's handled via the manufacturer (Musto). It's not limited to 10 years, it's lifetime and I know people who have used it. The guarantee is against defects in the fabric, while the shorter Musto garment one covered the manufacturing of the garment. Neither covered wear and tear. The lower tier fabrics are covered by normal warranties which match the garment one from Musto.