Compass Oilies

[Stemar]

Does anyone have any experience of the Compass Offshore breathable oilies?

I had a set of the cheaper ones (£159 in the current catalogue) that I've had to send back because the coating came off when I washed them, apparantly due to a faulty batch of material. I quite liked these, apart from the hood, which is a bit small, but am considering an upgrade to the more expensive ones (£229).

Any recommendations, suggestions or general abuse?

 

[bedouin]

I hestitate to respond to this sort of posting, especially given the fun going on at Scuttlebutt. My wife and I both have a set of the cheaper Compass Breathable Oilies (£159). On the positive side they are very light and comfortable. On the negative side they are not what I would describe as waterproof (realistically ours are only showerproof) - they are certainly not suitable for a Channel crossing in my boat. I have mentioned this to them, and they requested that I send them back for inspection, believing them to be faulty. The problem was that they estimate a 6 week turn-around and being without oilies in UK for six weeks is not a pleasant prospect. As a result we have both purchased much better quality (and MUCH more expensive) oilies and have yet to get round to sending the (to my mind defective) ones back.

Based on my experience I cannot say whether the problems with ours are a one off, or endemic to the design. The willingness of Compass to investigate the problem does them credit; their lack of understanding of the issues of being without oilies for 6 weeks in the sailing season does not.

 

[ParaHandy]

I bought an offshore breathable suit for my wife. They arrived late with a dark yellow stain on the shoulder collar and were v. badly creased - almost as if they'd been scrunched up into a ball although the packaging showed no such signs of having suffered such treatment. Like you, the time to get a replacement was far too long (even offered to drive down to depot in Wiltshire I think) and as they were to be used that weekend, there was no possibility of Mrs PH going to sea without appropriate clothing. With iron and stain remover, the kids and I got them presentable. As I recall, these oilies got a ym or pbo "best buy" award.

 

[bedouin]

The "Best Buy" award actually came from the other mag (Sailing Today) - which is one reason I bought them. After my experience I re-read their recommendation. It was only then that I realised that at no point had they tested them! They just looked at the features and stuck a "Recommended" tag on them.

 

[ParaHandy]

stand corrected

thank you

 

[MartinGPerry]

I have used a set for 2 or 3 years and I have found them to be excellent value for money, they have worn well - and as far as I can tell are as good now as the day I bought them.

I also have a set of Musto Ocean non-breathable oilies with built in harness that I save for really foul weather, but the Compass suit is so much lighter that I use it most times

The hood design is a joke and when I bought mine they supplied FOC a baseball cap which when worn under the hood makes it fit reasonably well. The suit does need some under layer to keep warm as it is very thin

We have sailed 4,000 miles in the last 2 seasons so I would say they have had a fair trial and I would recommend them

 

[bedouin]

I'm glad I've found someone who likes them.

Can you tell me more exactly when you bought them? They changed the model just under two years ago - I believe mine are one of the first batches of the new design but I'm not sure what the differences are.

Also - have you worn them for an extended period in heavy rain, or when a lot of spray is being driven aboard? It is those conditions when I find water getting through the fabric (particularly the thighs).

 

[Stemar]

Thanks to all for your comments.

Mine are the new design, just under a year old. WHile I didn't have too much really nasty weather, they certainly kept out what I did meet.

I've decided to go for the Compass Professionals, but am reserving the right to get a refund and go elsewhere if they can't deliver in a reasonable time.