Sailing Clothing UK

[turla]

Hi guys!
I just got accepted for cruise to Nordkapp and I urgently need to buy Jacket and trousers.
I study in UK and I have to do my shopping here but I have no idea where! Do you know some sailing shops in Bristol or anywhere close to bristol (e.g cardiff birmingham?).
And could you advise me how to choose jacket? I am a woman but I don't hope for looking good on cruise-no point in that. I just want to buy something what would be universal (so that I could use it both on cold ocean cruise and perhaps in some other sports too), I thought about buying gore-tex as it seems to be worth it's price. But I don't know what should I look for, how much should I spend on it and where to buy it. Any advice?

[mintyspilot]

I've no idea if they are good value or not, but there is this lot

Clothing - Piplers of Poole in Poole, Dorset

[turla]

thank you!

[turla]

Do you guys know any actual shop (not on-line)

[Steve Pope]

I note that "Gill" are now the official supplier of Cowes week 2010, I hope that the quality of their wet weather clothing has improved since we bought ours here in NZ, after 3 year of very occasional summer use both the jacket and overall pants leak quite badly. The local importer says that is par for the course no matter which brand you use, not good enough, Gill UK don't respond to emails sent to them. Apparently you are supposed to be able to dry your wet weather gear out after each use, Yeah right! We stored ours on hangers next to the engine room after use but we are stuck with gear that doesn't do what it should.

[swagman]

I cannot advise on shops in Bristol but suggest you should be able to find one or more chandlers wth wet weather gear. Most larger groups also have web sites. Probably the EU / UK's equivilent of WestMarine would be Compass. www.compass24.com.
And for what it is worth you'll find peoples opinions of gear are as varied as opinions on yachts. I've had wet weather gear by Musto, Dorlon, Helly Hanson, Henry Loyd and Gill - and contrary to the comment above set made by Gill were the best yet.
PS You could try ebay.co.uk..........

Good luck
JOHN

[elhix]

There are a couple of chandlers in Cardiff down at the docks - Marinescene and Force 4, both have websites and a good selection of clothing.

For what it's worth, I'm a professional skipper currently working on large RIBs and I use a musto mpx jacket currently which is very good and has taken massive abuse in the last 2 years. If you're in any kind of weather what makes or breaks a coat is the collar and hood.

[nigel1]

Recommend geting down to a local chandler in Bristrol, try and find what you like, and then look online/ebay for a cheaper buy.
You'll find that a walk in chandlers may have good discounts on discontinued jackets and trousers, managed to get my GF a set at a chandlers in South Shields for 70 pounds, reduced from 250.
And, Nordkapp is a cold place, plenty of base layers, which can be found at discount stores for a good price
As elhix says, a good hood and collar on the jacket makes all the difference, the Musto MPX is very good (but not cheap)

[boatman61]

Or you could go down my route... being a 'boat bum' I can rarely afford the expensive and frankly overpriced for what you get gear by Helly, Gill etc...
Take a wander into some of the hiking/camping stores and have a look.. they have some very good quality proofed jackets and leggings sets... in gortex and other materials.. also some thermal under garments and a couple of treated fleeces...your not crossing Oceans, your going Coastal... tho' even on passages I use the 'cheaper option'...
More concerned about keeping warm and dry economically than looking "Yachtie"...Lol

[Puddlefish]

My favorite cold weather rain gear is a snowboarding jacket with hood that I picked up about 5 years ago. It's made by "Element." It's pretty much just a thick nylon shell with a breathable waterproof treatment. It has pockets for your gear, a solid hood, has various adjustment points at the hood, cuffs, and waist (internally.) It's as warm, dry and comfortable as a "real" foul weather marine jacket. It has over length sleeves so you can actually extend your arms without exposing half your forearm to the elements. The only thing it lacks is the shiny reflective tape that my old marine dedicated jacket had.

Don't limit yourself to a marine chandlery/store for this type of item.

[turla]

Thank you! I have one more question, you mentioned layers, what should they consist of?

[Hydra]

Clothing layers should consist of undergarment (direct on the skin), middle layer (as many superposed garments as necessary to keep warmth) and outer layer (your foulies, to stop wind, rain, spray and "green water").

In a wet environment, I would recommend garments made of quick-drying fibre (not cotton). The moisture produced on your skin evaporates with body warmth, migrates through the middle layers and condenses inside your foulies (if they aren't "breathable" or if it's really wet outside) or evaporates (if the foulies are breathable).

If moisture is expelled from the middle layer garments, they retain more of their insulation properties. The choice of fibre is wide: polyester, polyamide, polypropylene, wool... It's mainly a matter of personal preference, just like "monohull or catamaran".

Alain