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Clothes for bad weather


Northener

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I’ve got good ocean waterproofs from my sailing days but they are not ideal for a cruiser stern narrow boat. When it gets cold, wet and windy what sort of outer clothing do people wear?

Tie up and put the kettle on is the obvious solution but there will always be times when you want to get somewhere. Wild and wet can sometimes be enjoyable - if you have the right clothes.

Edited by Northener
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speaking from my own experience - the wet weather does not change based on temperature - only the clothes underneath it.

 

my upper outer waterproof is a Berghaus Mera Peak jacket which i got as bargain due to stacking discounts at go outdoors. trousers are either a pair of hiking pants that do shed rain and dry quickly in a light shower or a pair of waterproof trousers in heavy/ prolonged rain. mine are cycling waterproof trousers from Altura which I would recommend - they're cut loose but can be Velcrod in and have never leaked - they also go higher up the back to reduce chance of rain getting in. 

 

i have seen a lot of people in ponchos but im 6ft 4 - can't find one that goes past my upper thigh. 

 

I always wear a hat - either baseball or bobble hat style (would recommend new era bobble hats - they're fleece lined). work glove on steering hand, other hand gloveless in my pocket. 

 

if you'd like more information on clothes underneath, please ask. 

 

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If I have to boat in the wet and cold I wear a full set of Musto Coastal waterproofs from my yottie days with thermal layers underneath. 

Not the cheapest, I would hate to have to replace them, but they work.

 

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Whatever you want (that is waterproof) on the outside but make sure that your 'underclothes' are the warmest possible.

 

As we already have them - we use a Divers under suit "thermal 'wolly bear' suits" which can be £100s new but can easily be found for £20 upwards on ebay.

 

Available in one-piece 'onesies' or 2-piece tops and trousers or even 4 piece (tops, trousers, and socks)

 

The 4-piece "Fourth Element" are pretty much the best although very expensive new, 2nd hand can be found anywhere between £30 and £200, small sizes tend to be very cheap.

 

Edit to add a link :

 

fourth element: Search Result | eBay

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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3 hours ago, Telstar17 said:

speaking from my own experience - the wet weather does not change based on temperature - only the clothes underneath it.

 

my upper outer waterproof is a Berghaus Mera Peak jacket which i got as bargain due to stacking discounts at go outdoors. trousers are either a pair of hiking pants that do shed rain and dry quickly in a light shower or a pair of waterproof trousers in heavy/ prolonged rain. mine are cycling waterproof trousers from Altura which I would recommend - they're cut loose but can be Velcrod in and have never leaked - they also go higher up the back to reduce chance of rain getting in. 

 

i have seen a lot of people in ponchos but im 6ft 4 - can't find one that goes past my upper thigh. 

 

I always wear a hat - either baseball or bobble hat style (would recommend new era bobble hats - they're fleece lined). work glove on steering hand, other hand gloveless in my pocket. 

 

if you'd like more information on clothes underneath, please ask. 

 

A good quality base layer must at least be the starting point - you need a good trapped layer of air next to skin, certainly not something like a waterproof!

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3 hours ago, Northener said:

....there will always be times when you want to get somewhere.

 

Hmm, I think this highlights the core issue.  Change the "always" to "occasionally" and the problem is considerably reduced. Make it "never" and sitting by the fire solves almost all inclement weather issues. ;)

 

However, when there are those unavoidable "occasions" on a narrowboat, where wet hanging space can be at a premium, my lightweight waterproofs with layers underneath beat my great but bulky yachtie foul weather gear hands down.

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Thanks for all the ideas. I’ve been sailing for many years so know all about base layers. I used to have all the tech stuff but changed in recent years to merino wool base layers. And the alpaca socks are invaluable. 
But it’s the outside layer I’m interested in. Yacht foul weather gear is hopeless. It’s not meant to be used for lock work, and it gets filthy which renders it useless. Is light weight hiking gear likely to be the way to go?

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I've worn my old lightweight motorbike waterproofs before. Did the job and kept me dry. If you're just standing on the stern steering anything waterproof will be fine. Doing the odd lock in the rain will be fine too but you wouldn't want to be wearing them to do a whole flight as you'd just get wet from the inside. However in my experience none of these so called breathable waterproofs really work if you're working hard. They all make me sweat and that moisture stays inside no matter what the manufacturer claims.

 

I wear gloves at the tiller too, but I remember to take them off and leave them at the helm when I get to a lock. You don't want to be handling ropes wearing gloves.

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2 hours ago, Mike Todd said:

A good quality base layer must at least be the starting point - you need a good trapped layer of air next to skin, certainly not something like a waterproof!

