Sailing Clothing Recommendations

[bignick]

As Flaming says, don’t underestimate the importance of a good pair of boots, and I’m not talking about rubber wellies!!!

I’d recommend you have a look at wetsuitoutlet. They sell last years kit at significantly discounted prices. I couldn’t care less about having the latest colours, but getting good quality kit at reduced prices does appeal to me.

i’d personally recommend Musto.. I’ve also had top line Gill and Henri Lloyd but the Musto kit just seems to stay waterproof for longer.

 

[Stemar]

Aldi, or maybe Lidl do merino stuff from time to time. I don't know how good it is compared to Icebreaker and Smartwool but it was 100% merino. Probably just not stitched quite as well, but it's an easy material to work with if you have a sewing machine.

Lidl stuff is often far better than it has any right to be at the price. I suspect a lot of the unusual stuff they carry is production overruns of far more expensive ranges.

 

[ashtead]

As said start with decathlon if you want to buy at this stage but really it’s a good idea to have a variety of jackets, ie ultimately go for a goretex one by say henri Lloyd but also a fleece jacket by musto plus a short shower proof one (much like a golf jacket. A lot though depends on type of sailing you do -I haven’t put on either of the high bib saloppette type trousers this year. A decent wide brimmed hat by Barbour is good in rain . A balaclava as per sking helps -it’s often cold which is more intrusive than rain really . I guess bottom line is don’t overspend day 1 and while I have little knowledge of Lidl clothing it would serve if enough layers. Boots will help but again depends on type of sailing you do. Talking of footwear some neoprene wetsuit type shoes are cheap and useful in dinghy,paddle board etc on Stone shores. Just be careful you don’t end up looking like a Sunsail guest on a weekend jolly??

 

[Daydream believer]

I have musto MPX. Under that I wear a thin base layer. They did do a slightly thicker base layer which can get a bit hot.on top of that I either use a fleece or preferably a musto snug jacket
if it is really cold I might wear a pair of thick base layer musto trousers that come up to shoulder height with a thinner upper layer.
I have sailed in Scotland a couple of times and not found it that cold. The southern n sea at night has been just as cold early or late season and my kit does ok
i do not find thick gloves any good but prefer either rooster fingerless of full finger ones = I use both
as for footwear I find that the tall gill rubber boot lasts 2-3 seasons . I need size 13 and it is the only thing that fits. I prefer my dubarry shoes. If it rains I slip on a pair of sealskin socks which not only keep my feet dry but very warm. I find claims of dry soles on dubarry shoes are due to none use as I wear mine for daily use so have no issues with that. My son uses dubarry boots but I see no point. One big wave and they fill up. The sealskin sock dries quickly
however, my boat is very dry even though it is only 31 ft
i sail for most of the sailing season and in non Covid times expect to cover almost 2000 miles so my kit gets used. I have found over the years that cheap kit does not pay in the end and I am on my second set of musto kit in 18 years.
the only other kit that I found nearly as equal was XM but I lost the jacket whey dinghy flipped so only had the full kit for 4 years. It did well for that time. Is XM still made? I do not know

 

[laika]

My son uses dubarry boots but I see no point. One big wave and they fill up.

Gaiters are, in my experience, the answer here. I also question the point of high end boots without gaiters. I agree you’re often better off with quick drying shoes and sealskinz socks. Gaiters in conjunction with good boots and salopettes significantly enhance the probability of your feet staying dry when knee-high water sweeps the part of the deck where you’re standing

 

[Daydream believer]

Gaiters are, in my experience, the answer here. I also question the point of high end boots without gaiters. I agree you’re often better off with quick drying shoes and sealskinz socks. Gaiters in conjunction with good boots and salopettes significantly enhance the probability of your feet staying dry when knee-high water sweeps the part of the deck where you’re standing

over The past 20 years I can not recal knee high water over the deck apart from a difficult Alderney Race passage and a F9 coming home from the Netherlands. I have only been pooped once and that meant I had to lift my feet up onto the seat for a few minutes while the cockpit drained.
I do get wet when kneeling on the foredeck getting fenders and lines out of the anchor locker, ready to enter a port but rarely find the need for boots. In fact boots are too heavy on the feet. Shoes being lighter. They do not get very. Damp anyway. Even on deck
people talk of getting seriously wet but unless racing ( I did a lot in my younger days on the foredecks )one’s biggest soaking is spray from waves when going up wind or motoring through a chop. It has to be f7 or a confused sea before I get much spray to worry me.The wettest I usually get is from heavy rain or from really wet fog.. my boat is only 31 ft but perhaps it is exceptionally dry. I often only wear my jacket for its high collar and protection from the wind along with a very good quality woolly hat

 

[thinwater]

over The past 20 years I can not recal knee high water over the deck apart from a difficult Alderney Race passage and a F9 coming home from the Netherlands. I have only been pooped once and that meant I had to lift my feet up onto the seat for a few minutes while the cockpit drained.
I do get wet when kneeling on the foredeck getting fenders and lines out of the anchor locker, ready to enter a port but rarely find the need for boots. In fact boots are too heavy on the feet. Shoes being lighter. They do not get very. Damp anyway. Even on deck
people talk of getting seriously wet but unless racing ( I did a lot in my younger days on the foredecks )one’s biggest soaking is spray from waves when going up wind or motoring through a chop. It has to be f7 or a confused sea before I get much spray to worry me.The wettest I usually get is from heavy rain or from really wet fog.. my boat is only 31 ft but perhaps it is exceptionally dry. I often only wear my jacket for its high collar and protection from the wind along with a very good quality woolly hat

If I'm going to be working in green water (which would not be on my cat but could be on my trimaran) I'm going to be wearing a dry suit, so no wet feet.

