Big wave surfer Andrew “Cotty” Cotton, warm and dry in his dryrobe Advance. Photo: dryrobe.
Editor’s Note: This feature is presented by our partners at dryrobe.
Winter surfing means offshore winds, less people, and more swell in the water. However these treats come at the cost of cold water, extra rubber, and fewer hours of sunlight in a day. So as someone who gets cold easily, winter surfing also means gearing up with everything I can think of to evade winter’s bite. That means slippers, a hot water jug, everything but the kitchen sink, really. Recently, a new weapon in my arsenal against old man winter has been a dryrobe Advance.
dryrobe is a Britain-based company that has been dedicated to making the warmest and most advanced changing robes in the world for the past ten years. Founded by British surfer Gideon Bright in 2010, the idea for dryrobe actually came about in the 1980’s when Gideon was just a grom. Winter surfing in England can get brutally cold, so Gideon’s mother made him a waterproof changing robe to stay warm while changing out of his wetsuit. Since then, the concept of the dryrobe has gone through many iterations of product design and testing to reach the luxurious warmth of today’s dryrobe Advance.
I took the dryrobe Advance for a spin and was stoked on the warmth and comfort of this super cozy item. Photo: WS
This rad changing robe comes in both a short and a long-sleeve version, as well as a size specifically made for kids. After consulting their helpful size guide, I tried out the long sleeve version in a size large for extra warmth and a bit of extra room underneath for changing.
All three versions of the Advance have a super soft synthetic lambswool lining that wicks away moisture without feeling wet itself. In testing I was super impressed with how well it stood up to a multi-surf day, providing instant post-surf warmth without needing to be dried out in between uses, unique among all other surf ponchos I’ve tried. On the outside, a waterproof and windproof outer shell does an awesome job of eliminating windchill on even the breeziest of dawn patrols, and with head to knee coverage I find it hard to imagine that even the most horizontal rain could present an issue while I’ve got my dryrobe on.
The dryrobe Advance is a surf poncho on steroids, with a waterproof exterior and a cozy fleece lining. Photo: dryrobe.
Another massive plus are the pockets. With two fleece-lined pockets on the outside and two inside pockets there’s plenty of room to keep essentials like a phone or wallet dry and your hands warm at the same time. While my dryrobe definitely sees plenty of use as a changing garment for surfing, I like to keep it in the back of my car for a bit of extra warmth when camping or just hanging outside on chilly days. The variety of possible uses for such a warm and cozy garment are endless, and my dryrobe Compression Bag ensures it won’t take up too much space until it’s needed.
Ian Crane is one of the newest members of the dryrobe family. Photo: dryrobe.
I’m not the only one who’s stoked on dryrobe’s solution to cold-weather surfing. The dryrobe team is stacked with pro surfers who know what it takes to perform in cold-water environments like Andrew Cotton, Izzi Gomez, Ian Crane, and Ben Gravy. Sustainability is also a big part of what makes dryrobe so awesome. Both the inside lining and outer shell are made with 100 percent recycled materials, and dryrobe itself is carbon-neutral, supporting reforestation projects in South America to offset their unavoidable emissions.
There will always be those days when it’s so cold that motivating for a surf is nearly impossible. The dryrobe Advance is designed to help you get out there and have something warm and cozy to return to when you get out of the water. To learn more, or get your own, head over to dryrobe.com.
