Major_Clanger
Well-Known Member
Thought I'd post a few thoughts on a set of foul-weather gear I've just used in anger for the first time......
I've always used Henri Lloyd gear, always liked it and it's always done the job. My old set of Gore-Tex Ocean is now 25 years old and well overdue for retirement, but it's covered many thousands of miles in that time and is still mostly waterproof..... Anyway, I faced a quandary in choosing a replacement as I feel HL have veered away from proper sailing clothing of late. I looked at top-end gear from Zhik, HH and Musto but was still drawn to HL by loyalty. They offered me a reasonable discount so I bought an O-Race jacket & salopettes in orange.
WOW, they're a bloody revelation! The new breed of synthetic materials are remarkably good and combine everything we need when offshore - warmth, toughness, wind and waterproof. But what the new stuff adds is great agility and lack of weight. I thought the O-Race seemed really flimsy compared to my old gear, but it's proven itself to be just as tough - just without the weight and thickness of material.
Both the jacket and salopettes have been well designed and the hood is just great. It has little side windows to aid peripheral vision. I thought this was just silly marketing but they actually work! The hood is really snug and works well at the throat with the collar. I've just worn them back from Portugal and they haven't let a drop off water passed, even when we took a couple of green seas straight in to the cockpit.
Highly recommended.
I've always used Henri Lloyd gear, always liked it and it's always done the job. My old set of Gore-Tex Ocean is now 25 years old and well overdue for retirement, but it's covered many thousands of miles in that time and is still mostly waterproof..... Anyway, I faced a quandary in choosing a replacement as I feel HL have veered away from proper sailing clothing of late. I looked at top-end gear from Zhik, HH and Musto but was still drawn to HL by loyalty. They offered me a reasonable discount so I bought an O-Race jacket & salopettes in orange.
WOW, they're a bloody revelation! The new breed of synthetic materials are remarkably good and combine everything we need when offshore - warmth, toughness, wind and waterproof. But what the new stuff adds is great agility and lack of weight. I thought the O-Race seemed really flimsy compared to my old gear, but it's proven itself to be just as tough - just without the weight and thickness of material.
Both the jacket and salopettes have been well designed and the hood is just great. It has little side windows to aid peripheral vision. I thought this was just silly marketing but they actually work! The hood is really snug and works well at the throat with the collar. I've just worn them back from Portugal and they haven't let a drop off water passed, even when we took a couple of green seas straight in to the cockpit.
Highly recommended.
