Foul Weather - Recommendation?

[jibes138]

What do you folks recommend for foul weather jackets and pants? My last long voyage was pretty miserable as it rained most of the time and we were wet. The bright side was we were downwind for three days surfing at 12 knots. I'd like to do the surfing and stay dry next time. What do you folks use and are you happy? What I did find out was foul weather gear is not always waterproof, maybe water resistant at best.
I always see these guys on fishing boats wearing what looks like rubber coated bibs, since they are in the elements all the time I'm wondering if maybe they know something about this subject?

 

[Tim R.]

Those rubber coated bibs are good if you are working. They do not breathe and therefore you sweat inside them. Remember those rubber masks you wore as a kid at Halloween?

Good FWG is not hard to find. The stuff you find at chandlerys is usually overproced for the marine market. I would look for a good set of Goretex shells at a place like EMS or REI. Much cheaper and more funchtional.

One note about Goretex. You must clean it and retreat it periodically or it will loose it's ability to shed water. A lot of people fail to do this and end up wet.

 

[pvanv]

Most foulies available today are breathable gore-tex or similar. Fine if you're active, but keep in mind that if you are in a sedentary situation in cold weather, the evaporation of this type of gear will require some extra layering. The alternative fully waterproof nylon or rubber gear will of course prevent perspiration from evaporating, so might not be the best choice if active. A Canadian company, Salus, who you can find on the web, has some really HD gear (including built-in harness), in addition to the lighter-weight stuff.

 

[sailingdog]

One major problem with the gear you get at REI or EMS is that they're often missing features that are pretty specific to marine foul weather gear. Retro-reflective patches, inner cuffs with neoprene/latex/PVC that allow you to seal the wrists against water intrusion, etc. These may not sound like a big deal, but if you've ever reached up to adjust something on the boom or mast in the driving rain, and had water run down your arm and soak you, you'll know that the little things count for a lot.

IMHO, the foul weather gear jackets are more critical than the pants or bibs. I went with Musto high-end MPX gear for my jacket and went with the much less expensive West Marine gear for my bibs... and haven’t regretted the choice. I use the jacket a lot more than I do the bibs.

 

[Mike B]

I'll ditto Sailing Dogs' comments on the "extras" you get on marine foulies vs REI gear. Especially the double cuffs on the sleeves. I have Gill Coastal and am pretty happy with them. Like Dog I use the jacket a lot more than the bibs. I bought the set at one of the boat shows and got a great price on both. The only negative is related to the bibs. They don't have a zipper and it becomes a bit of a pain to "empty the tank". I do stay warm and dry though.

 

[Bad Obsession]

There is nothing worse than fowl weather gear that fails. A few Aprils ago I was transporting my Catalina 30 home from Deltaville up the Potomac and I hit some really nasty stuff....40 knots of wind sustained, huge waves, and rain. This wasn't forcasted to be nearly that bad but it hit me right at Smith Point.

During this ordeal the fowl weather gear that I had aboard failed. It was older gear and I never really used it much so I never really maintained it as well as I should have.

When the gear failed I got soaking wet underneath of it during this time. In the wind, waves, and the temperatures that were part of the cold front that caused this to happen I was starting to become hypothermic. Finally after making it into the Coan River after 5 hours of being miserable I tried to warm up. I slept in two sleeping bags that night and it was not a pleasant night.

If you are going to get foul weather gear it is best not to skimp too much. You put the foul weather gear in a hanging locker and seldom use it like I did then you are setting yourself up for disaster when you need it to work.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Do a search on "foul weather gear" (or fowl, your choice!) use exact phrase, and you'll find many earlier discussions.

 

[Benny]

Don't forget the boots. We once had to abort a trip departure out of Baltimore. Our foulies were keeping us dry but our feet got wet and cold.

 

[Prime Time]

It makes a difference

There is a huge difference in comfort with breathable vs. not (IMHO). As a kid, we wore high quality Helly Hansen Canorplarex (sp?). My dad had a set that lasted 20 yrs of hard use. It did not breath at all. Very hot. I am very happy with a Henri Loyd set that I have. A lot depends on what kind of use. On a racing dinghy, you would want something different than on a keelboat. Practical Sailor did a review over the last few yrs.

 

[okawbow]

I wore the Musto Offshore set for a couple weeks last spring. They did the job very well in rain, wind, spray and cold. very little water got in.

 

[Franklin]

I have a motorcycle that I like to ride to work in the warm and hot months here in Houston. Sometimes I get caught in bad weather and pull over and put on rain gear. I can ride the bike 70 mph with it and a helmet on and the only thing that gets wet is my ankles. I figured that was good enough for the boat too.

