Clothing...

[Dale Tanski]

I am hoping you will take a bit of time and help me out on the subject of sailing clothing.  I'm not talking about everyday stuff, I'm asking about what you put on when the weather is less than its best.

What brand of clothing do you wear while sailing?  Which brands have you worn or purchased in the past?  Do you buy and own bright standout colors or are you toned back a bit.  Does your stuff have a full time hood, a hood that hides away or no hood at all?  Are you looking for warmth, staying dry or both?  How about your sailing partner?  Do you have a "its gonna get wet" set and a comfortable set?  Is your everyday also your dress foul gear?  Are we typically talking jackets and pants or do you only wear the jacket?  Are you more symbolism over substance or the other way around?

How often do you buy or replace your foul weather gear? What do you wish the people that manufacture this stuff would figure out and include or just do without.  Do you wear your follies outside of sailing? 

Who's product do you think you will be buying next and which one would you never ever own and if you would please tell me why?

Thanks for your input.  As lifelong sailors and an owner of a small chandlery, we are always looking to provide what works the best for our fellow sailors and customers.  Unfortunately, if we only carried what I thought was a good product, life would be very boring and many of you would be dressed very dorky. 

Dale Tanski
Obersheimer Sailor Supply
Maruska, Hull #40 Ketch

[SVJourney]

This is for sailing in the tropics only.  We've never sailed high latitudes.

We wear our fouly jackets in adverse weather.  Mostly to stay dry.  They are West Marine 3rd Reef jackets.  Love the cuff seals and built in hoods.  We do also wear these when out and about in bad weather in town.

We brought bibs and boots with us and never used them once.  Typical storm gear is our jackets and a pair of shorts that just gets wet.  Again, temps are high enough that we are never cold, or if we get a little chilled, just ad a layer under the jacket to keep core temps up.

LOL, the one thing we would like to see that nobody has?  A pair of waterproof shorts!   Even if it aint brewing up with rain and wind.  Just to put on for that wet dingy ride in.  We've spent god knows how much time with a wet ass when a pair of waterproof shorts for the ride in, or standing watch in wet warm weather would be awesome.

Wayne & Dana.

[Dale Tanski]

Wayne,

Actually one of the brands we handle is Gill clothing.  Do a search for Gill waterproof shorts, they actually do make such a thing.  We have sold several pairs primary to people that have outside activities and get rained on and don't want to spend the rest of the day in wet shorts.

Thanks for the response...

Dale

[SailingSeaDragon]

Dale,

I have Gill boots, gloves, bibs, and jacket. Last spring I received my 2nd Gill replacement jacket (Jacket #3 in 15 years). The Gill jacket (Key West) has a rollup hood that stows in the collar that is rarely ever used. Bothe the bibs and the jacket are yellow (brighter colors).

I wear the jacket the most both when sailing and when ashore. Most of the time, like Wayne, I wear the jacket without the bibs (summer rain storms). Oddly enough I wear the bibs mostly without the jacket for warmth in the early morning hours over shorts with a fleece pullover, shedding layers as the day warms up. And maybe, 1-3 times a year I will wear both the bibs and jacket as a set (early spring March/April and late fall November/December) and mostly for warmth (break the cold winds).

I have worn the gloves maybe 3 times in 15 years and the boots maybe 6 times during the same period.

The one thing I struggle with is a functional hat. I have baseball style hats, Columbia Schooner Bank hat, and a Tilley style hat. The Columbia is my favorite (once I got past the goofy look) but it is not perfect. The large bill provide nice shade but it is a little clumsy when moving around on deck smacking the rigging.  OK maybe I am clumsy and the hat is a victim of poor depth perception, I don't know. 

If I had to do it over, I think I would buy the same gear. While the hood, boots, and gloves are rarely used they are nice when needed. As for Gill, their customer service is great and for the most part the quality is good. I am not sure why I have gone through two (2) jackets in 15 years, but none the less Gill has replaced each at no charge with only one question, "Do you want the same color?".

I hope this helps.

Garner