GEAR | Dryrobe An Essential Bit Of Gear For Outdoor Sports Enthusiasts – Dryrobe Review

December 12, 2019 Donna-Louise Bryan

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What is it?

Dryrobe Advance Long Sleeve RRP: £130 – £140

Overall Rating (5 / 5)

Stockists

Key features

Completely waterproof and windproof outer shell fabric
Super warm lining that wickes water away from the skin
2 way zip
Large zipped pockets
Internal chest zip with wire slit great for media devices
Generous sizing
Small, medium and large options
Great colour choices
Large hood
Super light construction, 1.3kg
Minimal sealed seam construction

Dryrobe Advance Waterproof Changing Robe Camo

Dryrobe Advance Waterproof Changing Robe Black

Dryrobe Advance Waterproof Changing Robe Blue/Black

Dryrobe Towelling Robe - Hooded Poncho Towel Changing Robe — Dryrobe Towelling Robe – Hooded Poncho Changing Robe

The Verdict

I am dating a windsurfer, and I don’t mean someone who has the occasional dabble on our annual holiday, I mean a guy who competes, owns 3 wetsuits and thinks nothing of getting out onto the water in November.

Never one to be left behind, when offered the chance to review a fab long sleeved Dryrobe, I was thrilled. My boyfriend already has the short sleeved version as do many of his water sport loving friends and I started to wonder if these mysterious garments might be the secret to their willingness to get out even in the winter. Indeed, I think they might be.

I am not a massive windsurfer but I have a go and also do a bit of stand-up paddle boarding, but not as a general rule, past about September.

However, on receiving my Dryrobe at the end of Autumn, I was actually keen to get my wetsuit back out of recent hibernation and get out onto the water.

We set off on a breezy cold November day to hang out at the lake and while usually after 20 minutes in anything but sun, my mind is wandering to shelter and hot tea, I realised I was surprisingly warm, dry and snug.

I am a size 10 and although Dryrobes are described as generously cut, I got the medium and there is plenty of room. I could have gone with the small but I knew the larger size would allow me to easily wear the dry robe on top of thick clothes as well as over a wetsuit or bikini.

Features & Practical Use

As well as keeping me warm and stopping me from pestering my boyfriend asking if it was time for a tea break yet, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of features packed into the 1.3kg Dryrobe.

On either side of the wind and waterproof outer fabric shell, there are large fleece line pockets with secure zip closures. There is a big hood, a two way full length centre zip, an internal chest pocket with built in wire slit for your phone or MP3 player, and a huge internal A4 sized fleece lined ‘poacher pocket’

These features are all great for me because while my boyfriend mainly uses his Dryrobe for changing inside and keeping warm between competitive windsurfing rounds, I don’t always need mine for such exhausting reasons.

OK, I want it to keep me warm and dry but I also need it to cope with more mundane (but equally important) tasks like holding money, chocolate, a dog lead, my phone…you know…the important things.

But this is one of the cool things about Dryrobes, they really aren’t just for watersport nuts. One of my boyfriend’s mates wears his camo design Dryrobe to walk the dog, and mine came in really handy last week when I found myself on a modelling job for a bike shop where we were shooting summer biking gear on top of a windy hill in a chilly 2 degrees.

I had thrown my Dryrobe into the car thinking at the time I was being a little OTT but I was so grateful for it later on. One of the crew members had also bought one, and everyone shivering on set who had never seen one before was enviously asking questions about what they were and where you can
get them from!

Dry robes come in a few different options. Short-sleeved, long-sleeved and towelling versions. There is a good range of colours too which is great if you’re like me and nearly never buy anything in black, and prefer to stand out from the crowd a bit.

Final say

Our Rating

Quality 5/5

Practicality 5/5

Value 4.5/5

Overall Rating (5 / 5)

All in all the Dryrobe is one of those things in life that you perhaps never realised just how much you needed until you get it! It’s excellent value, and extremely practical, making it a great bit of kit.

Although I am still more of a fair weather watersports enthusiast rather than a hardcore nut, if my boyfriend does happen to talk me into another winter session at the lake, my Dryrobe will now be the first thing I sling into the van….even before the tea!