# Foul weather gear



## locrian13

Is there a particular brand you like or dislike? I haven't done much shopping around yet, but I do need new foulies this year. I tried on jackets at West Marine, but they're not cut for women, if you know what I mean.

Can you help me narrow the field?


Many thanks!


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## sailingfool

First you've got to decide what type of gear you need, based on how you will use it. To define your needs, try the West Advisor: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/westadvisor/10001/-1/10001/fwg.htm - the best GoreTex offshore gear is a poor solution for walking around in afternoon showers.

Once you know what type of gear fits your needs, then you will largely get what you are willing to pay for, except if you can get a bit of a break with on sale or discount merchandise. Given how expensive this stuff is, and how important the fit and comfort is, my advice is pay the price to get good gear that fits. For women gear you might try a secialty shop like: http://www.team1newport.com/store/products.asp?dept=131 . The proprietor at a shop like this ([email protected]) will know every stitch and button on all the gear she sells, and will tell you more about useability and fit than any ten floor reps at a West Marine combined.

Buy good stuff and enjoy it for years. Good luck.


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## locrian13

*Thank you!*

Thanks for all the detailed info! I will be sure to check out the resources you posted. As my signature indicates, I sail in Lake Michigan. The boat goes in April 22 and comes out mid-October, and in Wisconsin that could mean anything, weather-wise. I generally try to stay out of very nasty weather, but sometimes it can't be helped.

I don't mind paying the extra $ for something that fits well and will wear well. I'd rather pay a little more now and have it last a long time than go the el cheapo route and have to replace it in a year or two.

Again, thanks!


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## RichardElliott

*Foul Weather Gear*

Be careful of rotten customer service in addressing leaks by Henri-Lloyd.


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## Maine Sail

*Don't buy the hype*

I'm a sailor, winter alpine climber, tele skier, ice climber etc.. After spending nearly $600.00 on a Henri LLoyd jacket for an offshore trip I was sure glad I had my mountain climbing shell with me! I had a Patagonia Gore-tex mountaineering jacket with me that I paid $229.00 for that blew away my $600.00 Henri Lloyd. Climbing jackets are designed to move freely. Your arms can move and the hood is articulated as well as the arms. They also have better venting and are lighter in weight. Wearing my Henri Lloyd was like wearing a firemans suit. Totally uncomfortable! It also did not breath worth a darn, and the fleece lined collar just collected salt spray and iritated my neck. The collar was so stiff it chaffed my ears til they bled. This was the point where I dug our my Patagonia. Granted it was a windy and wet trip but this is what the Lloyd stuff is supposed to be designed for and the hood was designed like it was an afterthought. Oh crap we forgot to put a hood on this jacket quick send a drawing to the guys in China before they go into production...????!!!

Since that experience I truly feel bad for people wearing "marine foulies". The design of the high altitude gear sold at Patagonia, The North Face, EMS, REI, Backcountry.com etc. etc. is meant to withstand winds of 80+mph snow, ice and freezing rain while remaining easy to move in and waterproof + breathable. Buy yourself a nice 3 layer Gore-tex shell from North Face, Patagonia, EMS, Mountain Hardwear, Arc'teryx, Cloudveil Marmot or one of the other quality names and you'll be fine, most likely pay less and be far more comfortable.

My wife wears the Arc'teryx shell below and absolutely loves it! Plus it's cut for a woman. See the link below. Backcountry.com is a great place to buy from if you have not!!

http://www.backcountry.com/store/ARC0114/c12/s42/Arcteryx-Beta-AR-Jacket-Womens.html?swatch=BARWA


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## locrian13

I started poking around on backcountry.com...so many choices, so little time! Thanks for the recommendation. I'll be expanding my search. 5 more weeks until the boat goes into the water, so I still have a little bit of time. I do like the shade of red of that Arc'teryx jacket.


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## boatguy30

*Womens Fit*

Hi,

I grew up sailing in Michigan and have since moved aboard and sailed with my husband from Florida to New Zealand. We did a lotof research on Foulies when we arrived here because my 10 year old GILL wasn't cutting it anymore. There are a few brands that are really great that are not sold in the US, one being Aigle- its French and really nice stuff. They do have a "womens" cut that is more narrow through the shoulders etc. I tried some on here and loved the fit, but the price was too steep for us (being full time cruisers). The aigle is very well made stuff, aside from the colors for women! All they had available here was powder blue, and personally I would never wear a jacket that is the same color as the water! They do come in yellow and red, but here its a fashon statement I think! I ended up with a new West Marine Coastal jacket, mens small, the arms are long, but I really like the extra length to cover my bottom! The pants I got are the Gill drop-seat trousers, they are womens cut, but they run very small so try them on first! You can find aigle gear online, I know of one store here that sells them a lot- the website it www.gearlocker.co.nz. Aigle also makes a womens trouser which is sized european, a little tricky. 
Good luck and happy sailing!

Abby


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## TSOJOURNER

*foul wheather gear*

ladies my name is drew dunn and i am a mechanical fitter who works out doors in all wheathers and also sails all over the world and lives on his boat 
and to get foul wheather gear what i did five years ago was go to the hartlepool moderen army and navey surpless auction centre in north east england 
and i baught a 
all in one ex militery and navel all wheather suit which is basically a set of breathable and moveable set of 6 seasons antartic wheather all in one suit.
the advantages are that it keeps u warm in the winter and has hundreds of pockets including an a4 map pocket and in side it has a removeable double layer flease and allsow you can attacht to the back of it 
a full militery rucksack to go with it which is also wheather proof 
and i have both. i also have a pair of the ex militery leight weight boots that you can attach to the suit and they are dammed warm. i bought these five years ago and they will probably last me for another ten years cos they are mint please bare in mind that i am a fully qualified sailing yacht master and instructor with the RYA (royal yachting asocciation) and i wear this suit for work as well as sailing in cos it is black so any dirt dont show on it and any oil i get on it are hosed of with hose pipe by my fionce when i get in from work.
please bare in mind i payed for all of this and still had £30s change from £100 which i then went and bourght my self a militery vest and fire proof summer battle trousers which you can sip of at the nee and they become sexy shorts 
drew dunn

drew


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## TSOJOURNER

*foul wheather gear*

ladies my name is drew dunn and i am a mechanical fitter who works out doors in all wheathers and also sails all over the world and lives on his boat 
and to get foul wheather gear what i did five years ago was go to the hartlepool moderen army and navey surpless auction centre in north east england 
and i baught a 
all in one ex militery and navel all wheather suit which is basically a set of breathable and moveable set of 6 seasons antartic wheather all in one suit.
the advantages are that it keeps u warm in the winter and has hundreds of pockets including an a4 map pocket and in side it has a removeable double layer flease and allsow you can attacht to the back of it 
a full militery rucksack to go with it which is also wheather proof 
and i have both. i also have a pair of the ex militery leight weight boots that you can attach to the suit and they are dammed warm. i bought these five years ago and they will probably last me for another ten years cos they are mint please bare in mind that i am a fully qualified sailing yacht master and instructor with the RYA (royal yachting asocciation) and i wear this suit for work as well as sailing in cos it is black so any dirt dont show on it and any oil i get on it are hosed of with hose pipe by my fionce when i get in from work.
please bare in mind i payed for all of this and still had £30s change from £100 which i then went and bourght my self a militery vest and fire proof summer battle trousers which you can zip of at the nee and they become sexy shorts 
drew dunn


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## sailingdog

It depends on whether you're planning on being found after falling overboard in bad weather or not... marine foul weather gear has retro-reflective patches, and other features that are not found on terrestrial foul weather gear. The marine foul weather gear will also have things like inner cuffs made of either latex or polyurethane, that will prevent water from dripping down your arm when you reach up to adjust a halyard or such. _Being dry is key if you're sailing in New England waters in the early spring or late fall. _

A lot of it depends on what you need, and what you find comfortable. I would recommend that you try on a few different brands and models. Some people say that marine foul weather gear is over priced... but if you look at it as a long-term investment, isn't all that expensive. My previous set of foul weather gear was 14 years old when I replaced it... and that's pretty inexpensive over the long run, as the cheaper stuff my friends have bought have been replaced at least three or four times in that time.

Currently, I have a Musto MPX jacket that just rocks. The collar is high enough to block almost all the spray, especially when I have my Tilley hat on. The fleece in it is very soft and warm, even in the coldest weather. It is not lined, except with a mesh liner, mainly so it can be worn in both warmer and colder weather, by wearing the appropriate gear underneath it.


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## Melrna

*Echo moutain gear*

I cannot agree more on using landbased mountain gear not just for foulies but for everday wear on the boat. I love the Patagonia store by me. The clothes fit and are extremely comfortable for my frame. I usually get everything I need for the next year when the stuff goes on sale after the season. It is 50% cheaper and better than most marine cloths I have bought or seen. I used to own Henri Lloyd outter wear and it didn't fit right or last very long. I echo everything that halekai36 said. 
Melissa
SV Freedom


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## Denr

Musto, simply the best!


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## hellosailor

SD-
I'd agree that marine gear has some special points but last time I needed foulie pants...I bought clearance hunter's pants from Woolrich. Gore-Tex Extreme Wet Weather, lined, good snaps and zips so I can put them on over boots, and they keep me bone dry and warm. $100 instead of $300, and at that price if anyone doesn't like the forest camo pattern I just remind them that duck hunting is allowed at sea.<G>
I do prefer bright red/yellow/lime for a top so it can be seen, but since my PFD is bright red/orange anyway...I figure as long as I wear that, the color of what is under it doesn't matter. The old (old) HL jacket is nice in bad wx and the high color suits me as if it were tailormade, but when it gets hot and humid out...It can't match the GoreTex from REI. Also 1/4 to 1/3 the price of "marine" gear, and not all that much different.

If you know what the gear makers pay to have this stuff made up in Thailand and other PacRim countries...Even when they spend money training the factories and use top quality materials and labor, there's about $500 in pure profit in every $600 jacket. I don't mind sharing...but there are some other folks higher up on the sharing list.<G>


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## labatt

I've got two and 1/2 sets of foulies. Henri-Lloyd might have received bad press early on in this thread, but both my wife and I have a set of HL Offshore Racer jackets and bibs and they are incredible. Fall sailing in Maine through dense fog and heavy rain - we stayed dry. The hood design is great, the wind resistance is excellent, and ours has softened up so we don't have issues with its stiffness. My second set is a lighter weight West Marine. I'm not in love with the jacket (water will run inside the cuffs and down my arms) but I like the pants. 

I'm in love with my "half" - a new "Transition" system from Henri-Lloyd. It's a rain shell with a removable inner soft liner. I can wear it in 30 degree weather and be warm. I can remove the inner liner and wear just the outer shell when its 80. It's got a stowable hood (nice shape) and no double cuffs (just some velcro around the cuffs) but it's a great multi-purpose jacket. You can also get a vest inner liner. It is definitely not a storm jacket, but for light rain or fog it is incredibly comfortable!


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## TSOJOURNER

for bottoms, I use zip on pants I got on clearance at Eastern Mountain Sports. I have two tops, one from EMS, and one from West marine. The EMS ones don't have the reflective strips, but are bright colored and more comfortable to wear. 

And as for relying on the PFD for the bright coloring, I sized my jackets to wear over my PFD. I use the foulies for protection from water, and rely on layering other clothin for warmth, so I wanted foulies that would fit over the PFD. 

JM2CW

Charlie


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## T37Chef

halekai36 said:


> I'm a sailor, winter alpine climber, tele skier, ice climber etc.. After spending nearly $600.00 on a Henri LLoyd jacket for an offshore trip I was sure glad I had my mountain climbing shell with me! I had a Patagonia Gore-tex mountaineering jacket with me that I paid $229.00 for that blew away my $600.00 Henri Lloyd. Climbing jackets are designed to move freely. Your arms can move and the hood is articulated as well as the arms.


I have to second this recommendation.

I use my ski jacket, Orage http://www.orageski.com/en/brand/index.html), also have Patagonia, excellent! *It is simply better designed* and more useful to me than other marine designed foul weather gear I have worn, including HL, Gill, and Worst Marine.


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## labatt

werebeagle said:


> fAnd as for relying on the PFD for the bright coloring, I sized my jackets to wear over my PFD. I use the foulies for protection from water, and rely on layering other clothin for warmth, so I wanted foulies that would fit over the PFD.


I thought that you were always supposed to wear your pfd as the outermost layer? I read somewhere (but of course I don't remember where now) that it was dangerous to wear your PFD under clothing for some reason. Anyone?


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## labatt

I see a number of people talking about wearing ski jackets for foulies. What do you do during the summertime to keep from being soaked?


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## hellosailor

"What do you do during the summertime to keep from being soaked?"
Same thing I do in the winter. The REI goretex shell is just a shell, no insulation. In the summer and light wx I'll open the pitzips and cuffs. In the winter, they all get closed, and middle layers get added for warmth.


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## TSOJOURNER

labatt said:


> I thought that you were always supposed to wear your pfd as the outermost layer? I read somewhere (but of course I don't remember where now) that it was dangerous to wear your PFD under clothing for some reason. Anyone?


I had not hear that. I wear my pfd under the foulies so I don't need to remove the PFD to put on or remove the roulie jacket. I don't see where that would change the flotation quality of the PFD, but I've been wrong before.

Charlie


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## KeelHaulin

werebeagle said:


> I had not hear that. I wear my pfd under the foulies so I don't need to remove the PFD to put on or remove the roulie jacket. I don't see where that would change the flotation quality of the PFD, but I've been wrong before.


If it is a non-inflatable PFD you can wear it beneath an outer; but inflatable (Type IV) or Offshore Type I should be worn outside. The inflatable will not work properly if trapped beneath an outer layer and would restrict movement to remove an outer shell if it inflates beneath clothing. The Type I would be too bulky to wear beneath clothes and it would probably restrict your movement on deck.


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## MarkMiner

Hi -
My husband got me a foul weather jacket from Helly Hanson and it's my favorite one I've ever owned - I got the red and black one and it's a very flattering fit. Good luck! Wife of a sailor - Kris


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## kjsailingSpring

*Companies inconsiderate to women*

Henri Lloyd and several other marine foul weather clothing makers infuriate me with their color choice for women's gear. Men get yellow and bright red foul weather gear so that they can be seen if they fall overboard. Women get powder blue and lavender! I spent this past weekend at the boat show trying on foul weather gear and I need a woman's cut in the jacket. The most comfortable gear I found was from an australian company but they only had white. That will blend it great with the white-caps in a storm or with the all white cockpit on my boat! When I asked told the salesman that I was hesitant to go with white, he said I shouldn't worry about it, that it was not like I'd get it dirty working on the engine.

Long story cut short...I went with Gill. If its good enough for the coast guard, it should work for me and they had plenty of red to choose from. Comfortable and great cut for an active female solo sailor.


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## ericob

*Foul Weather Gear*

I was reading the comments and was wondering if anyone ever looked at www.nrsweb.com ? They sell kayaking gear. I do alot of whitewater kayaking and my undergear stays dry even after rolling a few times with the drytops. Not looking for something so water tight you might want to check out the sea kayaking jackets. Just a thought. Let me know what you thing?


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## hellosailor

kj, the same thing (pretty colors) happened in the SCUBA industry 20 years ago. Boatbabebimbos want pretty colors, so someone is going to sell them what they want as long as their sugardaddies are happy to buy it.

Not to worry, if enough of them go sailing and fall overboard in the pretty colors, the survivors will improve the gene pool while wearing bright colors!<G>

OTOH, since many of them are no doubt wearing "logos" not really sailing anywhere in them...This is like North Face (once a serious mountaineering supplier, now a ghetto fashion) or Nautica (fashion from the first but copied after sailing gear).

Years ago I looked at Line7 gear from NZ which was, at the time, a reasonable alternative. Except their men's gear all had the zippers backwards, i.e. "womens" style. Which confused my hands when I reached for the zipper that just was on the wrong side. Back it went. Luckily HL was dumping good old gear in favor of new stylish stuff in lime green (instead of plain yellow) and I decided that at 60% off, yellow would be good enough for me!<G>


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## sailaway21

A loud Hear! Hear! to hellosailor. Does Eddie Bauer ring a bell of the same note? Extremely discouraging when the company in question was producing top quality gear not to be found readily elsewhere.


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## Goodnewsboy

With what this clothing costs, I think versatility is a key factor. For myself, I favor a GoreTex mountain shell and a selection of fleece liners or layers that can be used under it. It may not have reflective patches, but that is what your harness/life vest is for.

For really wet days, you need a pair of equally weatherproof trousers, and I like the overall style with the shoulder straps.

Finally, good foul weather gear is no good if your shoes fill up with water. A nice pair of 8" or perhaps higher sea boots keeps that from happening.


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## Tucks

*Bibs or Pants?*

Apart from staying dry I had a rather bad accident a couple of weeks ago while in a race. I got into a fight with a jib sheet on a 40 foot sailing boat and lost big time. I have burns from ankle to thigh. My elbows and wrist even burned. I was very lucky not have been injured even worse. I have thought about buying sailing bibs or pants to protect myself from injury and weather. I live in New Orleans so heat is a real issue. It never really gets cold so finding sailing gear to match the hot, wet weather has proven difficult. Are bibs the way to go? These can be pulled on over shorts to offer some protection from both sheets and weather. Are pants better? What do you all prefer? Right now I'm wearing nylon capris, simply because that's what I already own. I need some good advice because I really don't want to get burned or skinned again.

Thanks.
Tucks


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## hellosailor

Tucks, the only difference between bibs and pants is the panel on your chest, and I don't think that would protect much more than a good shirt.

Either one over shorts is about as good as you'll get, look for one with a lining scrim or a breathable fabric because that helps. If it is warm enough, I can deal with a jacket to keep my core temp up while just wearing quick-dry Supplex pants and letting my legs stay wet but covered.

Next time remember, the boat is always stronger. You're allowed to fight dirty and trick it.<G>


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## TSOJOURNER

The best foulies are Musto. West Marine is going to drop all lines in their store within the next year and bring in their own, not that they have much anyway. Buying West is like making your own stuff! I have been pretty happy with my Henri Lloyd women's drop seat so far. Try stuff on is always best too.


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## Giulietta

TOMMYT IN PORTUGAL


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