For many involved with sailing there’s something highly aspirational about the sailing clothing ranges produced by Musto. It’s been one of the clear leaders in the market not so very long after Olympic silver medallist Keith Musto, OBE, turned his attention to providing something better to wear than the sodden Guernsey sweaters and flannel trousers that were still commonplace in the 1960s.
It’s a fascinating watch to see what it was like for Keith to sail at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 with team-mate Tony Young in this video:
Soon after his return to the UK, Keith Musto started pioneering his company’s early products from a WWII vintage former prisoner of war hut in Essex, alongside his wife. In 1994 Musto famously teamed up with innovative fabric manufacturer W L Gore, producers of GORE-TEX? breathable fabric that has an enviable repuration of keeping rain and spray out while allowing body moisture to wick away.
The range has continued to expand ever since and has gathered an ever-growing base of loyal users. Sailing explorer Skip Novak tested the Musto drysuit prototype in 5°C Antarctic waters, while Musto’s ambassadors today read like a who’s who of sailing, including Ian Walker, Sam Davies, Pete Cumming, Rich Mason, Rob Greenhalgh, Armel Le Cleac’h, Mathias Berthet and Alexander Franks-Penty. All contribute to Musto development, as well as wearing ranges like Musto HPX in the most arduous of conditions.
All of which is good to know, but how accessible is the high end of the brand these days for the likes of an average weekend cruising and round the cans sailor? The good news is that here at Wetsuit Outlet we have rails full of Musto sailing clothing in various sizes and colours to pick from, at great prices.
Musto MPX
For our focus in this blog we thought we’d look at the Musto MPX range. This sits firmly in the offshore category and so is well geared to deal with anything that most Wetsuit Outlet customers are likely to encounter. MPX sailing jackets, smocks, salopettes, trousers and drysuits are constructed from three-layer GORE-TEX? Pro laminate to provide breathability and high-performance weather protection.
Here at Wetsuit Outlet we really like these products for the feeling of protection you get when wearing them, as well as the long-lasting construction, a cut that permits thermal layering beneath, sensible safety features like large photoluminescent patches and choice of colours. Plus, the offshore jackets are not too bulky to wear ashore when the winter wind whistles straight off the North Sea past our home at the Drill Shed and the rain goes horizontal.
You can see our full Musto MPX sailing clothing line-up here. or read on to see our choice of three great MPX products to consider, all at Wetsuit Outlet special pricing.
Musto MPX Offshore Jacket in platinum
This is, for many, the archetypal example of MPX sailing clothing, but in a refreshingly different colour. A high colour, fully waterproof and breathable hood, double storm front flap and double cuffs all speak of the intent of this offshore jacket. Comfort isn’t ignored though in the Musto MPX Offshore Jacket, with articulated elbows and underarms, fleece linings for the collar and hand warming pockets and a sensible cut to permit layering.
2017 Musto Ladies MPX GORE-TEX Offshore Jacket and Trouser combi set
It’s good you can optionally buy from Wetsuit Outlet in combi sets. We’ve picked as our example the Musto Ladies MPX Offshore Jacket and Trouser combi set for women because it offers the sensible high visibility of fire orange with eminently practical black trousers that won’t show every mark and scuff as you use them.
As with all MPX offshore sailing clothing, this combi set is loaded with practical features including hand warmer pockets in the jacket and trousers, large YKK zips for durability, great protection at the neck, cuffs and ankles and so much more besides we think we’ll refer you to the product page for the full information.
The whole concept of a breathable drysuit seems, at first glance, completely at odds with itself. But such is the capability of the three-layer GORE-TEX? Pro laminate construction that you can indeed combine keeping great globs of green water out when dinghy sailing while maintaining a comfortable climate inside the suit itself.
Scuttlebutt Sailing News last year published a brilliant April Fools post suggesting Keith Musto, OBE was returning to Tokyo to try and gain gold this time around. One thing is for sure, if he did we assume that the Musto MPX GORE-TEX drysuit would be a whole heap more suitable as a dinghy sailing clothing choice compared to his Guernsey sweater and flannel days.
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