As a surfer I got the idea behind this product straight away. As a rugby player it’s not quite so straightforward. Basically when you’re surfing or doing any other kind of wetsuit wearing water sport you often don’t have changing facilities to hand. Many a time I’ve had to change out of a sandy, salty and slippery wetsuit in a car park, on a beach or in a field. The wind whipping my cold body whilst I try to save my modesty with a towel/car door/bush or whatever is available.
The DRYROBE is a perfect solution for that conundrum. In essence it is a waterproof dressing gown that zips up the front creating poncho type scenario for one to change inside of. For getting changed after being in the water? Great. I get it. For rugby? Not sure.
First the basics. It’s incredibly warm, feels like getting a hug when you put it on and is very well made. The soft, absorbent and fuzzy lining is throughout the garment. It doesn’t shirk on lining the sleeves or hood as some jackets etc do. It’s very long, reaching down to your ankles and is very substantial. By this I mean it’s thick and quite heavy. It definitely doesn’t feel like it’s going to flap in the breeze, put it that way. The pockets are deep enough to warm hands and it also boasts a zipped inside pocket and mesh pouch for wet stuff. This means you won’t lose your gumshield, headguard, etc that easily. There are also the inevitable range of colours available as well as a camouflage version and intriguingly all styles come in a sleeveless version too. Guns out then.
My only question for this product as a rugby piece of kit is: How does this differ from a long padded coat? The answer is (aside from it being very warm, well made and waterproof) very little. At a retail price of £110 it is a bit of luxury in that respect. That however doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be considered because it definitely fulfils the function of a jacket and some more. I think where it could really add value is for players who also surf or do water sports. This would make it a dual purpose garment and it certainly would add value to both partaking in both sports.
All in all, a well-made garment and potentially a really good cross-sport piece of kit. It would be an expensive item of rugby specific kit but would definitely do the business on the sidelines if bought for that purpose.
DRYROBE: https://dryrobe.com/
