WATERPROOF JACKETS

Searching for the perfect Offshore jacket? We put half a dozen to the test to make your decision easier

- WORDS: Hugo Andreae

Every boater needs at least one waterproof jacket for year-round use but with prices ranging from as little as £150 for a high street brand to more than £700 for a premium marine manufacturer, it's not always obvious what your money buys you or whether it's worth the extra cost. To help decide we called in six jackets from right across the spectrum.

Broadly speaking, most sailing jackets fall into one of three categories; Coastal (or Inshore), Offshore and Ocean. All of them should be waterproof, windproof and breathable but as the names suggests, Coastal jackets are intended for relatively light use closer to shore with limited exposure to rain and spray. Offshore jackets are for more extended trips where you need to stay warm and dry for days at a time. Ocean jackets are for heavy duty, continuous use in challenging conditions.

For this test we decided to look at Offshore jackets, which should be sufficiently robust for most leisure boat users. There are no set rules as to what features or specifications an Offshore jacket should have but we'd look for a multi- layered breathable fabric that's waterproof to at least 20,000mm (meaning it will withstand a column of water 20m high), taped seams to prevent water penetrating through the stitching, a good mix of larger cargo pockets and smaller waterproof ones, fleece-lined handwarmers and collar, adjustable cuffs with rubber or neoprene seals, an adjustable hood with a sturdy peak and reflective patches to make the wearer more visible at night. None of them have extra thermal insulation, the idea being that you can add or remove base and mid-layers as needed.

We checked our jackets for all of these features and more, wore them extensively to assess comfort and mobility, photographed them in low light to assess their visibility and subjected them to repeated soakings, including a pressure-washer spray jet, to test their waterproofing properties.