The Atlantic Jacket and trousers are the latest offshore oilskin offerings from Gill. Made from a 5 Dot™ 3 layer fabric with fully taped seams, they are completely waterproof and breathable and showcase a selection of features tailored specifically for every sailor's needs. With a rollaway high-visibility hood and adjustable cuffs with PU inner seals they are completely adjustable and can cater to any physique. Retailing at £240 for the jacket and £160 for the trousers, this certainly isn't the cheapest set available, but still very reasonable for foul weather sailing gear.
We tested the storm grey set, though the oilskins are also available in red. They did look very smart. The design is understated enough to wear in the club house and the dark colour is also quite practical for all those thrills and spills that come with sailing. However this isn't so sensible when put into a man overboard situation. I was disappointed to see that there are only six reflective patches on this jacket (Both wrists and shoulders, one on the chest area and one on the hood). At night it would be extremely difficult to locate a casualty in the water and, less importantly, the jacket wouldn't meet offshore racing demands. You would have to add areas of reflective tape to the back of the neck and hood to fit the regulations.
Having said all of that, the material is very comfortable to wear. Unlike some other wet weather gear, you are not going to be uncomfortable with these next to your skin. Gone are the days of having to put a pair of trousers between you and the outer shell. Now shorts are plenty as you won't need any barrier protection from these trousers. The cut is very accommodating too. Even when being stretched in every direction, the Gill Atlantic jacket and trousers aren't in the least bit restrictive. The lightweight, low-bulk design gives you complete freedom of movement. The Kevlar reinforced seat and knees also give extra strength in the areas you need it most.
Other additions I really like include the high-visibility hood, which folds down into a zip pocket. Though it does mean it is a little harder to get out in a hurry, this has removed the big bulk of fabric that usually sits round your neck in a waterproof jacket. The heavy duty zip is ergonomically designed so very easy to use with a gloved hand.
Regrettably the zip on the trousers isn't so desirable. It is the same design so it is easy to navigate and rarely gets caught, but unfortunately, lads, the fastening doesn't come down far enough, which combined with a large waterproof gusset means that if you wish to relieve yourself you will need to take off your jacket and undo the braces. Everyone knows that in a rough sea, the last thing you want to do is spend any more time in the heads than you have too!
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A middle of the range set which is comfortable to wear, lightweight and not restrictive. If you are a day time cruiser I would strongly recommend this set as you have got all the quality that we have come to expect from Gill over the years as well as a set of oilskins that are easy on the eye. If you are into yacht racing, then little things like having to take off your jacket to go to the heads and attaching more reflective tape may become quite irritating. If you can get past this, then they will be more than capable of doing the job. |
Form more information on Gill, visit www.gillmarine.com
