Foul weather gear selection

[westcoastcruzer]

This year I retired my 10 year old Helly Hansen jacket , and replaced with Nevis Jacket , shipped out of Hong Kong ( amazon ) cost about $130 Can , waterproof , breathable , comfortable , had 4 days of heavy rain this summer kept me dry and warm .

[Hoodsail]

bought my OS2 jacket about 1.5 yrs ago. have used it in lite rain showers x a few hours - kept me reasonably dry. used it off shore in 30-35knot winds, seas., no rain, but occasional wave sweeping the cockpit. It kept me dry & warm. Couldnt figure out how to keep the hood over my head without the brim obscuring some of my view tho. Not certain if this is similar to other jackets of this type...would recommend trying one on and cinching down wrists, hood to determine fit/size. Not showing any wear yet, but yellow does show the dirt.
thnks
dave

[Flagman101]

Originally Posted by zengirl

People also buy what fishermen buy.

What do fishermen buy?

[mjgill1]

Just bought the Gill OS2 coat and bibs. Couldn't be happier. Great stuff and will give us all the protection we need. We bought it at Annapolis last week and got a good price. Maybe catch the at the Miami show?

Good luck

[mjscottinnc]

I'm a big guy (XXXL) which leaves all but two foul-weather gear manufacturers out of the running. Last fall before heading south I retired my 15 year old gear and bought new coastal shell and bibs from Gill, used them offshore with no leaks or failures. I waited until an inventory reduction sale and bought a red shell and blue bibs, obviously fashion means nothing to me! Got a new pair of boots too, but the boots would not get over my calves so I had to take a pair of scissors to them and make them into shorties. With the double seals at the ankles I never had a drop of water in the boots. I'm a single hander in an open cockpit with only a Bimini. Had absolutely no troubles going to or from the bow to drop the hook, nothing restricted my movements.



The single most important thing I had on the boat was the new foul-weather gear. The trip down was filled with days of rain and wind and the trip back north had a week of tropical storm weather. I was in the cockpit moving everyday. Luckily I never had to put them on while I was in the islands.

[Mike Banks]

I used a heavy wet suit, with a singlet and boxers to prevent chafe. Warm and cosy--and useful for diving as well.

[ryanandtracy]

After doing (way too much) research in the moderately priced jacket range I came up with The Helly Hanson Loke and the Seven J. Ordered both to see which I like better. Have not tried on either though. This will replace my 10 year old HH jacket that I was happy with for about 7 of those years.

[Mithril Bham]

Living in the land of rain I have a lot of gear. Years ago my wife gave me some very expensive stuff (Henry Lloyd I think). I never wore it once. Too bulky for me. I usually wear waterproof, light, golf pants (fairly expensive) that I love with a light waterproof jacket and layers beneath. If it really pours I have some fisherman foulies. I think I paid $100 for those.
The key in this cold weather is to don the gear before you need to. Sort of like reefing. Once you get wet it is too late.
I learned that wool keeps you warm even when it is wet when I logged a long time ago.
I like my Gage bibs when I am working on the boat but too heavy for me when sailing.
My closet is a history of rain gear. Grundens, Helly Hansen, North Face. Tried it all. I think most people go overboard.
Stay dry.

[Flagman101]

Must get smelly in warm weather :-)

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Flagman101

What do fishermen buy?

Grundens
Grundens - manufacturer products

[oilystain]

+1 on the Grundens in New England. For sailing though, my Gill OS1 jacket and bibs are over a decade old and look like my work carharts at this point - well used and not so pretty but still warm and dry. The neoprene velcro cuffs and warm fabric collar really keep the water out. Plenty of room to work and they breath a lot better than Grundens. With a Gill fleece under the jacket, I am warm in the coldest of climates.

[salfarina]

I bought a set of Grundens from Amazon last year and have been very happy with them. Given the price, I was happily surprised at the superior quality and thoughtfulness of design. I didn't post a link but did cut and paste the product titles so it should be easy to search on Amazon.

Grunden's Men's Gage Weather Watch Bib, Hi Vis Yellow


Grunden's Men's Gage Weather Watch Jacket, Hi Vis Yellow

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Mithril Bham

Living in the land of rain I have a lot of gear. Years ago my wife gave me some very expensive stuff (Henry Lloyd I think). I never wore it once. Too bulky for me. I usually wear waterproof, light, golf pants (fairly expensive) that I love with a light waterproof jacket and layers beneath....

This is similar to my story. I had an off-shore set that I gave away. I felt like I was in a tin man costume.


For the worst weather, I wear a dry suit. But for most rainy days, it's a set of Light Gill coastal bibs and a Light Marmut Goretex jacket. With fleece, it's good for quite cold and nasty, and it's light.


Where I do not skimp are gloves, hats (water repellent balaclava, Seattle Sombrero), and ski goggles.

[KimSails]

Originally Posted by montenido

Since I did not do a lot of storm sailing, I ended up using snowboarding gear for my trips up and down Pacific Baja. Usually made of Gortex, you can get pants or bibs, and a jacket in any color you might want. Worked very well.

Cheers, Bill

Funny, since I don't do a lot of skiing, I re-use my Helly Hanson foulie bibs for downhill skiing.

Kim

[Emouchet]

Gortex based gear is great.


However, they have a tendancy to become useless very quickly: 3-4 years of light usage and they begin to leak, or some layers starts to detach, like that internal honey comb layer. It happenned on my Gil as well as on my Henry Loyd suit.


Do not expect them to last 10 years.