Recommendations for Oilies please

[chippysmith]

Your comments back up what the Gill Rep told us when we spoke with him in Foxs Chandlery about 6 weeks ago.

It does give you peace of mind, especially when parting with nearly 1k. We bought them at sibs 3 years ago. I remember being up to my waist (if you can call it that!) in water, during some foredeck antics retrieving the spinny! salopettes, no jacket and dubries... not a thing gets through them. brilliant

 

[Kelpie]

I don't have much basis for comparison, but have been using my two piece Fladen flotation suit for over a year now and very happy with it. I tend not to bother with the lower half too much- it's too hot for summer use- but so long as I'm not doing a lot of rowing, or it's not a bakig hot summer day, then the jacket is in constant use. I know it's winter when the trousers come into use again
Best of all is that I got it on a special offer for only £65, although they're usually about £90.

 

[Vanilla]

Only thing I don't like about Musto is that the trousers seem only to fit people with little short wide legs! They are much more suited to men than women for that reason as men tend to have long bodies and short legs, whereas women are the other way around. To get leg length in Musto you need to buy a ginormous size then end up with trousers as wide as they are long

 

[DJE]

Gill Atlantic trousers and Musto MPX Goretex jacket here. Nothing like sitting on the fence you know.

 

[Foxy]

Send them back to the manufacturer to see if they can do anything with them. Any of the big three will generally see you right. They charge a fair old bit for these bits of gear, but I've found they generally have excellent standards of service to go with them.

 

[LeonF]

Down these 'ere parts, all the little monkeys wear Henri Lloyd inshore jackets, walking round in groups with the bright yellow hoods out. Never Musto, Gill, XM etc. - just exactly the same dark grey Henri Lloyd one.

Henri Lloyd has been popular with chavs long before this current trend though... I remember volunteering on a sail training yacht once and was impressed to see a few items of Henri Lloyd amongst the boisterous young male crew. None of them had sailed before and were equally surprised to find out it was a nautical brand!

So if you might occasionally leave your oilies in your car in an area where Henri Lloyd yoof are around, think about which make you might prefer!

It's all a bit tongue-in-cheek really...[/QUOT

I have a grey Henri Lloyd jacket without a hood, so does this mean I am not a chav, just ?

Phewwww!!

 

[Ubergeekian]

Just noticed my Gill jacket (8+ years old) is leaking, so time for a replacement. I want as much protection as I can get, balanced against price of course, so would be grateful for any recommendations on kit and where the best deals are.

Guy Cotton yellow oilies. Cheap, comfy and last - well, if not for ever, mine are still completely waterproof after 21 years.

 

[Ubergeekian]

.
I don't know about Gill four dot fabrics but I do know that real Goretex (Musto MPX and HPX, Henri Lloyd Osffshore and Ocean) will pretty much last for ever

Real Goretex is a semi-permeable membrane incorporated as a layer in the fabric. The membrane is very easily damaged by puncturing or by chafing and it's unrepairable. Professional Goretex wearers - mountain guides and the like - expect to get about three months out of it.

 

[Robin]

Guy Cotton yellow oilies. Cheap, comfy and last - well, if not for ever, mine are still completely waterproof after 21 years.

Unlike your views on sailshape I can agree with you about Guy Cotten oilies!

We went through various suits of Gill, Henri Lloyd and Musto Ocean and whilst they were all good they were heavy, cumbersome and the fur lined bits took forever to dry. As a result we wore lightweight cheapo stuff most times except in winter gales, nowadays we don't do winter or gales.

We saw the light a few years back and bought Guy Cotten white (there's designer for you) PVC oilies from their factory shop in Concarneau. They do several ranges and the yottie one is a bit softer than the ones used by fisherfolk on Dangerous Catch. 100% waterproof, welded seams, no need to reproof and all you do after a saltwater dousing is hose them down, shake off most of the water and they are dry enough to stow away in minutes. Our Jacket and chest highs together cost about the same as just one Dubarry boot.

It has often puzzled me why some folk will spend almost as much on their Southern Ocean capable wet weather gear and fancy boots as they did on buying their boat, but then our club doesn't allow wet weather gear in the bar....

 

[Amulet]

Oh my god - I think I might be about to be shouted out of the forum. My prejudices are directly opposite to the flood here. I'd never wear Musto because I'd be scared it'd make me look like a yottie. I also get pissed off that you can't buy a tub of stern tube grease at a chandlers without getting a Musto pamphlet stuffed in the bag.

But then I'm perverse - I'd never call myself a "Yachtsman" - it just sounds pompous.
I'm a guy who likes sailing, and has done for 50 years.