I try hard to avoid bad weather as much as possible. Only a few times have I been out when it was raining. The first time was a late spring thunderstorm with high winds and a pour. I wasn't prepared for rain and spent most of the time in the cockpit getting poured on because I left my rain gear on the bike. Later I realized I had an old army poncho on the boat so I pulled that out and I felt a lot better even though it wasn't cold out.

Another time I was out day sailing and got caught in the rain and put the rain gear on and stayed dry the whole time.

A few times out sailing I worn it to protect against splashing while beating and it kept me dry.

Because I do sail year round, I've been out in temps of 30s and 40s and with a base-layer and middle layer with the rain gear as an outer shell, I stay warm. I have used 100% polyester for the layers as it doesn't soak up water and keeps me dry. Found some cheap at Walmart for $7 and it's soft too. Lately I've been using some polypropylene stuff that I used to use when in the army that I got from a surplus store for $20 and it's awesome.

I thought about getting some Goretex but so far the regular rain jacket and rain pants from walmart has worked just fine. It does have some flaps that are designed to help breath which seems to do ok for me. One thing is for sure, I can sit down on wet soaked cushions and not get wet unlike many foul weather gear.

 

[Bad Obsession]

You can also check ebay. THey sell new items there and sometimes you can find a bargin.

 

[Bob S]

Franklin, didn't you ride out a hurricane last fall? what where you wearing then?

 

[Franklin]

As for staying warm, I also got a Russian sytle hat from the surplus store and it does wonders for my head, especially my ears.

 

[Franklin]

Franklin, didn't you ride out a hurricane last fall? what where you wearing then?

Yes, I first had on jeans and a shirt under the rain gear. It worked for a while but then I got totally soaked as the waves would wash aboard and a lot of water would get in at the neck area from the waves. After that, I still went out with the rain gear on, but I had swim trunks on underneath.

Speaking of weather, sun just popped out. I'm going sailing

 

[jibes138]

Why I asked

While delivering my boat from Ct. to NC I was wearing what I thought was pretty good gear. The jacket was supposedly breathable goretex or similar, and the bibs seemed pretty high quality as well. We had about three straight days of rain and thunder storms so I was in the gear the whole time. It was mid June so the water in the Atlantic was cold still but the air wasn't too bad. I found the bibs would not be 100% waterproof so sitting on wet cushions ended up being wet clothes underneath. I like to wear the bibs at all times when sailing. I use the bibs more than a jacket as with a set of long underwear underneath they keep you warm in the wind and spray but are loose enough so they don't restrict your mobility like wearing jeans. During my trip I was not hypothermic but sleeping in the cockpit in a set of wet foulies is pure misery. My crew was pretty inexperienced so I tended to stay on deck most of the time catching two hours of sleep periodically. We used a two hour shift system (three total crew) so two hours on and four hours off. Wind was steady 25 to 35 southerlies so I got to surf for three days striaght hitting up to twelve knots over ground on the GPS. From Noank to Norfolk in 4 days, the last day was no wind as I cruised under power along the 37 degree line straight into the south channel of the Bridge tunnel.
How about using a 1.5 to 3 mm wetsuit under the foulies, that would keep you warm and dry. But perspiration would be retained. Just wondering what others used that they found worked well?.

 

[Maine Sail]

In

In the rain you can easily stay dry and Tim's recomendation of mountain climbing gear is a good one. It is generally more comfortable (does not fit like a fireman's suit), lighter and more breathable. What dog said about cuffs is also true but has not been a huge issue for me.

I wear a mix of sailing jackets and mountaineering jackets and hands down the stuff from Marmot, North Face, LL Bean, EMS, REI, Coudveil or others is much more comfortable and gives you more range of movement.

If it gets rough and rainy, green water over the decks rough, no gear you can buy will keep you 100% dry. Your neck is a prime area for water ingress and it will happen when you start taking waves in the face..

You can buy either sailing specific gear or any other waterproof breathable garment and they will both suffice for general rain..

Waterproof/breathable gear needs to be re-waterproofed with a DWR product like Nikwax TX Direct once the outer fabric starts "wetting out". If the outer layer of fabric is not beading water your garment is not breathing and thus you will think it is leaking when in actuality it is just your own body vapor condensing faster than the fabric can breathe..

these are just some of my shells and jackets and none of those are even my "marine" stuff.. Tim R. must think I'm nuts as I imagine I show up to race each week with a different jacket...

Confessions of a gear head..!

 

[jibes138]

Are those crampons in your closet?

Why do you use crampons on your boat? To climb the mast in the winter in Maine? :>)

 

[Tim R.]

I think you are nuts but for much better(and more) reasons than that!

 

[Maine Sail]

Why do you use crampons on your boat? To climb the mast in the winter in Maine? :>)

Helps me stick to those teak decks on Hinckley's..