DON’T WORRY – I’m not about to subject you to the sight of a tubby bloke in skin tight leggings. This is a family fishing website and I don’t want to be responsible for mass-vomiting on keyboards. I’ll stick with a catalogue shot and let your imagination do the rest!
I’ve mentioned in previous reviews that I often use items designed for anglers in other areas of my life. I’ve also mentioned before that I own a dog. Therefore, I’ll bore you all again by saying that I’m a dog-owning angler who uses some of his fishing gear for other purposes….and that the Eskimo Second Skin Trousers from the Matt Hayes Total Fishing Gear (TFG) range are one of those items!
These black thermal under-trousers cling to the skin, keeping a very small warm layer of air close to the skin. In a way, they look and work a little bit like a wetsuit, but without the water! They’re also made of a lot more comfortable material and are easy to get on and off! I’ll post the technical details below this review, as posting them here would make it look like I’d performed loads of scientific tests and research, which I haven’t done. Instead, I’ve worn these trousers a LOT and am speaking from my own experience.
As soon as you put the TFG Eskimo Second Skin Trousers on, you feel warm. You look a bit like a wannabe Ninja, but this is soon resolved by putting your normal trousers on over the top. Once that’s done, you can forget about them.
I’ve worn these trousers in extremely cold conditions for over a year now and have never felt that my legs are cold in them. They do exactly what they’re supposed to do and have survived numerous trips to the washing machine.
When overnight carp fishing, they are great to wear in your sleeping bag. Coupled with the TFG Eskimo Second Skin top, they’re a perfect combination at night. I have to say that, although I own a top and use it on occasion (especially at night), I haven’t needed it so much during the day, as most of my windproof fleeces and other tops provide adequate warmth. It’s hand to have at hand, though, as it really does provide instant warmth.
Both the Eskimo trousers and top take up very little room. They’re almost like underwear in design, so are well worth having tucked away in your rucksack if you’re doing a long session. If you’re a day angler, I’d certainly recommend the trousers. The top would be handy if you prefer mobility – you won’t need to wear the number of layers that I usually wear when fishing!
I’ve worn the TFG Eskimo Second Skin trousers and top not just when out carp fishing and when walking the dog, but also when fishing from beaches and out on a boat. Trust me, those conditions can be a lot more demanding than when fishing inshore and these products have never let me down.
The RRP of both the top and trousers is £24.99. However, at the time of writing, Fishtec have them at just £4.99 each. Click here to see if that offer still remains.
Elton Murphy, AnglersNet.co.uk – January, 2008
Additional Sales Information
TF Gear’s Second Skin uses a highly innovative fabric specifically developed for extended periods of high action sports activity.
It has three major properties which when combined make an extremely effective fabric, ideal for active sportsmen and women who need their clothing to work efficiently over long periods of time.
- A flat knit filament polyester yarn on the inner face gives exceptional wicking characteristics, helping to keep the surface of the skin dry. A spun Polyester yarn pique finish on the outside gives the fabric loft and a good warmth to weight ratio.
- The Polyester yarns absorbs just 0.4% of their own weight in moisture (as opposed to 30%+ for cotton) helping to keep the body dry and warm.
- The fabric is treated with a ‘sanatized’ finish giving it highly durable anti microbial properties – minimising odour build up during extended periods of use.
TFG Second Skin System garments are designed to be worn next to the skin for maximum efficiency, and as the base layer of a Layer System.
A Layer System is based on a simple principle – water transmits heat thirty times faster than air. So wet skin gets cold thirty times quicker than dry skin. To keep warm in the worst conditions first of all you must stay dry. To do this your clothing must:
1. Transport body moisture away from the skin
2. Hold dry warm air close
3. Keep the rain and snow out
Thats what a 3 Layer System does, in three lightweight, non-restrictive layers.
Layer 1: Worn next to the skin, this layer’s primary function is to transfer (wick) sweat away from your body. All garments from our Thermal range, mid or lightweight, are designed for just this purpose.
Layer 2: The main job of the mid-layer is to hold warm, dry insulating air inside the clothing system and close to the body.
Layer 3: This layer must be completely waterproof to the outside elements.
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