BuiltWithNOF
Clothing

Clothing for sailing and other water activities is never an issue far from our minds living at latitude 50 degrees as we do.  It is rarely warm enough to sail in shorts and tee shirts so we need to dress appropriately. The first priority is keeping the wind off and the next is to use layers to insulate our bodies from the cooling effect of the wind.

You can spend a lot of money on clothing for sailing and second hand stuff is never worthwhile unless it is pristine. It is my view that almost all the outer wear from the likes of Musto, Gill, Splashdown, Henri Lloyd etc is initially very similar but that the more that you pay the longer it will perform as when new. I have found that trousers rarely remain waterproof for long and one has to accept that they should be replaced more regularly that jackets.

Do not get heavy weight and lined suits as they will not be suitable for warm weather.  A breathable material with a net lining feels light and, on its own, will not be warm. You need to put layers on underneath to keep warm.

Also it is not worth spending lots on expensive label inner wear when fleeces are cheap.

Do not buy expensive trainer-like deck shoes unless you want to get your feet wet on day one and end up with the same (but smellier) wet feet days later. Leather deck shoes are much better, they dry in a day or 2 and do not pick up any smell. If it is not too cold then nylon fabric sandles have to be the answer.  Bare feet invite lost toenails through kicked cleats etc.

One last word, when casting off to go to sea - if there is any chance of rain - it will rain if you are not in oilskins and are unable to go below to dress up!

http://www.musto.com/

http://www.gillclothing.co.uk/

http://www.henrilloydstore.co.uk/

You can also try Splashdown, Regatta, Crewsaver, Dubarry, XM, Compass and many others at http://www.uksail.com/mservice06.htm

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