 

[laika]

over The past 20 years I can not recal knee high water over the deck apart from a difficult Alderney Race passage and a F9 coming home from the Netherlands.

It’s clearly not a regular occurrence for any sane person. Your point (with which I agreed) was that water tends to find its way into boots even during normal wet weather sailing. My point is that the gaiters on my musto oceans, combined with decent salopettes, have kept my feet dry not only in “normal” nasty weather but also the occasional unexpected exceptional case where my feet had no right to stay dry.

i’m proposing this for normal bad weather sailing, not as an infallible solution for the southern ocean

 

[stu9000]

I went with Decathlon as good quality kit for the right price. Trousers still going strong after 7 years but jacket lost its waterproof qualities after about 5 years. Sprays helped but a birthday gift musto jacket shows you get what you pay for.

 

[davierobb]

Buy the best kit you can afford, I bought a musto hpx suit 20 years ago and I'm still using it. I sail out of Ardrossan and have had good use from suit so the original cost was justified. If you intend to sail in all weather then you can't put a cost on personal comfort.
I would also say don't rule out decathlon as some of their gear looks really well made and others have commented positively about it as well.

 

[Shuggy]

I have a lightweight OMM top that works for
90% of the time in Scottish summer sailing but for the last two days have had my Musto HPX gear on in ‘eyeslit’ mode and have been very grateful for it. The sea basically sh*t on us with awful wind against tide with posh sailing boots on. It’s always good to have quality gear that you can eventually take off and know you are still dry underneath. We’ve sailed with our children since they were 1, and we bought Polarn O. Pyret gear for them when toddlers. Highly recommended. They’re now late teens and have a mix of Musto and Gill gear, as does Mrs Shuggy. Other brands are available but in terms of quality and longevity they work for us.

 

[steveeasy]

Ok bought a Gill 02 offshore jacket that looked the part and was a fair price slightly discounted at £400.

What do I think. Well it actually does not breath very well and so it gets wet from the inside. So you get cold. Actually defeats the object. So I’d not recommend it.

Steveeasy

 

[Zing]

I’ve had so many garments including for sailing, skiing and climbing over the decades, mostly with a membrane. I’ve not done well with Decathlon (top model). The membrane delaminated and made a powdery mess whenever it was put on. I threw it away after 7 years only. A Berghaus and a Lowe delaminated in a similar way. I currently use an Arcteryx jacket in fairly tough fabric with a Gore-tex liner laminated to fabric on both sides. It’s the best way to do it I think. 14 years on and its doing fine. I almost never need the waterproof necks and cuffs of dedicated sailing jackets, and those features make them not much use for anything unless buckets of water get thrown at your face constantly, so I doubt I will get a dedicated sailing one again.

 

[KAM]

None of the expensive goretex gear I have bought has stayed waterproof for long both sailing and mountaineering. 2 years ago I switched back to PVC. What a revelation. Warm and dry all day long. Just give it a shake and stuff it into a cockpit locker. Guy Cotten is great but even the cheap stuff is better than goretex.

 

[KAM]

The Guy Cotten pull on PVC trousers are great. No need to remove your life jacket. Great for a quick trip ashore in the dinghy. Nothing extraneous to soak up water and become a sodden mass which takes days to dry.

 

[ltcom]

Hi all,

Another step closer to actually sailing today. I will be doing competant crew next month for openers, followed by the captain who will be on childcare duties. The training centres do actually offer to provide clothing, but I think I'd be better off having my own in the longer term.

Can anyone recommend clothing that would, with layers, see me through most conditions I'm likely to encounter on the south west coast of scotland. I know the obvious brands like Musto and HH, but if its anything like the state of things with ski wear and mountaineering stuff, then it's a case of formerly very high quality brands giving in and becoming more fashion oriented, looking at you The North Face and Fjallraven.

I'm not a fashionista by any means as I dont look good in anything these days, but I don't mind shelling out some coin for decent kit. I'd like something truly breathable, rather than some of the more low end gore-tex grades which barely qualify for the name imo.

I haven't set a budget as I don't know what I need.

Open to suggestions of stuff that will keep me both warm and dry in all but the worst conditions. I will not be going blue water sailing, so don't need the yachting equivalent of everest kit.

Any pointers appreciated.

Research wool and then more wool. Then any old waterproof covering. No joke.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I see the luddites have arrived.

 

[ltcom]

I see the luddites have arrived.

Having read a few posts about dry suits and £500 Musto jackets, we all know that it is about layers.
Merino wool can not be beaten.
Nikwax (silicone sealer mixed with white spirit) at 4x the cost will DPW the outside of an old jacket. Goretex is so over-rated and beaten by newer tech and also older tech. The french Guy stuff is not breathable but if you have layers underneath you will be better than a £1000 musto suit.

 

[ltcom]

I see the luddites have arrived.

Directed at me? Yes or no?

 

[ltcom]

Aldi, or maybe Lidl do merino stuff from time to time. I don't know how good it is compared to Icebreaker and Smartwool but it was 100% merino. Probably just not stitched quite as well, but it's an easy material to work with if you have a sewing machine.

Aldi Merino itches me - expensive (but second hand flebay) does not. I can darn holes.

If u want breathable then goretex is an old solution - follow link to Event and other fabrics

Breathable waterproof fabrics: 6 Gore-Tex alternatives for damp days on the trail