Charlie McLeod Long Length Sports Cloak - Warmth and Modesty for All Watersports

My wife and I recently took up sea swimming with the regulars at our village on the Suffolk Coast. Without exception they use Dryrobes, but we were curious to compare Dryrobe and Charlie McLeod. So, thanks to Amazon's free returns policy, we got one of each and tried them out at home.We ordered a Medium Dryrobe and a Small/Medium Charlie. They are about the same size and plenty big enough, but we are quite small (5'6" and 5'4").There are pros and cons to each. Charlie wins on pockets and style and general 'feel', whereas Dryrobe wins on its weather proof features. Of course we cannot test the waterproofing of the Charlie, because we decided to return it, and we have not yet tested the Dryrobe in seriously wet conditions. But, according to the product descriptions, the Dryrobe IS waterproof, while Charlie is only showerproof. Furthermore, the Dryrobe is fleece lined all the way to the bottom, whereas Charlie's fleece stops at the knee. And Dryrobe's main outer pockets have zips, so if you don't want to put your hands in your pockets you can zip them up and keep the rain out. Charlie DOES have an excellent outer, zipped breast pocket, which is missing from the Dryrobe.Charlie has absurd stretchy cuffs sewn into the sleeves. These would drive you mad I think, and are unnecessary because the sleeves can be gathered at the wrist and are plenty long enough. But you could always cut them out. Charlie's sleeves are slightly longer, Dryrobe's sleeves might not be long enough if you have long arms.Charlie is a nice garment, but, in our opinion, Dryrobe is better, so we kept the Dryrobe. But it was a very close contest.

I'm 72 yrs old and have no intention of competing in triathlons and if I find myself immersed in cold water, it is a major emergency. Normally I take a size Large or XL, but for this occasion I went for the S/M. Why? because there are other uses for this garment that I wanted to explore. Early in the morning I get up, have my cup of tea in the garden, and watch the dawn come up; often it is cold and damp. This cloak is perfect for putting over my pyjamas and keeping me toastie. I don't need the changing room width of the large/x-large and so the s/m is adequate. It is in effect a super warm dressing gown. The garment abounds with pockets that I will never use, but I can see that for the athlete they would be useful, though none seemed big enough for a thermos flask.I don't like that the Sherpa lining only goes down three quarters of the length of the body and the sleeves. The elasticated cuffs were a nuisance to me and I may have to cut them off. However all these comments are predicated by my use of the garment and not as it was designed for - the wet and cold athlete.But 'yes' I like it so far. It will be interesting to see how it performs for me in the winter

this is a good fit but it could do with using the fleece from the dryrobe. and the pockets from the dryrobe. then it would be 5 stars. I like the sleeve feature even it's tricky to put on when hands are freezing....think i need to start wearing gloves :-)The choice of robes is limited to 2 and I opted for this due to snug fit and it comes with a bag and chamois and is cheaper!Also I think the big Charlie Mcleod writing on the back is naff.

I bought this product for warming up after cold water dipping/swimming and I can't recommend it enough! It's amazing! Waterproof, warm with great design details. I love the built in hand warming sleeves and handy inside pockets. Seems to be of superior quality to Dryrobes. I'm glad I hung fire and researched before purchasing a sports cloak. Wouldn't be without my Charlie now!!!

good warm long coatsizes very generous i am a size 16/18 so bought L/XL but had to return for S/M

Bought two of these Charlie McLeod cloaks for Christmas and the boys are as chuffed as you like. Absolutely brilliant with the added hand sections and big pockets. Both surfers and winter swimmers, couldn't ask for more.Thanks for your very speedy delivery

Felt it was too bulky and heavy...

Good fit and just what was needed for sea swimming.