Visit our Popular Forums

Johnknutson · 05-12-2019, 13:03

Hello all, I have a question about cold weather sailing outerwear. What are people wearing when sailing offshore in Alaska and Canada? Been doing research on Mustang, Gill, and others but really want to know what works and what doesn't.

Flagman101 · 05-12-2019, 18:34

HH, Gill, Musto, Mustang all have good stuff.
Do not cheap out on your hard shell jacket. Buy the best you can afford. This is what keep you dry. The rest can be simple polar fleece, goose down, merino wool and quick dry clothes.
I multi layer, ( Onion ) and change often. Specially socks. Buy merino wool socks and change them often.
I wear a HH Aegir Ocen race jacket and bibs. I have breathable deck boots by Gill and water proof gloves.

Johnknutson · 05-12-2019, 18:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flagman101

HH, Gill, Musto, Mustang all have good stuff.
Do not cheap out on your hard shell jacket. Buy the best you can afford. This is what keep you dry. The rest can be simple polar fleece, goose down, merino wool and quick dry clothes.
I multi layer, ( Onion ) and change often. Specially socks. Buy merino wool socks and change them often.
I wear a HH Aegir Ocen race jacket and bibs. I have breathable deck boots by Gill and water proof gloves.

Thanks for your comments. Yeah, I'm going to focus on jackets and bibs for my wife and me.

Flagman101 · 05-12-2019, 18:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnknutson

Thanks for your comments. Yeah, I'm going to focus on jackets and bibs for my wife and me.

Don't buy them to close fitting. You need to be able to put layers under them according to temperature.

rbk · 05-12-2019, 20:30

We love our mustang floater gear, bibs and jackets. Not only does it keep you dry and warm it also helps extend your time during a cold water immersion. We’ve had the classics which lasted fairly well for the price but now onto the catalyst line. They are a little stiff initially but do break in rather quick with frequent use, then you will live in them.

paralog · 05-12-2019, 21:16

If you are just starting out a good set of outdoor Goretex jacket and pants will work well. You can over spend on some of the off shore stuff when all you may need is good coastal gear rather than the very expensive off shore stuff.
Some long term sailors eventually give up on the fancy goretex and purchase what the local fishermen are wearing, like Helly Hansen etc. It less of an issue if you tear a hole in a $50 jacket rather than a $1000 jacket.

Red Sky · 05-12-2019, 21:48

I was a bit apprehensive about the new, $$$, set of Gill off-shore foulies I bought for a trip from Hawaii to SF until the 36 hours of 50 knots and 30’ers that filled the cockpit numerous times. Along with good boots, I was able to come off all of my watch’s with dry fleece layers and socks. Conditions were rough enough, it would have been a real problem to have been wet and cold too. It was money wisely and well spent.

Santiano · 05-12-2019, 22:31

I fished two seasons in Alaska. We wore solid neoprene oilies. None of this breathable sh!te for me. Your skin can breathe once the gale clears.

Johnknutson · 06-12-2019, 01:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by paralog

If you are just starting out a good set of outdoor Goretex jacket and pants will work well. You can over spend on some of the off shore stuff when all you may need is good coastal gear rather than the very expensive off shore stuff.
Some long term sailors eventually give up on the fancy goretex and purchase what the local fishermen are wearing, like Helly Hansen etc. It less of an issue if you tear a hole in a $50 jacket rather than a $1000 jacket.

Thanks for your comments. Makes sense.

Johnknutson · 06-12-2019, 01:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by paralog

If you are just starting out a good set of outdoor Goretex jacket and pants will work well. You can over spend on some of the off shore stuff when all you may need is good coastal gear rather than the very expensive off shore stuff.
Some long term sailors eventually give up on the fancy goretex and purchase what the local fishermen are wearing, like Helly Hansen etc. It less of an issue if you tear a hole in a $50 jacket rather than a $1000 jacket.

Looking at H&H gear. I used to climb and H&H gear was always good.

Exile · 06-12-2019, 07:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santiano

I fished two seasons in Alaska. We wore solid neoprene oilies. None of this breathable sh!te for me. Your skin can breathe once the gale clears.

After years of using a lot of the higher tech breathable stuff in various applications, I'm inclined to agree when it comes to offshore cruising. Nothing wrong with the techy stuff -- in fact one nice plus is they afford a lot of movement which is comfortable if you're racing or moving around the boat a lot.

Seems like HH and some of the other well known brand names may have started out making classic oilies for fishermen, etc., but are now pretty techy and expensive. Anyone have a good online link to a credible vendor for the more traditional neoprene "oilies"?

rbk · 06-12-2019, 08:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnknutson

Looking at H&H gear. I used to climb and H&H gear was always good.

Watch the new HH gear. Their new fabrics are very light and tear easily, although their pro material is a little better than their two other fabrics it’s still not as tough as a high count cordura, IMO their commercial gear is better suited for hard use. Most fishermen in Alaska are running Grundens, they're waterproof, generally tough and affordable. Viking also makes some affordable wet weather work gear that is similar to Grundens. If you’re looking at cold weather gear take into account cold water immersion, most of the offshore and coastal wet weather gear, commercial or rec do not prevent flushing or add any benefits when immersed.