new video on the web site

THE NEW VIDEO IS ON THE YOU TUBE VIDEO CHANNEL

In the video I show two jackets, one from North Face and the other from Under Armour. I could just as easily have shown garments from such notable companies as Columbia Sportswear, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, Sierra Designs and at least a dozen more that look almost identical with quilt patterns but are identical with respect to the thickness of the insulation regardless if it is chopped polyester fiberfill or in the case of Marmot and Columbia who are also using down. Marmot claims 800 fill power down, and it is filling spaces no larger than the 1 x 1/12 inch spaces seen in the North Face jacket. The question I have is; what is the reason to restrict the down in such a small space; and the answer is marketing. There are people who believe the non-sense about downs fill capacity working.

Technically the down is absorbing the moisture from your body and condensing very quickly so the chill sets in very quickly.

In literally all cases the garments are equally unacceptable as far as I am concerned for use below plus 40 degrees F.

What all of this says to me is the fact that the people charged with creating new garments copy each other and display a complete lack of knowledge about what they are being paid to create. These young people and they are young have no foundation and the real tragedy is the fact that those they are to answer too also have no foundation. The end result is if North Face comes out with a new look the rest of the industry follows like lemming, etc.

SAILING APPAREL

I owned a sail boat for 6 years and at one point was a live aboard for 15 months. Prior to sailing from N.Y.C. to the Bahamas I sailed Long Island Sound to Nantucket and every place in between. I had my share of experiences with squalls which in the sound could be ferocious and also in July and August during the day like the Dead Sea. In all of my experience I never found foul weather gear that would keep out the water. My answer to the question of what to do is just accepting the water, but wears clothing that will not be affected by the water.

As always wear fishnet underwear as the first layer. Over them wear a layer of quilted Lamilite such as the jacket liner as it will keep the heat your body is producing from escaping. Over the liner jacket I am recommending a garment that I have yet to produce that will have the DUCKSBACK material as its outer shell. However, I do recommend the pullover as an excellent garment for cold weather sailing, when the temperature is in the 30’s.

DUCKSBACK FABRIC

I am awaiting a second quality which is heavier that I will be using for a variety of garments as well such as an over pant. The possibilities for this fabric are almost endless.

So any and all suggestions will be considered, one suggestion was for use as the shell fabric for the leg jackets. Unfortunately it would just add cost but any benefit, but until some none offers a suggestion I can’t make a decision. So let me hear from you.

.Last one for this year!