Kit Watch

What worked and did not work for personal kit for the trip

Mark O - 03/08/2026

As we run down the Labrador Coast towards St John's I thought it might be interesting to write a blog about personal ‘kit’ and the views of the crew members on what has worked for them (and what did not work for them). For some of you hardy open sailors this will be 'old hat' and you will have your own preferences and experience. For those non or coastal sailors then this might be useful.

First and foremost some of us (Mark and Charles at least) probably overthought it and brought too much kit - although if we had brought less then maybe weather would have been worse and we might have needed it.

Secondly - if it is good enough for the deck of a trawler in a thrashing gale then it is good enough for the deck of a yacht. Much of the branded sailing gear (Musto, Helly Hansen etc) is ridiculously expensive compared with deck gear for trawlermen. You can look the part in your Musto HPX but you pay through the nose for it (although see next paragraph) compared with a Fladen Floatation Suit as modelled by Charles O and Tim F. Lionel had a two piece Fladen set as well.

Thirdly - Mark recommends setting up some saved searches on eBay and Vinted if you are really after some of the branded gear but at reasonable prices and you are not worried about wearing used kit. He bought a complete set of Musto HPX in very good condition off eBay and a pair of Musto Southern Ocean boots off Vinted. Cost him less than a quarter of the price of new gear. Of course as it is used it also makes you look less shiny and more like the salty, experienced sea dog you aspire to be!

Another place to look for good quality heavily-discounted merino base layers and other useful kit is https://www.sportpursuit.com.

Base layers

General recommendation was that merino wool base layers (in particular long johns/leggings) worked really well - comfortable and long wearing without becoming too smelly! Some of us had ZeroFit layers but rarely needed to use them - good for really cold conditions but for our time of year not necessary. For cost-effective and long-wearing base layers Uniqlo Heattech also works well - everything from socks to polo necks at different grades of thermal protection - with the added advantage of drying very quickly after a wash. The old hands just reverted to the traditional good quality cotton vests, polo necks and thick cotton or woolen shirts.

Some of us had Sealskinz waterproof socks - good if you were expecting wet feet but good sea boots and thermal socks negated the need for them. Wearing two pairs of socks also works well - and allows you to cycle through socks efficiently!

Gloves

Most of us turned up with Musto or Sealskinz gloves or equivalent. What we rapidly learnt was that, as I said at the beginning, if it works for a deckhand on a trawler it will work for a yachtsman if you are not worried about style. A raid on the chandlery in Killybegs left us with tough, waterproof and towelling-lined MaxiDry deck gloves for very modest prices. You could buy two or three pairs and still not approach what you are paying for Musto or Sealskinz. Our Sealskinz gloves were a particular disappointment. They became wet through quickly and took a long time to dry out.

Outer layers

Most of us had a set of lighter waterproof coastal outer kit for rain and light seas and then tougher Fladen or Musto ocean wear for the colder, rougher, wetter passages. What was important was to be able to layer up properly so fleeces, Arthur Beale roll-neck submariner's jumpers, windproof Holebrook jumpers and tops and thick shirts were all useful. As most experienced sailors will know a really good neck towel is also essential to stop the water cascading down your neck. Bring a couple so one can be drying out - putting a wet neck towel back on is a bit demoralising. Down jackets are also good as an outer layer in their own right (especially if going ashore) and as a good thermal layer under your oilskins. Some of us had bought heated down waistcoats - they have not been seen outside their original packaging all voyage. No doubt useful if we had been winter sailing but definitely overkill for our trip.

A good supply of wooly or fleece beanies is essential so that you have at least one dry piece of headgear at the start of a watch. Mark recommends the Sealskinz waterproof beanie as it is has a waterproof breathable inner layer. Three of us also had the waterproof Sealskinz balaclava/snood which worked well provided you ensured it was worn to ensure the water ran down outside your layers and not directly into them! Paired with a beanie it worked well.

Fleece-lined trousers were highly praised by Lionel and Charles O had some excellent Sealskinz windproof, water-repellant outer trousers. Mark just used a pair of breathable Northface outer trousers over his Musto Evolution sailing trousers although he also recommended buying some cheap Site King workmen's trousers from Amazon as well - he wishes he had bought more. Whatever you choose try and avoid the 'hipster hangers' - you want high-rise trousers or salopettes that stop your other upper layers coming untucked and protect your kidneys and midriff.

Boots

Good foot wear is essential - avoiding wet, cold feet for long periods is important. All of us had some form of neoprene rubber deck boot with gaiters to avoid that dash of cold water running up your leg while on the foredeck (although Charles O suffered from 'moist gusset' when he did not secure his gaiters correctly and got an inundation up the leg of his Fladen romper suit). Charles F thoroughly recommends his trusty Musto Ocean Racers but the others had good boots from Le Chameau (Neptune) and Zhik. Breathable leather waterproof deck boots from Dubarry and Orca Bay were also very effective in lighter seas and everyday deck work and dried quickly. Lionel had an excellent pair of padded Dryrobe boots which were ideal for those very cold damp days.

Carry a pair of good lightweight hiking boots for the exploration ashore. Sea boots or deck shoes are fine for the local bar but a devil on the arches and ankles if walking any further.

Other 'stuff'

There was a range of other stuff that worked for us. Mosquito head nets were essential and we repurposed a larger mosquito bed net to prevent them getting into our covered cockpit area. Good grade mosquito repellent was also needed.

Most of us had a layered approach to sleeping bags - some form of zipped fleece inner which was entirely sufficient for the warm nights off the coast of Labrador together with a sleeping bag, preferably rectangular zipped so it could be both a bag and a cover. Mark swore by his 'sea rug' - a home-made version of this Australian waterproof 'duvet' which you could use as a cover or just wrap yourself in if you were between watches. Charles F reverted to the trusty army 'green maggot'.