All the gear, no idea

[oldgit]

If this wearable version of the Rolex watch is so wonderful,it begs the question why lifeboat crews,workers on oil rig tenders and deep sea fisherman are not to be seen mincing around in the worrying pastel shades of this gear...
Just asking ?
Some may remember when Volvo advertising ensured us that a Volvo was the safest car on the market...brilliant sales and marketing convinced its buyers it was the best and probably ensured that a pretty expensive dire car kept soldering on while its competitors left it in the dust and in the end Volvo went bankrupt and was taken over.
All you need is some good marketing,stick the stuff on a celeb or two and watch the money roll in.

 

[Kelpie]

It's boots that get me. SWMBO bought an expensive pair of Dubarry yachting boots, they need reproofing far too frequently and are too short to actually work. She has to daintly skip out of the dinghy once we are already beached, whilst my far cheaper yellow fisherman's wellies are far more capable, being the proper length. Plus I have worn them literally every day for both work and leisure for about five years now and they don't ever need any sort of attention.
Mates at work also fell for the Dubarry or Orca hype and would end the day with soaking wet feet. But I admit they looked smarter than I did.

 

[prv]

If this wearable version of the Rolex watch is so wonderful,it begs the question why lifeboat crews,workers on oil rig tenders and deep sea fisherman are not to be seen mincing around in the worrying pastel shades of this gear...

Well, the RNLI crews' kit looks a lot like top-end yottie gear to me.

Fishermen need hardwearing and fairly cheap.

I don't know much about oil rig tenders, but I imagine like most sensible commercial mariners they spend most of their time inside.

Pete

 

[TonyBuckley]

Wear whatever you fancy - and to hell with whatever other people think!

I have never come across people who would so judge!

Maybe that is because if I see someone so much up their own arse, I ignore. But I don't remember ignoring anyone.

I am not sure sure such people actually exist! Do they? I don't mix with the BBB (Blue Blazer Brigade), so maybe in that clique. But that is event land rather than sailing sea.

I do remember someone telling me that my LJ was top dog and I must have a very nice boat. For once I was speechless.

I sail in the Solent mostly so I am sure I would have met them if they do exist.

I am thinking this is a solution to a problem that does not exist.

 

[stuartwineberg]

Think of the functionality you need and make sure you get it. breathability, knees that are reinforced enough to stand abrasion, roomy enough to allow you to winch, high collar to keep spray out, hand warmer pockets, enough reflective tape, adjustable hood so it doesn't keep blowing back off your head. Warm boots are vital and room for thick socks. I like crocs for deck shoes in warmer weather. I like to think in layers, my brother in law calls me the onion because I am always peeling them on and off, thermals, microfibres mid layers and so on

 

[Bru]

Force4 do an own brand (Windward) suit set in offshore, coastal and junior versions which is a lot cheaper than the well known brands and very serviceable. I've got the coastal version, had them for five seasons now, and whilst I keep muttering about upgrading it's a long long way down the priority list!

One thing I'd be disinclined to skimp on is footwear. I wasted a fair bit of money trying to go cheap on that front and in the end splashed out on a pair of Dubarrys and I've not regretted it

 

[thecommander]

What are readers opinions on this deal - http://www.marinesuperstore.com/clothing-technical/suits/musto-br1-coastal-suit-special ?

Good value for money? How does it compare in terms of quality with Decathlon?

 

[obmij]

A couple of years ago PBO reviewed a load of oilskins of around the same price. I can't find the mag otherwise I would post the results here.

The tests were pretty good - bucket of water over the top, getting hosed down etc.

PBO charge £6.95 to download the article!

I think the BR1's came out near the top or one top but please don't quote me on that.

 

[Bathdave]

I am a Musto fan and consider that brand well worth the "extra". You have time so wait until the next sale comes along.

You don't need to wait for the sale .....an earlier poster mentioned the Musto shop at the clarke shopping village in street

After we bought our boat in summer 2014 my wife and I bought brand new first quality (ie not seconds) BR 2 suits for around £210 each at the shop. Seen as we were able to reclaim the VAT when we took our suits back to jersey they proved extremely good value compared with the alternatives, they came in at about £180 per suit (current UK list seems to be £480 !! )

They seem to sell end of line/last year's stock at a deep discount and this year's stock at a reasonable discount .

