Best wet weather gear?

[Aja]

I race a pretty long season every year, mostly on the South coast and in Ireland. Reading this I can’t believe:
- How wet everyone seems to get
- How cold it must be - I don’t actually use my gear that much
Then I remembered I sit in the cockpit and it’s rare for a wave to actually get me.

You obviously don't get "weather" where you sail

There are years on the west coast of Scotland where it has rained solidly for every day of a two week sailing holiday.

Or you go racing for an hour and a half round the cans and get a bit damp.

Horses for courses.

 

[Gsailor]

What would sir recommend for the bowsprit, poop deck and yard arm?

For 'gentlemen of a certain age' getting your wet weather kit off for a pee is hard enough. The thought of a dry suit, unless it had an integrated Cather, is quite out of the question.

My ventile dry suit has a horizontal pee zip. The SAR orange dry suit made of Nomex and GoreTex has a vertical zip to the front - so just like unzipping a coat.

 

[Zing]

One thing about Goretex is it is not breathable and waterproof, it is breathable or waterproof, because when soaked it can’t breathe. It doesn’t breath enough if you are really sweaty too, is pointless then. It’s also not long lasting or abrasion resistant. All mine failed too soon. I still buy it though.

 

[14K478]

What would sir recommend for the bowsprit, poop deck and yard arm?

For 'gentlemen of a certain age' getting your wet weather kit off for a pee is hard enough. The thought of a dry suit, unless it had an integrated Cather, is quite out of the question.

I’m going to disagree. A modern offshore drysuit with a diagonal front zip is quicker and easier to deal with, from the point of view of an old man wanting to have a pee, than the conventional salopettes and smock, but admittedly not if you want to sit down.

 

[Blue_mischief]

Interesting YouTube video:

 

[Snowgoose-1]

Interesting YouTube video:

Interesting . Thanks.
Any folks have the experience of the Gill breathable fabric ?

I seem to remember having a Gill jacket that wore well and was comfortable to wear.

 

[Supertramp]

I use an old Gill OS1 jacket. It (still) works and I use it for long damp or wet sails. The fabric is not delaminated and the seam tapes are still secure. I often have to retape jackets in the hood/collar area after 5-10 years. I use a lightweight jacket for showers or carrying ashore. Both are waterproof but the breathability of the OS1 fabric makes it much more comfortable all day or night. It is quite a bulky jacket, tough, and takes a while to dry out. It lives on the boat and gets no special treatment.

The video is interesting and it's worth separating the product from the marketing strategy. My take is that goretex (and similar breathable waterproof fabrics) offer a step change from the old non breathable sort. Especially when active and generating sweat and heat. It works well for me when skiing, walking, cycling, sailing on clothing and shoes. I don't think Goretex the brand is the only product that works and I do think that surface treatments and the surface fabric (fibre size and weave density) make a difference.

Goretex's marketing and licensing is another matter and probably does restrict innovation.

 

[Gsailor]

I tried to watch it, but he took a bit long to make a point, so I did a few odd jobs before the rain arrives.

I will try to watch it later.

Thanks for posting.

 

[Gsailor]

Watched it.

The presenter does a pretty professional job I thought. In fact I am going to see what other videos he has made.

As he said at the end, it all comes down to marketing... especially as there are better materials out there.

 

[Gsailor]

The same man made another video testing breathability:

 

[Gsailor]

Found a material better than GoreTex - according to YouTube:

But this mountain man said his trousers made from that material were rubbish:

All I can say is my multilayered GoreTex dry suits have seen a lot of use and are still waterproof and do breath and so does my Ventile dry suit BUT I bought these second hand - they would have cost at least £1000 when new some years ago because they were made for SAR winch men or pilots - and the MOD etc like to spend money on good kit.