Dryrobe review – Advance Long Sleeve

February, 2019

I‘d been thinking that I wanted a Dryrobe for a while. If you haven’t seen them yet, they are tentlike waterproof coats with a fluffy lining. A a lot of triathletes and especially surfers and Open Water swimmers wear them. I’d not really understood the fuss until I saw someone draw their arms from the sleeves into the body of the dryrobe and get changed, decency preserved while stood in the open on a blasted and rainy field. In that heartbeat, I totally understood why they were so popular. This may have been related to the fact I was hopping on one leg trying desperately to keep my critical parts covered with a small towel as I levered myself into more substantial and drier kit.

I still hadn’t bitten, but as we walked around a show at the NEC I noticed a Dryrobe stand. Immediately I was mesmerised by a robe that had a huge embroidered Red Bull Neptune Steps logo on it. I wanted it badly on sight. I was doing the event in a few weeks so surely this was a sign from the event gods?

Literally pulling my wallet from my jeans I asked the stand staff if they had one in my size. I was informed with genuine sadness that they only had display stock, but I could order online.

As soon as we got back to the car I was frantically searching the online store – no Red Bull Dryrobes. ‘That’s OK,’ I thought, ‘I’ll get one at the event.’

So, simple bits first. The outside of the Dryrobe is totally waterproof and windproof, with a substantial hood. It’s a ‘post exercise’ garment so isn’t going to be very breathable, but this shouldn’t be a problem. It has a chunky double sided zip that can be done with cold hands from either outside or inside the robe, and two massive externally opening pockets with a very soft fleece lining that really invites you to thrust your hands deep inside to warm them up. In the words of Marie Kondo (maybe?), the pockets actually bring me joy.

The inside has a fluffy synthetic layer – it’s not the softest fabric in the world and in my opinion it’s not as warm as you might imagine it to be but it feels ok on bare skin – it just doesn’t exactly give you a cuddle. On a cold day, fresh out of the water you may find yourself throwing extra layers on underneath it while it warms up if you are going to be outside for a reasonable while.

There are a couple more pockets inside – a large waterproof pocket that’s ideal for keys and phone, with a headphone cable slit, and a huge fleece one capable of holding an iPad or a magazine. While I can see the need for this, I’ve not found myself in that situation yet; what I have found it ideal for is holding a hot water bottle which neatly solves the warmth issue for me.

March 2019

A couple of weeks later, as soon as I arrived at the Glasgow canal, I went and found the Dryrobe stand, where I was conclusively told ‘These are only for winners’. Although I consider myself to be a winner in very many ways, I knew I wasn’t going to be awarded one as a result of my cold water swimming prowess. Disappointed, I purchased a standard, unembroidered Dryrobe, feeling a loser even with my shiny new purchase.

I think peak Dryrobe value for me is when I’m cold water swimming before dawn in the river – I pull on a pair of trunks, throw on the robe which has a hat and goggles in a pocket and drive the few miles to the river entry. Seconds before entering the water I shed the robe, laying it waterproof side out on the bank, swim, and then within seconds of getting out I have it back on and I’m ready to walk back to the car, drinking tea. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that every single member of the group I swim with is wearing the same.

The Dryrobe was invented by a British surfer, but I suspect they aren’t made here and although there’s a huge opportunity to make use of recycled materials given the synthetic nature of the fabric I don’t think that’s something that’s happening yet.

October 2019

We arrived at the Red Bull Timelaps and as we walked to our place in the pits, I couldn’t help but notice a Dryrobe stand. Once again, I could see the massive embroidered logo on the back of the robes, and we quickly realised these special edition robes were for sale. My heart sank as I realised I couldn’t possibly justify owning two robes.

The Dryrobe feels bulletproof, but it is bulky. Mine is a large, I’m a big guy, and there’s still loads of room. Even if you use the optional £30 compression sac, you still have something the size of a small daysack; I’ve seen some people pack the robe into the hood which seems to be the only way to minimise the size without spending even more money; When I did have to travel with it hand luggage only I seriously thought about wearing it for check in, but somehow managed to ram it into a bag and still make the size limit. Fortunately it was an overnight trip and I didn’t have a lot of other gear.

Its not cheap, and you may not use it for every race… but I’ve found myself using it a lot more than I thought I would over the last year, and when it comes into it’s own, you’ll be really glad you have one. I’d recommend the long sleeve over the shortsleeve and really strongly suggest you check out the limited edition section of the Dryrobe site to see if there’s something there that will mark you out from the crowd.

After miserable weather making the Timelaps painful this year, it felt like every member of our twelve man squad got one for Christmas.

Me included.

December 2019

My wife is amazing. She not only pretended she wanted my old Dryrobe for long enough to make me not feel guilty about having another one, but she actually have me the Timelaps robe for Christmas.

So now I have two dryrobes.

And I feel like a winner.