Tried and tested
• Helly Hansen Aegir Ocean Trousers • Mighty Mug
When you need them, good oilskins are worth their weight in gold. But can a £600 pair of trousers ever be a bargain? Graham Snook finds out.
My last set of Helly Hansen trousers endured eight years of abuse and these Aegir Ocean trousers are better. The fit is good and can be adjusted around the shoulders, knees and ankles; the Velcro around the ankles is oversized so there are no loose flaps. They feel a little baggy and bulky around the reinforced and padded knees, but the padding makes kneeling on a deck comfortable.
The shoulder straps have Velcro securing patches to keep the ends tamed (but I cut the excess off). They have two thigh pockets (one wave-proof, the other made of mesh) that are big enough to use while wearing gloves.
The tough reinforcement around the zips, knees, bum and even the hem of the legs makes these trousers feel bullet-proof. A fabric flap and a two-way zip at the front make it easy for men to answer the call of nature.
There was a loop at the back, to hang them up, but it got hooked over the horn of a vertically mounted cleat in my cockpit – as I lent forward I heard a sickening tear. Thankfully it was the outer fabric of the waistband so their integrity isn’t affected.