Right Foulies

[Chris_Rose]

Hi folks, I'm going to be starting my sail training on the south coast soon, I would like to by a set of foulies,but am not sure which ones are best?? I have been looking at the Musto Costal MPX, Would be interested to know peoples reccomendations ( as you guys have propobly been out more that me)

chris

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[seaesta]

This rather depends on your budget. To a large extent you get what you pay for. The key factor on jackets seems to be the collar. Gortex is definately recommended base material. If you are unsure about the future frequency and extent of your sailing then I would buy a very cheap and cheerful set of PVC oilies and expect then to last for 6 months only - you can then get some "proper ones" when you have more experience. Invest in warm underlayers and a selection of hats (very critical in my experience) and even balaclavas. Over the years I have migrated from expensive oilies to fishermans overtrousers and industrial jackets. If you wear specs then a good "neb" to keep rain spots of the specs is vital. Leave plenty of room in your oilies for mulitple under layers

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[windandwave]

XM Ocean is a superb piece of gear, breathable, strong fabric, heavily built, kevlar reinforcement patches, all usual bits & pieces (lifejacket toggles, harness channel, etc.). I've had mine for ages with no problems, and it seems to be the gear of choice for the professional sailors, instructors, etc. round here. Significantly cheaper than the Musto gear, but lacking the label! Don't touch the XM Offshore kit though... it's quite lightweight and appears to be easily damaged.

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[Chris_Stannard]

You do not say wheteher you are going for a weeks course or a six month full ticket course. If it is the latter buy the best you can afford, and Ocean rated if you can afford it. Not a lot to chose between Henri LLoyd and Musto but they do seem to be cut differently so chose the ones that fit best, remebering when you try them on to put lots of layers on first, as you will for real.

<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard

 

[Chris_Stannard]

You do not say wheteher you are going for a weeks course or a six month full ticket course. If it is the latter buy the best you can afford, and Ocean rated if you can afford it. Not a lot to chose between Henri LLoyd and Musto but they do seem to be cut differently so chose the ones that fit best, remembering when you try them on to put lots of layers on first, as you will for real.

<hr width=100% size=1>Chris Stannard

 

[TightLines]

You could try looking at Cosalt equipment. They supply to the fishing industry and whilst you may not end up as a fashion statement you will be both warm and dry.

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[aod]

Hmm.....personaly I wouldn't touch Musto stuff because it drops to bits. Used to be good but not so these days. I know because I used to supply it and cancelled the account because I got fed up with sending stuff back.

I must confess I only buy and supply HL and Gill these days and I'm no expert on the XM stuff but be wary of the non gortex breathable stuff because it's usualy coated, and this coating wears off pretty quickly.

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[steve_cronin]

Cheat/play the market/think laterally a little...

The main requirement is wind and spray protection and unless you go sailing in a very small boat you won't get constantly rained on by sea water like a roaring forties sailer. I bought HPX Musto salopettes which come up nearly to the armpits and this over a Musto snug keeps me dry 95% of the time. To augment this I have an MPX Offshore Musto jacket (much cheaper than HPX) for the really bad stuff which only happens ocasionally and when it does "breathability" isn't important. I changed to Gill helmsman's gloves - better IMO than the Musto ones and last far longer. Boots aren't worth skimping over though. I have Musto M1s - a bit old now but still as new.

don't forget the baseball cap though to make sure that the jacket hood turns as you turn your head. A chinstrap (show off your monkey's fist making abilitites by making it adjustable) is vital on the cap so that it doesn't go for a horizontal glide then a swim when you look up at the masthead.

Steve Cronin

<hr width=100% size=1>The above is, like any other post here, only a personal opinion

 

[StephenW]

I invested in a Henry Lloyd Offshore TP2000 suit (now I think called Rapid jacket and salopettes) about 4 years ago and have been very happy with it. Very good fit, doesn't restrain your movements, breathes well and not too heavy. There are still stocks of this around but I think TP£ is the latest fabric. Test results I saw showed TP2000 to be as breathable but only able to withstand 100 rather than 1000 wash cycles (I simply rinse mine after use in the shower - works well).

I have also heard that Musto kit is sometimes less tan impressive - from a skipper who had an arrangement to provide waterproofs to sailing students (seams not watertight etc).

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[whisper]

Suggest you buy a copy of Sailing Today which has a Best Buy section on a lot of kit. (Sorry IPC!!). I don't think the big names come out too well, especially with regard to value for money.

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[qsiv]

Someone who crews for me has just thrown his away as they were completely water permeable after one hard season. He's replacing them with Musto ...

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[Robin]

Can I Save You Some Money

By going against the fashionable breathables with everything but the kitchen sink? I've said this several times I know in previous posts but do consider the plain old PVC oilies offered by Guy Cotten. Guy Cotten make a range of PVC gear for different activities including sailing and commercial fishing. The sailing gear is not the same as the commercial fishing gear, the PVC is much softer and flexes more, but it is 100% waterproof. We went back to this from very expensive Musto Ocean, Douglas Gill and Henry Lloyd stuff which although effective and oozing street cred from the designer labels was a pain in the proverbial in practice. Ask yourself honestly if you need fur lined collars and pockets (towelling scarves and gloves are alternatives), because ridding these of salt and drying them on board is next to impossible, so they stay damp and attract mildew (nice smell mildew if you suffer from sea sickness!). I have yet to find super breathable stuff that actually does totally prevent dampness inside from perspiration, that being the case they do not offer any significant advantage over PVC which at least IS 100% waterproof and will remain so until the garment falls apart.

We bought full chest highs plus jackets in white PVC from Guy Cottens range, simple comfortable and very effective. When they get salt water wet, we hose them off, give them a shake and they dry very quickly. A full suit will probably cost less than £100, if you are in France at all and can visit one of the Cooperative Marine outlets (most ports have one) probably even less, better still is the Guy Cotten factory shop in Concarneau.


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[Salty]

Very interesting - I bow to your experience as a dealer, but my HL Ocean breatheable kit wore terribly, while the rest of the crew wore Musto HPX which it outwore it by miles.

One tip if budget is tight - put more money into the trousers than the jacket. 1) you always wear bottoms but often only wear a fleece, etc on top. 2) trousers take a lot more of a battering than a jacket because you're always on your bum or on your knees. 3) jackets seem to have a lot of 'features' you pay extra for but often don't need.

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