Foul Weather Gear

[DrB]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

I bought these new for less than $90.00:



http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys...4/product.html

They rock.

Bargain basement diving!

[jackdale]

BTW - you really do want foulies that breathe. We wear foulies for the whole trip Maui to Vancouver - wet race boat. Salt water soaking clothes do not dry well.

[BCC1]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

I bought these new for less than $90.00:



http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys...4/product.html

They rock.

I bought these too and I'm impressed, even though I've otherwise been accused of being a brand snob from time to time.

[VallelyJ]

Has anyone mentioned that Practical Sailor reviewed mid-range foul weather gear from a half dozen or so companies a few years ago? I found it helpful in that it not only made specific recommendations (they liked Gill OS2), but it also told you what to look for when you evaluate the stuff in a store. They've done other reviews of individual brands' high-end gear, too, if I recall correctly.
Another thing--everything I've ever seen in print on the subject says that a visible color is important, so your wife can find you if you fall overboard because you're distracted by all the little sticky velcro tabs while you're relieving yourself over the side. So red, yellow or chartreuse. Not black or white.

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by VallelyJ

so your wife can find you if you fall overboard because you're distracted by all the little sticky velcro tabs while you're relieving yourself over the side.

85% of men who go overboard have their flies open.

[VallelyJ]

So they say.
So not only does your carcass wash ashore in unseamanlike colors, but there's an 85% chance your fly is open. Bleh.
Like I said: red, yellow or chartreuse, and spare the sensibilities of the women and children on the beach.

[hellosailor]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

I bought these new for less than $90.00...
They rock.

Dunno, Smack. Would love to hear your thoughts on those after a year, including real storm force conditions, not just rains.

Overstock calls them wateresistant, not waterproof. Are the seams taped and sealed? If there are untaped seams, they WILL pass water. And they say the cloth is teflon "protected". I've got some pants that have the same teflon nano-technology (ooh, buzzword) applied to them. It's true, if I spill something I can wipe it right off. But when it pours out, they still soak.

In the last century we used to call nylon windbreakers really good at keeping out light rain. Wouldn't want to be on deck in a storm in one though.

[davidpm]

I did a return trip from Bermuda to Ct a couple of years ago. We were taking a lot of spray and some green water, no dodger as it is a race boat.
There were seven of us with everyone wearing something different.
There was one guy wearing the best of the best of everything. It didn't seem to matter much in those particular conditions.
If you buttoned up enough to keep dry you would sweat.
We all would open our collar a bit to get a little air. Just then a big wave would wash over the boat hit your chin and fill up your shorts.
By the time is started to dry out a little it would happen again.
We were sitting in an inch or two of water a good portion of the time. Nobody was dry. Some outfits cost thousands some a couple hundred. We were all wet and miserable all the time.

[NewportNewbie]

I can vouch for the WestMarine offshore and coastal stuff...Its waterproof, warm and layers well. I have the pants (not bib) and the jacket, along with foul weather boots. Coming back from Catalina earlier this year it was sunny, but BIG winds and plenty of splash including a wave that broke directly over the boat drenching us from head to toe. I actually laughed because I was completely dry and comfortable.

[copacabana]

My "foul weather gear" for the tropics is a shorty wetsuit. I have one that's not too tight so I can don it and take it off at the companionway easily. I don't mind getting wet in the warm tropical rain and the wetsuit keeps me warm by keeping the wind off my skin. Also, it works wet or dry. My first line of defense against the elements, though, is a hard dodger so I can sit in the cockpit out of the wind and rain.