Which oilskins?

[rex_seadog]

My first New Year project is to purchase a new set of oilies and, as usual, the advice/opinions of forumites would be most appreciated.

My current set consists of Musto coastal trousers and a Dan Fellows jacket - not sure of the exact name but at the time was similar to the Musto coastal range.
Both are several (+5) years old. non breathable, and have served well. I guess I would be looking for something similar next time round.

However, looking at the current Musto range there seems to be a bewildering range of HPX, MPX Gore-Tex and Breathables (presumably not Gore-Tex). Being a short arse and a little paunchy (actually I wear a lot of clothing to keep warm!) I found the Musto MB (medium broad) size trousers to be a good fit but unfortunately they now only offer this size in the MPX Gore-Tex range at about £200 which I find a little (or rather a lot) steep! To complicate matters a search of recent posts has thrown up a few issues - avoid non Gore-Tex breathables, Musto quality has deteriorated recently, only paying for the name ....

I tend towards 'proper' oilies with fleece collars etc. rather than PVC workwear but don't want to be ripped off by designer label prices. Can I expect prices to be significantly less at the LBS? At least it's a good place to try on lots of different brands.

So what are the latest thoughts? Is it worth looking at some of the cheaper offerings such as Compass who in the past have been both praised and slated?


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[starboard]

A difficult choice I agree with vast variation in price. Most manufacturers now tend to concentrate on breathables,not necessary Gore-Tex this is a trade name of W G Gore and is thier breathable material however it has become a name like Hoover did for vacumn cleaners. I think the ICI one is called something like Symptex? but probably all as good as one another. I have found in the past though very good in what these materials do especially with the beathability they dont sem as resiliant as the older none breathable materials. For pure waterproofness you probably could not beat the "Guy Cotton" type as worn by all French and cornish fishermen but probablly not the choice of the fashion conscious!! I have used Musto gear for the years I spent with the RNLI and always performed well, I believe they now supply the RNLI with the latest breathable versions. As for the cheaper versions I guess they perfom just as well. I have a Douglas Gill Atlantic jacket of 20years vintage and is still performing well whereas a pair of Douglas gill Key West breathable trousers failed in only 2 seasons!!! with no apparent damage...despite various emails to the company they have never responded to my complaint.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

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[Talbot]

Of the cheaper end of the market, I like the look of the new Jag "Coastal" (has a spec better than most Ocean types), but it doesnt have a harness, so I have crossed it off my list. There is also the XM Ocean which there are some great offers at the moment.

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[poter]

I am also in the same position & also looking for a new set of oilies.
Got this from another forumite.....
www.jagwetsuits.co.uk
they have some nice kit at sensible prices...for instance a set of High Bib Sailing Trousers Cost: £85.00 have a look. I must admit I have searched all over & these seem to be the best bet.

Of course the London boat show is on soon & there may be some deals there.

have fun

poter

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[BrendanS]

might be worth looking at http://www.allgadgets.co.uk/ag/product.asp?dept_id=6&pf_id=AG2007 run by milltech a poster on here. He has non brand offshore suits made, I believe, by one of the factories that makes branded suits. £110 for trousers and jacket. Not gortex, but a very good price

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[qsiv]

I would suggest that not all breathables are the same - one of my staff had a 'less expensive' set of breathables (XM) that were entirely porous after one season - OTOH my current Musto's have done 4 seasons, and never let a drop of water through. As his leaving present he asked for a suit of Musto....

Certainly where ski gear is concerned the same holds true - I've never been wet or cold in good quality kit - where others get damp I'm always toasty.

I am after some new kit for this season - but only because I want something lighter for round the cans racing, the Must will still be used for offshore work.

Mor important - buy good quality wicking uner and midlayer. If you are going to continue wearing cotton shirts and wool sweaters dont waste money on breathable kit, it wont work, so save money and get 'ordinary' materials.

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[windandwave]

I think that all the arguments are dealt with in this thread: <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=pbo&Number=421858&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post421858>http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=pbo&Number=421858&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1#Post421858</A>!

I'm still a fan of the XM Ocean gear (not the very delicate XM 'Offshore' jackets). My set has stood up to a lot over 2 1/2 seasons, including the salopettes being pressed into service for cold weather dinghy sailing. Your mileage may vary (see qsiv).

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[ashanta]

I have just replaced my old (non breathable) musto offshore jacket after many years of excellent service. The salopettes are still in good nick so I decided to keep them and just buy a jacket. I took up an offer for the XM offshore breathable jacket being sold without the salopettes for £100. I must admit to being very impressed with quality. I can understand why this suit has been so popular recently.

Regards.

Peter.

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[StephenW]

Heartily endorse Henry Lloyd "reflex" jacket and trousers made of TP 2000, now called TP3 and laminated with the nylon lining. Mine about 5 years old now.

After being in the same position I looked at a lot of waterproofs. Non-breathables are a very poor cousin once you've experienced the dry comfort of effective breathables. No condensation/dampness but very effective waterproofing

TP2000/TP3 is as breathable as Gore-tex but slightly less rugged (according to Musto TP2000 withstands 100 washes in a machine as opposed to Goretax Ocean at 1000, but I just rinse mine in freshwater anyway so its just a guide to robustness). Because its a season or two old there are some very good deals around.

Wrist seals are very good, fleece collar high and comfortable and the fabric is both lightweight (=easy to wear) but resilient. As you can tell, I'm a very happy customer.

Just a personal thought - oilies could be regarded as THE key bit of kit and might best be regarded as an investment. Wet/damp skipper = cold and miserable, dry = warm and content. If the skipper isn't operating efficiently everything else really becomes academic anyway!

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[Peppermint]

Re: From experience

I do like Musto kit. I have an Ocean Smock that is almost perfect for the sailing I do. I also have a Henri Lloyd TP2000 jacket which is OK for all but the most wintery months and is nice and light weight. Friends with XM kit rate it for wear and value.

Breathable is a major breakthrough in comfort providing you ware the base layer and mid layer as appropriate. Wearing breathable outters over a cotton vest or a pair of jean's is a complete waste of time.

Before going down the none branded route, which might not offer the backup service you need ( one of my jackets went back 3 times), try the boat show for discounts and also try the Helly Hansen and Musto outlet shops at Bicester Village ( Ring them first as stock is limited and turnover is fast. I got my smock from there for £200. Gill are a well known brand that have tried to simplify the choices by having a kind of colour code for each product. They use none branded materials but their service is OK.

No matter how good your suit it will get you wet eventually so keep your old one as, if you do longer trips, it's nice to start your watch in dry gear.

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[richardandtracy]

I've tended to go for 2 layers of PVC work wear. Keep dry for hours that way, as water inevitably seeps in past the top layer. Costs about £15 every 2 years.

The other thing I tried was a one piece PVC 'boil in the bag' insulated motorcycle suit. This had no hood, so a separate hat was required. Worked OK for 5 years before a second outer shell was required to stop crotch leaks. This cost much more (£100 in 1985), and was so expensive I've not repeated it.

I've never tried Gortex. Someone else a while back gave an interesting link of http://www.the-outdoor.co.uk for clothing. It's worth a try.

Regards

Richard.


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[Laurin]

XM ocean (not offshore) were excellent for me, bottoms lasted 4000miles of abuse, unfortunately the jacket is a little long for me to move around easily as I'm a shortarse, so got a musto smock as well.

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