I never said you would not have a base layer… I always wear them in cold weather and rarely have waterproofs next to bare skin except when it’s very warm. 
 

i might not have massive experience of boating but I have plenty of experience hiking. I gave outer waterproof layers as a starting point as they are typically the most important and expensive to procure. I then asked if the OP wanted more details to ask.

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4 hours ago, Northener said:

Thanks for all the ideas. I’ve been sailing for many years so know all about base layers. I used to have all the tech stuff but changed in recent years to merino wool base layers. And the alpaca socks are invaluable. 
But it’s the outside layer I’m interested in. Yacht foul weather gear is hopeless. It’s not meant to be used for lock work, and it gets filthy which renders it useless. Is light weight hiking gear likely to be the way to go?

For my money yes - hiking gear typically is cut for movement and is comfortable in this environments. As I said some cycling equipment is good too, I’ve seen plent of people in workwear hi-vis stuff too

 

the tricky thing is getting stuff filthy - nothing works as well as it should when dirty. If I were you now I’d buy a really good waterproof jacket in darker colour that won’t show the dirt - a cheap pair of hiking pants that have some sort of quick drying /rain shedding properties and a middling pair of waterproof trousers or over trousers. 

  • Greenie 1
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I bought a coat at Mountain Warehouse two years ago, it was reduced to £100 from £180, it's so smart I've rarely worn it, but it is waterproof, and warm or just standard waterproof if quilted lining removed , lining is fashion statement on its own!

I have my full Ocean Water proofs from salty water days, but never worn them. Better to light the fire, put feet up, and read a book instead 

Best waterproofs are probably hi Viz stuff as used by LA staff

Edited by LadyG
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Thermal top and bottoms under regular clothes, then a cheap pair of Regatta “waterproof” overtrousers and a cheapish raincoat (£30 pricebracket) or if its properly persisting down i bust out the Gill OS2 jacket (bought deeply discounted a few years ago when they changed the style for about 1/3 rrp). Always find its the top half that gets the majority of the weather so bottoms not as important, this may be different for those with a cruiser stern.

Still working on a good set of gloves for the rain, tried a few different but not happy with them, gave the Sealskinz to my better half and the ones made for fishists to my FiL who does fish.

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9 hours ago, David Mack said:

That's your problem. Get a trad stern for cold, wet and windy weather cruising. Then you can stand on the back step, doors closed behind you, slide pulled back against your body, your lower half encased in the warmth from a back cabin stove or the boat's heating system, and your top half benefiting from heat rising through the partly open slide. All you need wear on your top half is a hat, gloves and a reasonably warm waterproof coat.

 

 

Totally agree with this. 

 

It's not so much a case of wrong clothes in bad weather, as wrong boat.

 

 

  • Greenie 2
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I have found workwear to be suitable 

 

I use Dickie's waterproof padded overalls in cold and inclement weather.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280983128941?var=580141615372&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338723872&toolid=20006&customid=0m1HxjkTAAAAZklwAiZrsX1y0eMPAAAAAA

 

I bought mine about 15 years ago, when they were under £40, including postage.

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On 11/11/2022 at 15:01, David Mack said:

That's your problem. Get a trad stern for cold, wet and windy weather cruising. Then you can stand on the back step, doors closed behind you, slide pulled back against your body, your lower half encased in the warmth from a back cabin stove or the boat's heating system, and your top half benefiting from heat rising through the partly open slide. All you need wear on your top half is a hat, gloves and a reasonably warm waterproof coat.

 We came into commercial boating a bit late, but all the boat people we knew just wore something like a donkey jacket, which you hung in the engine room overnight to dry a little and still remain slightly warm when you start next morning, and that is what we wore too. Clothing materials have probably changed, but waterproof jackets just make you sweat, and anything heavier than a donkey jacket is a liability around locks. Some boatmen had a rainshed - three squares of ply held together with hooks and eyes, with a pillarbox shape cutout in the front to see through, and a further square forming a roof. We inherited ours from Fred Dell when we started on the limejuice run Brentford-Boxmoor.

They're rarely seen in photos as photographers don't tend to go out in wet weather.

 

Tam

 

 

474100247_Towcesterrainshedrev.jpg.19890671517273ef2061dff238582ce4.jpg

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44 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

Some boatmen had a rainshed - three squares of ply held together with hooks and eyes, with a pillarbox shape cutout in the front to see through, and a further square forming a roof. We inherited ours from Fred Dell when we started on the limejuice run Brentford-Boxmoor.

 

 

Very similar to the ones used when a group of "Little Grey Fergie" tractors made it to the South Pole :

 

Sir Edmund Hillary on a tractor bound for Cape Crozier.   (1956-58)

 

See the source image

 

 

See the source image

 

 

Apparently still the only tractor to have reached the Pole

 

 

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