best foul weather gear for the money?

[closehauled14]

I've been putting off getting some new foulies for awhile now, but due to the admiral's "home cookin'" my displacement is greater than in the past. What would you recomend with all things considered; eg: durability, comfort, functionality, style, and of course price. Hey, we're in a recession here.

[Brucerobs2]

Kind of depends what you want but you just missed the Gill warehouse sale near Atlanta last weekend. Its good gear, and the closeout prices were apparently really good. My Dad picked up a set of off-shore level foulies for around 200 bucks, and a bunch of other stuff. Looks like they have a clearance center on their site. Might try here.

Gill Marine Closeouts

I'm not affiliated with Gill in any way, but do like their gear.

[closehauled14]

Thanks Bruce. I'll take a gander at it.

[klem]

If price is a concern, take a look at what the commercial fishermen wear. Most wear Grundens and there are a few other brands represented as well. You can get an entire set for ~$130 and it will last you many times what the fancy yachtie stuff will. In addition, you will stay a lot drier unless you are really exerting yourself like in racing (gore-tex has a nasty habit of breathing both ways whereas rubber is impermeable). It will also dry a lot quicker.

I believe there was another thread on here recently about foul weather gear that you might be able to get some info from if you search for it.

[closehauled14]

Thank's klem. I've had a set of oil skins before, that may be what I get again in the end. I haven't been able to believe the whole waterproof/breathable thing just yet. I have a columbia parka that's "waterproof", but only until it saturates. After that, it may as well be cotton.

[tommays]

West Marine when its on sale has OK stuff

BUT you sweat and get wet OR it leaks and you get wet if your doing any level of work

[zz4gta]

I'm a big fan of Henri Lloyd and haven't been dissapointed yet.


Musto would be my next choice, and then Gill. Gills have a durability problem, but replace anything that leaks, great customer service. Only problem is that if you're racing for 4 days, you spend 3 days wet and cold, then get to mail back your foulies and wait for a replacement.

You need to ask yourself what kind of sailing you do, do you go out when they're forecasting heavy rain? Are you on a "wet" boat? Do you sail something that requires a lot of movement or do you sit behind the wheel most of the time? Do you sail in 30* weather, or only when its above 60* and sunny? I wouldn't opt for the commercial fisherman stuff unless you sail in someplace that is very cold.

Find out what type of sailing you do. Then pick out what features you want in your gear. Then decide what manufactures offer those features and buy what you need. I could tell you a brand name, but it comes down to what you want in your gear.

[Brucerobs2]

The "sweat from the inside" or "wet from the outside" is always the rub. If its waterproof, it usually won't breath, and vice versa. The only truly waterproof AND Breathable fabric that I have used (sailing, skiing, and biking/hiking) is Gore Tex. There are some other similar fabrics out there Im sure, but Gore is still the gold standard.

Unfortunately, gear made from it still costs a small fortune. Depends on needs/budget.

[closehauled14]

Thank's for the suggestions. I'm kind of a tight fisted guy, so it's either going to be the oil skins, or a set of gore-tex insulated from a military town's pawn shop. If you were ever in, you know that Joseph is quick to pawn the stuff that just stays in his duffel.

[wind_magic]

Where could we browse some of that fisherman's gear referred to earlier in this thread, I'd like to check that out but have no idea what I'm really looking for.