What do you wear?

[Mr B]

I have a cat with a fully enclosed cockpit,
I wear Jeans and Tshirts all the time,
If it gets cold here, Just on Zero Celcius. ,
I put in a jumper, If Im still getting cold,
I put on my Snow skiing Jacket, That was good for Minus 30 Celcius at noon in Niseko in Japan,
In the heat, Im naked or in shorts, Thats 45 Plus Celcius,

I never get wet under any conditions, Unless I step out in it,

[Tetepare]

Layering means overall less clothing to store. When it gets really cold, I effectively am wearing everything.

Our boats get hauled before it gets really miserable. Right now the marina is empty. That said most of my cold season boating gear is the same as the Iceboating gear.

Silk or poly base layer.

Lightweight full zip fleece

USGI “bear” fleece

Waterproof shell. I have Gill, but when it’s really awful I wear USGI ECWS Gen II. It’s camo though, so not real stylish.

Be careful buying used Goretex. It has a lifespan and often dies as a dandruffy decay.

Older Patagonia fleece (and real outdoor clothing) is better than the new stuff. NorthFace isn’t as good, and their days of real outdoor clothing is long past. Colombia is a step down. Outdoor Research was the more recent go-to, but they’ve gone style over function now as well. Oddly enough, Eddie Bauer has moved back toward real clothing- I just got an awesome shell, and it’s not camo.

ETA there’s some awesome gear in Europe that’s hard to find in USA. Much better made and longer lasting. Australia too has some nice gear, particularly tight weave wool and fleece but OMG is it pricey.

[Yellowtulip]

I doubt you could beat these:
https://images.app.goo.gl/JtVgDhBMzwZXd35U8

[thinwater]

No one mentioned what temperature range they considered each costume good for. I would think it would be generally down to freezing or just a little below, but less than that the amount of ice on deck is going to keep people from sailing. And most places it isn't much below freezing out on the water, or the water tends to freeze in harbor.



Maybe I'm just warm blooded, but for a little below freezing I'd be wearing less. Most of this is polyester or polypro, but some wool.



Legs. Long johns, mid-layer pants, and either wind pants (possibly uninsulated powder pants), Goretex bibs, or a dry suit.


Body. Under layer, turtle neck, heavy fleece lacket, and either wind jacket, Goretex, or dry suit. I love my thin fleece Hind poly-something undershirts that don't stink.



Head. Balaclava, fleece cap, and possibly ski googles. Googles aren't just for spray. I'll wear them in dry conditions if my face is cold.



Feet. Deck shoes with heavy waterproof socks.


Hands. Either Musto Racing gloves with heat packs or ski gloves. Possibly coated work gloves.


Other keys are to keep moving and to have warm seat cushions. I avoid must below freezing, since I don't like ice on deck.

[boatman61]

Winters I wear my sheepskin flying jacket and waterproof leggings.

[kas_1611]

Originally Posted by dfelsent

Layers layers and more layers.
That’s the best I’ve found.

As a Gore trained "Extreme Wet Weather" adviser I can heartily agree with the above statement. Layers are the key to staying warm and dry in the harshest environments. You are better with several thin layers than any one thicker layer.

AND AVOID COTTON AT ALL COSTS

Wool, Silk and any of the synthetic fabrics work well. The synthetics are designed to wick the sweat (moisture) away from your skin keeping you dry and comfortable. This is the true secret to staying warm, stay dry. Water draws heat away from the body many many times faster than air due to the much high specific heat capacity of water. Still air in fact is your best insulator and that is exactly what base layers do, they trap a thin layer of air either between the layers or in many cases within the layer and fibres.

Here in the Scottish Highlands I wear a short sleeve thermal, a long sleeve thermal (often zip neck) with a zip neck fleece pullover on top. Over than I sometimes were an ultralightweight synthetic "down" jacket then my GoreTex waterproof. On legs it's an ultrathin pair of leggings, fleece lined trousers and rarely waterproof overtrousers. Good socks (thin liner then padded walking socks) keep my feet warm and double layer gloves (thin liner with touchscreen fingertips and overgloves or mitts on top) keep my hands warm. Finally 25% of our body heat escapes through your head so it is a Sealskin wool beanie on my noggin.

The choice of what particular material you wear or what brand is entirely up to you but if you wear cotton under any "waterproof breathable" fabric you will get wet inside, think the jacket is leaking and you WILL get cold.

K

[Captain Puget]

I like lamilite insulation - continuous weave fabric that holds its thermal properties even when wet, does not retain heat to the point of over heating and is very durable/ washable in a normal washer.

Can be found at: https://www.wiggys.com/

The products with breathable “ducksback” cover also repeal water well ... but does not take a lot of abrasion.

[Scorpius]

Around here in winter, I wear poly underwear, wool socks, pants and shirt, my lined, tie-at-the-top Wellington boots, then a Mustang cruiser suit over it all. I detest hoods because they restrict my vision and hearing so I wear an old-fashioned lined sou'wester and a towel around my neck to keep the rain from going down inside.

I also wear some light wool gloves with the elbow-length, unlined heavy rubber gloves the local fishermen wear when handling their lines and catch. I have several pairs of the wool glove liners so if one pair gets wet, they can be exchanged. If you get heavy gloves wet (especially with salt water) they are a real pain to dry.

I'm surprised no-one else has mentioned cruiser suits on this thread. They combine protection, warmth, and buoyancy (they legally replace life jackets) in one seamless garment!

