Lucy Davis loves to go to fabric fairs, looking for materials she can use in her role as sailing designer for the UK performance-sailing brand Musto. When she saw what PrimaLoft had to offer recently, she got excited.
PrimaLoft is a type of polyester insulation that mimics down feathers. There are different versions of PrimaLoft, and Davis used several of them to winterize Musto’s BR1 Collection. The result is warmer pieces to go with the uninsulated originals.
The concept with the BR1 Winter Collection is to give casual cruisers an affordable product with qualities similar to what the pros wear out on the water in heavy weather. At the same time, the product design is not wholly sailing-specific, so the pieces can also be worn while walking a dog or doing other things.
“We wanted to offer some midlayer options so people could sail all year round if they want to,” she says. “The casual day sailor can layer up in the same way that our professional sailors might.”
Solent PrimaLoft Insulator Jacket
The big kahuna of the Winter Collection is the PrimaLoft Channel Sailing Jacket. It’s an outer-layer piece (think big coat for winter fun) with features such as fleece-lined pockets, a high collar, a hood, and extra insulation around the body’s core.
The two other jackets are midlayers that can be worn underneath that outer jacket or on their own. The PrimaLoft Midlayer Jacket is waterproof, while the Solent PrimaLoft Insulator Jacket can repel light spray but with breathable fabric, thanks to PrimaLoft’s Utility insulation.
BR1 PrimaLoft Channel Sailing Jacket
“If you’re wearing heavy back straps or you have a life vest on, you’re not losing a lot of the loft on the shoulders,” Davis says. “But it’s also thin insulation, which is preferable when you don’t want bulk. It’s unique in that it’s a genuinely breathable insulated jacket.”
All in all, she adds, the fun is in giving boaters better options: “I love being able to use anything new that I think actually is going to make a difference for how comfortable people are when they are sailing.”
Take the next step: musto.com
