Discussion
In general terms Musto stuff is considered the mutt's nuts it's what the RNLI use on their big boats ... (the dry suits used by ILBs and the big boat crew members who enter the water are Typhoon iirc)
Gill are a long established name, probably better known in dinghy circles but i've never had problems with any gill kit i've owned - i 've got a couple of gill fleeces that must be 15 or more years old and they've held up admirably in day to day use ...
Gill are a long established name, probably better known in dinghy circles but i've never had problems with any gill kit i've owned - i 've got a couple of gill fleeces that must be 15 or more years old and they've held up admirably in day to day use ...
Musto stuff is tip-top. I found my Musto jacket has remained almost as-new after some hard use and is my favourite piece of kit - won't go without it, it's just bullet proof. The Gill trousers - Ocean Racer ones - took even more abuse but after a while the material just wasn't as waterproof as before, even with appropriate cleaning etc. Gill design was very good though.
Worth trying a few different ones on as I found they all had different cuts. Musto trousers just didn't fit me as well as Gill, and a proper fit was important for me when I was young enough to bounce around on the foredeck.
Have a look at Henri Lloyd and Helly Hansen too. I have HH trousers now and they're excellent.
Just make sure you put them to good use!
E
Worth trying a few different ones on as I found they all had different cuts. Musto trousers just didn't fit me as well as Gill, and a proper fit was important for me when I was young enough to bounce around on the foredeck.
Have a look at Henri Lloyd and Helly Hansen too. I have HH trousers now and they're excellent.
Just make sure you put them to good use!
E
If you have the money go with Musto for anything other than coastal sailing.
I sailed on Ex TransGlobe around Cape Horn last year, and we were sponsored by Gill. They did have some nice mid layer stuff, but the crew were really let down with the Ocean range, their waterproofing was just not upto it vs GoreTex. Lots of wet bums and sad faces. Luckily I spent the trip in my Musto HPX drysuit and was toasty.
You won't be dissapointed with the MPX range of gear and thier repairs service is excellent. I know someone who sent a 7 year old hpx jacket back which was Delaminating and got a new one back. All our boats now carry Musto MPX aboad.
Same had to be said for the Gill boots, lots of damp socks. Again spend wisely and spend once.
I may have been called bannana man early in the trip, but once people got tired of being wet they soon dug out the extra suits aboard and joined me!
On the right in this one
Helming our way to the Horn
I sailed on Ex TransGlobe around Cape Horn last year, and we were sponsored by Gill. They did have some nice mid layer stuff, but the crew were really let down with the Ocean range, their waterproofing was just not upto it vs GoreTex. Lots of wet bums and sad faces. Luckily I spent the trip in my Musto HPX drysuit and was toasty.
You won't be dissapointed with the MPX range of gear and thier repairs service is excellent. I know someone who sent a 7 year old hpx jacket back which was Delaminating and got a new one back. All our boats now carry Musto MPX aboad.
Same had to be said for the Gill boots, lots of damp socks. Again spend wisely and spend once.
I may have been called bannana man early in the trip, but once people got tired of being wet they soon dug out the extra suits aboard and joined me!
On the right in this one
Helming our way to the Horn
Edited by volks al on Friday 23 December 08:25
Edited by volks al on Friday 23 December 08:26
+1 for Musto from me. My dinghy MPX drysuit is the only one that's lasted, Gul, HH, all gone in the bin or back to the shop after a few years.
WRT offshore gear, I've got the MPX offshore kit from 2009 and it's great. However, don't pay £600, you can probably get a boat show or outlet store special for nearer £400. And I would not be tempted to penny pinch and go for the BR1 or similar as it's nowhere near as good as the Goretex stuff...my mate's suit, bought at the same time, is already missing some pockets, and Musto won't change them without a receipt. Which is a bit of a bugger as he bought them at the same time as I was buying a LOT of gear at the SIBS a few years ago, so it went on my bill to get a discount, and I've lost the receipt.
My only grip with my MPX kit is the hood and collar. The collar really is huge and for 90% of the time it's too big and does get in the way a bit. And after a few years the hood loses all of it's shape, and I end up with the peak drooping down against my forehead like one of those funny ceremonial "peaked" caps that some of our military wear. And as it's fleece lined, if it gets wet it can start to hum a bit after a while...IMHO be better with a smaller, lighter weight arrangement and a hat. But Musto may have sorted this on the newer kit.
Keep some £s back for decent boots too. The Musto HPX came out on top in a recent YM test, although mine do seem to be wearing at an alarming rate. The little metal "Goretex" badges on the side are just a fuzzy pile of white oxidisation, despite flushing them whenever I can with fresh water.
IMHO in terms of importance/comfort, start at your feet and work up...boots, hi-fits, jacket.
WRT offshore gear, I've got the MPX offshore kit from 2009 and it's great. However, don't pay £600, you can probably get a boat show or outlet store special for nearer £400. And I would not be tempted to penny pinch and go for the BR1 or similar as it's nowhere near as good as the Goretex stuff...my mate's suit, bought at the same time, is already missing some pockets, and Musto won't change them without a receipt. Which is a bit of a bugger as he bought them at the same time as I was buying a LOT of gear at the SIBS a few years ago, so it went on my bill to get a discount, and I've lost the receipt.
My only grip with my MPX kit is the hood and collar. The collar really is huge and for 90% of the time it's too big and does get in the way a bit. And after a few years the hood loses all of it's shape, and I end up with the peak drooping down against my forehead like one of those funny ceremonial "peaked" caps that some of our military wear. And as it's fleece lined, if it gets wet it can start to hum a bit after a while...IMHO be better with a smaller, lighter weight arrangement and a hat. But Musto may have sorted this on the newer kit.
Keep some £s back for decent boots too. The Musto HPX came out on top in a recent YM test, although mine do seem to be wearing at an alarming rate. The little metal "Goretex" badges on the side are just a fuzzy pile of white oxidisation, despite flushing them whenever I can with fresh water.
IMHO in terms of importance/comfort, start at your feet and work up...boots, hi-fits, jacket.
[quote=mph1977]In general terms Musto stuff is considered the mutt's nuts it's what the RNLI use on their big boats ... (the dry suits used by ILBs and the big boat crew members who enter the water are Typhoon iirc)
Sorry to say I disagree with you, the quality of the crew kit on ALB's is not that great - easily torn and leaky on the seams. I think the yachtie stuff is built to a higher standard - having said that I have an earlyish set of HPX Ocean and it is now very porous (probably my fault for not getting it re-proofed)
Sorry to say I disagree with you, the quality of the crew kit on ALB's is not that great - easily torn and leaky on the seams. I think the yachtie stuff is built to a higher standard - having said that I have an earlyish set of HPX Ocean and it is now very porous (probably my fault for not getting it re-proofed)
I have never really got on with the fit of Musto stuff, though it is very good quality - Henri Lloyd has always worked much better for me. My oft-repeated top tip if you want to save a bit of cash is to go for the best salopettes and then select a jacket one level below, you will use it far less.
Ayahuasca said:
I had a pair of Dubarry Ultima boots and both soles fell off halfway through the 2011 Fastnet race which was a mite inconvenient.
The factory did not want to know and were really snotty - appalling attitude.
Avoid Dubarry Ultima boots!
My missus loves hers, however I notice YM ripped the back off them in a recent test that they did...The factory did not want to know and were really snotty - appalling attitude.
Avoid Dubarry Ultima boots!
Hard-Drive said:
Ayahuasca said:
I had a pair of Dubarry Ultima boots and both soles fell off halfway through the 2011 Fastnet race which was a mite inconvenient.
The factory did not want to know and were really snotty - appalling attitude.
Avoid Dubarry Ultima boots!
My missus loves hers, however I notice YM ripped the back off them in a recent test that they did...The factory did not want to know and were really snotty - appalling attitude.
Avoid Dubarry Ultima boots!
Although the soles falling off is a worry!
I'm not so keen on the latest design of Dubarry Ultima boots, but I have the old ones and they are a tremendous bit of kit as long as you won't be kneeling on nonskid too often or sailing the Volvo Ocean Race.
When my original soles eventually hardened up and lost their grip I posted them back to Dubarry - for 40 quid they resoled them and relined them. So my favourite, super comfy, worn in boots, that I bought in January 2003 are still doing me great service. Best 185 quid I've ever spent.
(note have sailed around 45,000nm since buying them, although admittedly many of the miles were barefoot)
When my original soles eventually hardened up and lost their grip I posted them back to Dubarry - for 40 quid they resoled them and relined them. So my favourite, super comfy, worn in boots, that I bought in January 2003 are still doing me great service. Best 185 quid I've ever spent.
(note have sailed around 45,000nm since buying them, although admittedly many of the miles were barefoot)
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