I've also worn survival suits but that's just a bit of overkill

[Scubaseas]

When it's really cold any of my drysuit undergarments. Either polypro long johns and Henley's or holofil suits. Weezle Wear makes a full suit that is super warm and unbelievably light/mobile but scrunches down into a shoe box size. And that's for a XL, Tall one.

[MartinR]

Woolpower Merino Wool as first layer, then an assortment of lightweight fleeces, hollowfill jackets as middle layers, according to the temperature. As outer layer a Gore-Tex Active shell. Basically all mountaineering/ski-touring clothing. Makes for lightweight, breathable, warm and not bulky sailing. The inner layer is the most important.

Gore-tex gloves and various hats complete the outfit.

[Clivevon]

Cold weather gear - apart from all the obvious I like
an electric blanket under my sleeping bag to warm it up when at the dock;
a lightweight fleece blanket (or maybe two) over he sleeping bag to make it all season;
a wire basket inside my engine compartment to dry out wet gloves & scarves;
a Russian style hat with earflaps & an optional facemask ( I tuck the front fleece bit inside over the forehead otherwise it gets soggy in the rain;
A baseball cap under the hat so the peak moves the oilskin jacket hood when I turn my head;
a snood type tube neckwarmer;
two or three pairs of gloves - sailing style fingerless inners (always on) with woollen fingerless gloves over those & loose industrial rubber gloves over that if very wet;
ski pants over thermals - under oilskin trousers if necessary.
Make sure your head, neck, wrists & ankles are all warm.
(Overly expensive ) leather sailing boots with no socks (I had a brilliant warm pair of Yachtboots in rubber/neoprene but eventually I just couldnt stop the smell....)
I once had a foam waistcoat flotation liner for inside my oilskin jacket but I grew out of that...

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Don, if you can find powder pants, for skiing in dry powder snow at the Goodwill or Salvation Army store, they really keep the wind out, your legs stay warm in your jeans, with them over.

I like my Gill foul weather jacket, but I too am a layerer: merino thermie undershirt (and these come in different weights, mine is light, completely washable, and doesn't get stinky like polypro or chlorofiber), fleece lumberjack shirt, foulie jacket or a windbreaker, depending on the wx. Sometimes I throw in a turtleneck shirt, too.

I also have Gill foulie overalls, they keep out wind/water, and they aren't cheap, either.

Jim invested in an "ice breaker" merino thermie for his top, and lived in it much of the coldest weather last winter. It is quite a nice garment, but not cheap. Just might get me one, too, if we spend another winter here.

Ann

Or take it one better and get a full snow suit for not much more https://www.sportsmansguide.com/prod...xoCzTkQAvD_BwE

[CarinaPDX]

First off, I hope I don't offend by noting that the OP is in Southern California. Even in winter it isn't really cold there (yes, I've sailed the Channel Islands in the winter). For perspective, the winter cold there is balmy by comparison to summer weather off the PNW coast, which is where I first learned how miserable it can be to stand watch with inadequate clothing.

Of course layering is key. But the other critical issue is staying dry. The traditional approach of waterproof foulies and rubber boots is not the best; it traps moisture (perspiration and leaks) inside, and even if it is warm it will be miserable.Breathable foul weather gear is a big step up, but it has to be done right. Membranes such as Gore-Tex work because they have micro holes that allow water vapor (e.g. individual molecules) to pass, but don't allow the closely-associated molecules in the liquid to pass. The problem is that it takes fairly little pressure to drive the liquid through those holes, which is why, in addition to chafe, there needs to be waterproof patches on the seat, knees, elbows, and under the lower arm. Even then, something as simple as leaning against anything with an unprotected area of fabric can drive external water through the fabric. Properly designed and used breathable foulies are just wonderful. An even more noticeable improvement can be had with breathable sea boots; I bought a pair of Dubarry's while in Ireland and the comfort improvement was shocking. For the first time my feet were warm in cold weather with water everywhere (Carina is a very wet boat on deck). Unfortunately they didn't last a decade: the wear surface turned hard and slippery and the softer layer above that turned to powder and crumbled. Perhaps it was the heat in the Med, or poor materials, but I was very disappointed to lose them.

Personally I like the polypro long johns, then either heavy wool or expedition weight fleece, under the foulies. Nothing beats a fleece-lined cap with ear flaps that fold down, made of a bright synthetic fabric.

Greg

[Siberian Sea]

For foul weather gear I wear Guy Cotton X-Trapper bib pants and jacket and boots are Xtra Tuff neoprene. Underneath I wear Patagonia polar fleece pants and army surplus wool sweaters, simple black wool watch cap on head. Sure, I’m not going to make the cover of the sailing magazines but I’m warm and dry.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

I'm surprised no-one else has mentioned cruiser suits on this thread. They combine protection, warmth, and buoyancy (they legally replace life jackets) in one seamless garment!

I've also worn survival suits but that's just a bit of overkill

That’s what we call floater suits mentioned above.

For gloves, if cold and dry any ski type glove with a water proof gauntlet mitt over for more heat retention; If cold and wet with need for dexterity lots of Helly Hansen pairs of blue poly pro, change them often.

If anyone is looking for good quality wool I won’t hesitate to plug these guys
https://pollensweaters.com wear them off the boat and right to dinner. Toques are great too.

For perspective I spend several weeks in tents at temps from -20 to -50 Celsius.