Maybe I've got the East Coast rivers in my blood too much. Around here you get creek-cred if you sail a barge wearing a boiler suit and flat cap with only the help of a collie dog!

(Actually I own up to a cheap outfit of XM breathables.)

 

[Ubergeekian]

Unlike your views on sailshape I can agree with you about Guy Cotten oilies!

When it comes to oilies I like baggy and shapeless. It hides the horrors below.

It has often puzzled me why some folk will spend almost as much on their Southern Ocean capable wet weather gear and fancy boots as they did on buying their boat, but then our club doesn't allow wet weather gear in the bar....

It's a way of saying "Look, we're big tough offshore sailors really. OK, the boat hasn't actually gone out of the marina since we bought it (and anyway we saved money by not getting sails) but just look at our Goretex."

On a more serious note, I have always thought it important - and maybe this is a West Coast of Scotland thing - to divorce "warm" and "waterproof". The great thing about the Guy Cotton is being able to put as much or as little as one wants on beneath it - I've used it in high summer (a T-shirt and shorts) and with ice on the deck (two jumpers, an anorak and long trousies).

 

[Twister_Ken]

I used to use Guy Cotten. No more. As a someone who gets sweaty when warm, I found non-breathable stuff like Cotten got as wet on the inside as the outside. And given the nature of sailing on cruisers - short bursts of intense activity, interspersed with long periods of sitting down contemplating the nature of punctation in the Victorian novella, it's not really feasible to dress warm when inactive, and then strip down before doing some short tacking.

For me, Goretex and its neighbours is one of the great advances in sailing.

 

[CaptainBob]

Another vote for Guy Cotten. Despite warnings to the contrary, sweat has absolutely not been a problem for me in mine - and I do sweat a bit.

 

[Robin]

When it comes to oilies I like
On a more serious note, I have always thought it important - and maybe this is a West Coast of Scotland thing - to divorce "warm" and "waterproof". The great thing about the Guy Cotton is being able to put as much or as little as one wants on beneath it - I've used it in high summer (a T-shirt and shorts) and with ice on the deck (two jumpers, an anorak and long trousies).

Yes that is my feeling too. I also wore my Guy Cottens this summer over shorts and tee shirt and on one damp cold overnight had several layers underneath from warm vest up to heavy sweater. Still only had Crocs on my feet though...

We also favour £20 Aigle PVC boots if the weather gets really serious, but they really don't have the Bar Cred for sitting out on the rail (of the bar balcony).

 

[Roberto]

No one has mentioned Decathlon "Tribord" brand: is it distributed in the UK ?

I myself have Musto, but *everyone* I met that had bought breathable Tribord oilies was really really happy, kind of never look back; I never tried them but surely they are among the least expensive ones

?

 

[Keen_Ed]

Personally, I hate fully waterproof oilies. Spending the day with a sweaty, itchy bum (TMI, probably, but it's the truth!) isn't my idea of fun. Day of revelation when I got my first breathable oilies.

And Gore Tex comes with a lifetime guarantee. Sent back my 10 year old offshore oilies to HL, and got a new set back in the post.

 

[Woodlouse]

After spending rather a lot of time in gales in winter I rather fancy myself as an expert at being warm and dry in the most soggy of situations. My loyalties are with Musto and I'd recommend them to anyone. A thermal top, a musto snug and a HPX jacket is all you ever need until the temperature reaches freezing.

 

[st599]

No one has mentioned Decathlon "Tribord" brand: is it distributed in the UK ?

I myself have Musto, but *everyone* I met that had bought breathable Tribord oilies was really really happy, kind of never look back; I never tried them but surely they are among the least expensive ones

?

Yes, I have decathlon Tribord Breathables, excellent - cost £75 lasted for 5 years so far.

Need to go to decathlon to get them - there's a few around London

 

[Robin]

After spending rather a lot of time in gales in winter I rather fancy myself as an expert at being warm and dry in the most soggy of situations. My loyalties are with Musto and I'd recommend them to anyone. A thermal top, a musto snug and a HPX jacket is all you ever need until the temperature reaches freezing.

The crews on the Bering Sea boats in Dangerous Catch are all wearing Guy Cottens, even when breaking the ice off the decks. Can't have heard of breathable Mustos over there I guess.

But then they rarely wear lifejackets either so what do they know!

 

[Woodlouse]

The crews on the Bering Sea boats in Dangerous Catch are all wearing Guy Cottens, even when breaking the ice off the decks. Can't have heard of breathable Mustos over there I guess.

But then they rarely wear lifejackets either so what do they know!

That doesn't mean they're warm and dry now does it? I bet I'd be just as comfortable, if not more so in my cold and wet weather outfit than they are.