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The most important aspect of a good pair of hiking shorts is positioning of the battens and the lift they provide. The options we do for hiking are:
Now that list might be overwhelming so here is a quick summary of the different options. A lot of the time the choice of which hiking system to go for is down to personal preference but hopefully this guide will give a bit of insight into our hikers.
Pro Hikers
Full length with fixed battens, the pads tend to fit longer legged and pro sailors better. With longer legged sailors and super fit sailors, they are able to extend their legs further from the toestrap in a more comfortable manner, so they manage to get the hike pad over the side deck. My lack of ILCA training would have meant that I would have only managed to place the pro hike pad on the side deck. At 4/3mm and full length Pro hikers are ideal for cooler temperatures and winter sailing paired with hot or polypro legs. Then great by themselves all summer!
Classic hikers ¾
¾ length so just below the knee with knee reinforcements. These are also fixed pads that are slightly higher up the leg which tends to fit the less fit senior sailors and fitter younger sailors as well. A particular favourite for Topper sailors and younger sailors.
Pro Hikers No Pads
Full length 4/3mm neoprene with the same construction as the standard Pro Hikers, just without the fixed pads. Compatible with our ProHike Pads so you can choose the size of pad you would like and also the position of where works best for you. I recently used them at the UK ILCA Masters Qualifier which was a brutal weekend of gusts in the area of 37 knots, although the RO thought it never reached over 27 on his committee boat (whilst holding his wind indicator under his jacket perhaps?)
Fitting the pads is easy, just turn the pro hikers inside out and place the hike pads about 3 inches from the knee seam. The top of the hike pads are shaped to protect your delicate parts. The top of the hikers ended up being well into my bum cheeks. I was not embarrassed as I can still remember seeing Paige Railey (World #1 Radial Sailor),waddling like a Penguin whilst walking on the shore. Our Prohike pads are pre shaped to your leg, which gives you additional lift off the side deck. This gives the sailor the ability to sail the boat much flatter without hitting the water, which is fast! For me it also makes for a slightly nicer hiking position - gives my legs a slight bend, which having not sailed the ILCA much this year was a godsend. Having fitted the pads to where felt best, the pads were central to the deck edge, and I was in the lap of luxury.
Race Armour Lite Shorts
Our most versatile option, these neoprene and spandex shorts have the capability to add Prohike pads into the seat through our standard hook and loop attachment. These shorts can then be worn by themselves for summer sailing or over the top of any other wetsuit or drysuit. At the ILCA Qualifier my wife Sarah wore the shorts over her Supertherm Longjohn which she thought was a game changer. They never dropped or moved. Happy wife is a happy life!
LongJohns and Legs
Similar to the shorts, our longjohns and legs are compatible with the Prohike pads. Meaning you can use your longjohns and legs for hiking but also for a large variety of watersports such as Stand Up Paddleboarding, Surfing or Kayak
Hopefully this guide has been helpful in explaining our different hiking options. If you are still feeling overwhelmed or confused, contact our customer service team on hello@roostersailing.com or +44 (0) 1243 389997