Seen as the only seasonal changes seem to be slight changes in the colour strips, why pay full price?

I see the kit pops up at end of season sales in a few on-line retailers at sharp pricing, but the beauty of the shop is you don't need to wait for the sales to happen.

 

[GrahamM376]

XM range from Mailspeed is better priced than many more popular makes. https://www.mailspeedmarine.com/sailing-clothing.html?eq_brand=mailspeed-marine_xm-yachting

 

[thecommander]

You don't need to wait for the sale .....an earlier poster mentioned the Musto shop at the clarke shopping village in street

After we bought our boat in summer 2014 my wife and I bought brand new first quality (ie not seconds) BR 2 suits for around £210 each at the shop. Seen as we were able to reclaim the VAT when we took our suits back to jersey they proved extremely good value compared with the alternatives, they came in at about £180 per suit (current UK list seems to be £480 !! )

They seem to sell end of line/last year's stock at a deep discount and this year's stock at a reasonable discount .

Seen as the only seasonal changes seem to be slight changes in the colour strips, why pay full price?

I see the kit pops up at end of season sales in a few on-line retailers at sharp pricing, but the beauty of the shop is you don't need to wait for the sales to happen.

Would it be worth travelling from Poole to Clarke Shopping Village?

P.S. Actually I think there might be a Musto outlet in Portsmouth ?

 

[laika]

Actually I think there might be a Musto outlet in Portsmouth ?

There is. At Gun Wharf. Which of course is not a million miles away from Marine Superstore at Port Solent should prices not be so favourable.

 

[LadyInBed]

Would it be worth travelling from Poole to Clarke Shopping Village?

P.S. Actually I think there might be a Musto outlet in Portsmouth ?

Could well be, I also got a pair of Clarks Gortex deckshoes for £55.
Take SWMBO, not a bad day out, if she is like mine, she may also spend a few quid
PS Poole - Portsmouth / Poole - Street can't be that much in it.

 

[laika]

PS Poole - Portsmouth / Poole - Street can't be that much in it.

There is if you're going by boat

 

[Keen_Ed]

Would it be worth travelling from Poole to Clarke Shopping Village?

Just call them up. They've sold stuff to me over the phone before. There's an HL shop there too.

 

[Thedreamoneday]

What did you wear then and how did that hold up?

 

[emsworthy]

What are readers opinions on this deal - http://www.marinesuperstore.com/clothing-technical/suits/musto-br1-coastal-suit-special ?

Good value for money? How does it compare in terms of quality with Decathlon?

I bought one of these suits, not for sailing but because I wanted a fairly plain black raincoat to wear walking to the station. It seems to me that Musto had a surplus of black BR1 salopettes and knocked up some made to-a-price jackets to sell them as suits. Marine Superstore often have exclusives like this as they obviously shift a lot of Musto kit.

As to quality, the salopettes are well made and are reinforced in all the right places, I have worn them in some pretty grim weather flat out in a RIB with no leakage so far. The jacket is fine also but some of the usual Musto details present on more expensive kit have been value-engineered out. That said I would happily wear this in preference to my much more expensive Henri Lloyd kit for any sort of sailing I'd subject myself to.

Go for it. It's got the right label (keeping the wife happy) and will do the job.

 

[Woodlouse]

I don't know whether to it's been mentioned yet but the gore tex stuff from Musto, Henri Lloyd etc all come with exceptionally good warranties, so the initial outlay might be eye watering but it's very likely to be replaced free of charge as and when it wears out.

 

[flaming]

I don't know whether to it's been mentioned yet but the gore tex stuff from Musto, Henri Lloyd etc all come with exceptionally good warranties, so the initial outlay might be eye watering but it's very likely to be replaced free of charge as and when it wears out.

This is very true. My kit really is the nautical equivalent of Triggers broom. Only ever paid once though...

 

[Rustyknight]

In regards to the Musto outlet shop at Clarks Village, I popped in this morning looking for a lightweight waterproof and breatheable jacket. Original ticket price was £199, marked down to £60, and then with an extra 20% taken off that price during what's possibly an "in store" short term promotion........ :encouragement: