I own a Douglas Gill Southern Cross Jacket and pants, and I can highly recommend them. They come with everything you expect in foulweather protection gear: watertight cuffs, plenty of well-protected pockets, fur-lined collar, lots of reflective tape etc. They also have room for an internal harness, although I don't use it beacuse I have a combined harness/lifejacket. I can honestly say that I find them to be completely waterproof - which is both a good and a bad thing. Caught out in a storm out by the Farallones last Februrary, I spent many hours in very heavy rain and was kept comfortable, dry and warm. The only problem was that since these items aren't breathable, and I was working pretty hard, I got pretty wet inside from sweat. I had to change my clothes at one point because I started to feel chilled. However, once I got the boat on track and was able to sit back, I actually slept for about an hour in the cockpit, in torrential rain, and was warm and dry when I woke up! It's a big jump to buy the breathable stuff from Douglas Gill, but in hind sight, I wish I'd spent the extra money. However, for $300 for the jacket and pants, the Southern Cross gear is fabulous. Tony.
