Best Decathlon sailing kit: 8 of the best products from the French giant
Decathlon has been producing more and more sailing kit in recent years. With so much to chose from, what are some of the best Decathlon sailing kit options?
In the world of boating kit and clothing, Decathlon is still considered something of a new kid on the block, but the French giant has been creating sailing clothing, chandlery and boating equipment for many years now and their range is still expanding.
Decathlon has long produced good quality, inexpensive equipment for a wide variety of sports from skis and skiing wear, to archery equipment, or climbing kit.
Broadly Decathlon’s sailing range is branded under the ‘Tribord’ label (tribord being the French for Starboard). Initially, Decathlon mostly produced sailing and boating clothing, which usually performed extremely well in any of our testing and at a price point that makes it very competitive.
But in recent years the brand has branched out further still, now offering ropes, general chandlery, safety kit and much more.
Here, we’ve picked up what we consider to be some of the best Decathlon sailing kit in the Tribord range.
Best Decathlon sailing kit
Decathlon Women’s Waterproof Windproof Sailing Jacket 300
Read our full guide to the best women’s sailing jackets
Like all its performance sailing kit, Decathlon’s Sailing Jacket 300 has been produced in collaboration with sailors and designers to create exactly the sort of stylish, functional jacket required for coastal sailing.
This women’s jacket is waterproof, windproof and breathable, with special features which include a high fleece-lined collar, protective flaps and adjustable hem and cuffs to ensure a snug fit and to help stem water ingress.
In addition this women’s sailing jacket features a fully adjustable hood that can be zipped away in the collar. All plastic zips on this jacket are injection treated that Decathlon say helps stop salt oxidation.
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Tribord Yacht Race boat shoes
These unisex race boat shoes have a bargain basement price, but they don’t skimp on quality.
Decathlon’s technical shoes are lightweight, with a mesh upper that benefits from a plasma coating that reduces water absorption by 40 per cent.
The sole is made of non-marking rubber, with deep drainage channels and an effective non-slip pattern.
Decathlon Cruise 100
If you’re not after something purely for onboard your boat – or something with slightly more traditional styling – and you happen to be female then you’d do well to consider Decathlon’s Cruise 100 Women’s Leather Boat Shoes.
These moccasin-style boat shoes are lightweight and offer comfort for active summer sailing. They have all the features expected of functional boat shoes including non-marking and non-slip micro-grooved natural rubber outsoles.
The uppers are made from a combination of split leather and thin lightweight mesh, which aids breathability. And the detachable cotton insoles help to keep things fresh!
Buy Decathlon Cruise 100 shoes from Decathlon
Decathlon Tribord LJ150N
This is one of the least expensive 150N lifejackets on the market which also includes automatic inflation, a crotch strap and a built-in harness.
Designed with technical input from French Vendée Globe sailor Tanguy De Lamotte, the LJ150N follows the current trend in having the outer cover secured with a zip that bursts when the bladder inflates, rather than the poppers and hook-and-loop fastener which was previously to go-to option for self inflating lifejackets and can still be widely found on older lifejackets.
This offering from Decathlon comes in black and the slim fit and good value make it a contender if you’re in the market for a basic lifejacket that’s functional and economical.
N.B. Decathlon has issued a recall for all Tribord LJ 150N lifejackets bought between 12 April 2021 and 27 August 2021. Customers are advised to not use it and return it to a store where a full refund will be given.
Decathlon Sailing robust Bermuda shorts 100
For those of us planning on sailing in warmer weather a pair of technical shorts is always a good addition to the sailing kit bag. These shorts were designed alongside a range of sailors with a focus on inshore sailing.
These sailing Bermuda shorts provide great ease of movement thanks to the addition of elastane into the material and are very practical with their 6 pockets, including 2 secure zipped pockets. Perfect for keeping you comfortable onboard while allowing you to keep plenty of kit to hand.
Sailing elastic tether
There are some bits of safety kit that are simply vital and one of those is a safety tether, which attaches to a safety harness (sometimes incorporated into your lifejacket) and to your jackstays or other safety point onboard.
If you are planning on doing any ocean sailing, or indeed any sailing where you will be significantly off the coast, connecting your harness to a fixed point on the boat and preventing you from falling into the sea is vital.
Decathlon claims their tether is a quality tether developed, tried and tested in collaboration with the French sea rescue service (SNSM). It is compact (elastic), features a releasable harness snap hook and ‘one-handed’ main snap hook.
90 litre Waterproof bag
This very large 90 litre bag from Decathlon should be ideal for keeping all your sailing kit contained and, crucially, dry when out on the water. The backpack style design should make it easy to carry to and from the boat, while the waterpoofing makes it ideal for use from ship-to-shore.
Decathlon says this is a proper sailing bag designed with sailors’ needs in mind. It features multiple compartments to organise your things and keep them that way, to make life easier on board.
Men’s long john neoprene wetsuit
This sleeveless 2mm neoprene wetsuit offers great freedom of movement with its sleeveless design and thin material. It follows a move from many manufacturers to offer thinner wetsuits of the sleeveless style which allows the wearer greater flexibility than a full sleeved, or even short sleeved, option.
This men’s neoprene wetsuit should be ideal for regular dinghy/catamaran sailing in warm weather, or for other watersports activities like stand up paddleboarding. Without sleeves and at just 2mm thickness it is definitely a summer wetsuit, but will be suitable for much of the autumn and spring too, dependant on activity levels.
Extra features include a practical opening for easy urination and resistant patches for wear and chafing.
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