Find the best sailing jacket
We tested our jackets and compared the classic features that every good jacket should have, but we also included the type of sailing when making our evaluation, so that we can assess which jackets are best for different areas of application. We did this for both men and women's sailing jackets, which is why there are multiple results of our men's sailing jacket test and women's sailing jacket test in a clear and meaningful presentation. We hope our sailing jacket test will help you find the jacket that is right for you.
Which jacket is best for which kind of sailing?
Not every jacket is designed to be suitable for all kinds of sailing. The quality, functionality and durability vary depending on manufacturer, price segment and use. For example, coastal jackets are designed to have properties that provide the best possible protection for the skipper and crew near the coast. Whereas offshore jackets, which have to withstand the high seas and harsh weather conditions, usually have different properties. Comparing the quality of individual jackets can therefore only be done fairly by making a realistic classification of different jacket types and comparing the jackets accordingly. Our jackets are thus distinguished as follows:
Sailing Jacket Test - Assessment Criteria
Regardless of the type of sailing, there are some important features that all sailing jackets should have. These characteristics and quality features are what we have considered to be the most important evaluation criteria for our test. Therefore, the following properties and features were tested and assessed in our comparison:
- Breathability, waterproofness and windproofness
- Quality of the materials used and workmanship
- Comfort, fit, functionality & freedom of movement
- Distinguishing design features and specific aspects such as hood, sleeves, cuffs, colours and reflectors
Sailing jacket test: different jackets for different types of sailing
When looking at aspects relating to design and quality, fashion is not the only thing that counts. Important quality features include the choice of material, workmanship of the jacket, cut, fit and functionality as well as individual features such as hoods or pockets.
Which is why, when considering which jacket to buy, this almost always depends on the type of sailing you will be doing while wearing. Coastal sailing requires a jacket to have different features than a jacket for regattas on the high seas. So, we looked at different test criteria and determined the winning jacket from the following test categories:
- Sailing jacket test winner: Inshore and Coastal - Men & Women
- Sailing jacket test winner: Offshore - Men & Women
This allowed us to not only determine a winning sailing jacket for each test category, but also present our personal price-performance winner among those jackets.
But that's not all: because we also fully trust the views of our customers, we list our customers' favourites in the top sellers section.
The test is our way of making it easy for you to compare the features of jackets from top names such as HELLY HANSEN GILL, MUSTO and MARINEPOOL while knowing the jacket you choose has also passed the strict quality requirements of the SVB team.
Men's offshore sailing jacket test
Men's coastal sailing jacket test
Women's offshore sailing jacket test
Women's coastal sailing jacket test
Conclusion of the sailing jacket test
There are countless sailing jacket models that are suitable for many different requirements and types of sailing. We therefore considered different quality criteria and properties, such as waterproofness, breathability, windproofness, number of outside and inside pockets and features such as reflectors and hood for the jackets in our sailing jacket test. In our men's sailing jacket test and women's sailing jacket test, not only were we able to show you therefore the winning jacket in terms of quality and performance but also find out which were the top selling jackets among SVB customers. We found that the best sailing jackets can be found in all possible price segments. It's also worth noting that the sailing jackets from well-known brands such as HELLY HANSEN, GILL, MARINEPOOL and MUSTO, which are ranked in places 1-3 in all tests, are also impressive.
Sailing jacket brands - Names that stand for quality
Experience has shown that jackets from well-known brands differ significantly in quality from unknown and inexpensive sailing jacket brands, when it comes to materials used and workmanship. When choosing a new jacket, it is therefore worth considering a reputable brand or popular sailing jacket brand. In our sailing jacket test, we therefore only test jackets from the following manufacturers:
