(REALLY) Light Weight Foul Weather Gear

When I travel I like to pack light.  When flying to a location to do a boat delivery, I insist that my crew only travel with a carry on bag.   We just can’t afford having a lost bag that might cause delays or worse, no gear or clothes.  So they have to pack light too.

I can fit all of my foul weather gear into a dopp kit .  That’s right, I pack a jacket, pants, footwear and more into this small travel bag . The dopp kit measures about 8 inches by 5 inches.

If I’m a guest on a Thursday night club race (DIYC) or a Friday night “Rum Race”, (RNZYS), I carry this small bag with me in case of rain or spray.  It’s nice not to look like you are bringing too much stuff on a race boat.

These items are both waterproof and breathable.  I have found them to work well to keep me dry and comfortable.  They are not for warmth in cool climates, but because they are light weight, and breathable, they don’t make me sweat in warmer climates either.  For more warmth when it’s colder, I use layers under these.  It would not be unusual to have 5 layers on when it’s cold. My base layer is Marino wool in both warm and colder climates.

The jacket is made by Marmot, a mountaineering gear company. This is a 6 oz. rain jacket that is breathable and has a nice hood. You can find this sort of thing at outdoor shops like REI. It did not come with the reflective tape so I added this. The socks are made by Randy Sun. I find that these top notch mountain climbing equipment companies have some of the most advanced gear for outdoor sport.

 If sailing to cold climates like Iceland or Scotland, I will also carry my regular bulky Gill offshore jacket.  This does not go in my carry on bag.  On an airplane, jackets are not counted as a carry on item.  One time I stuffed the pockets and arms of this jacket with clothing rather than taking a carry on bag that the airline charged for.

This  light weight high tech gear is not cheap.  By weight, it’s the most expensive clothing that I own.  Expect to pay around $180-$220 for the jacket and about $100 for the pants.  The waterproof socks are available on Amazon for about $25.

Often I’ll wear this jacket under my Gill jacket as an additional layer of waterproofing.  The same is true with the pants.  Under these waterproof pants I will wear my “water resistant” First Accent pants that also shed water.  I like to keep my bum dry and warm. 

If your waterproof gear or your canvas on the boat lose their ability to shed water, I suggest you spray them with KIWI “Camp Dry” heavy duty water repellent spray.  Scotch Guard works well too.