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November 01, 2018 3 min read
Sailing Chandlery sponsored sailor Sam Whaley reviews the Zhik Robert Scheidt Hiking wetsuits which are available in Microfleece and Superwarm designs.
These World class hikers are the latest in the Zhik hiking range and were designed by 9 x Laser World Champion Robert Scheidt. They are very comfortable, sit well on you whilst sailing and with the pads already built in you don’t have to worry about them slipping down whilst sailing. Here I am going to review both the Microfleece and Superwarm variants and hopefully give you a good idea on which pair you should buy.
The Microfleece Sheidt Hikers are ideal in warm, summer conditions. They are very comfy and extremely light weight which makes them ideal for the lighter winds. However, they are also quite thin and being the type of guy who likes to slightly overdress and protect myself from the spray I found myself only wearing these from May-September this year as they can get a bit chilly in the classic UK wet and wild conditions!
The built-in fibreglass pads on these are the perfect size, large compared with others on the market but small enough to make you forget you have pads in. This gives you more support whilst hiking, making it less painful and allowing you to have better posture and focus on driving the boat through the water. They are also quite grippy, so I never have to worry about slipping around the deck.
There is also a reasonable amount of padding on the knee to keep you protected and adjustable shoulder straps to ensure you can find the perfect fit.
My top tip for these is if in doubt order the size below. They are incredibly stretchy and slightly bigger than you might imagine. They also stretch ever so slightly as you wear them in so its worth bearing this in mind when you order.
The Superwarm Scheidt Hikers are the same as the Microfleece hikers above, but made of thicker material and engineered for cooler conditions. Weighing in slightly more than the Microfleece hikers but providing excellent warmth these are ideal for the winter months.
One again we have the same large, built-in pads as the Microfleece hikers which provide a lot of support and comfort whist sailing. There is also thicker padding on the knee meaning more protection and overall a slightly more rigid and warmer build. Once again, we also have the two adjustable shoulder straps to allow you to find your perfect fit.
These do not stretch as much as the Microfleece hikers above so I would recommend you order your normal size.
I actually prefer the extra padding and warmth that these Superwarm hikers offer and think they suit my style more. Definitely at this time of year I would recommend these as your best option and given their versatility I think you could use them on all but the hottest days in the UK.
Sailing Chandlery stock a full range of Zhik sailing kit - explore all Zhik products on our Zhik brand page or just view the sailing wetsuits available from all manufacturers.
As always, if you have questions about these hiking wetsuits, or any other product please do get in touch - we're always happy to provide you with the best advice for your scenario.
The top cover was delivered on time as expected. The cover fits perfectly and hopefully it will last forever … Thank you
Bought this for my son so can’t personally comment as I’ve not used it. However he was very pleased with the purchase and said it’s great quality.
Always happy with my orders from Sailing Chandlery. They are quick to post and very helpful when I have had a question.
Jason delivered the boat on time at Hayling Island Sailing Club. The boat was new and all the spars were in perfect condition. Jason came to pick up the boat and return the deposit which I gave at the time of the delivery. Every interaction with Andrew and Jason were handled very professionally. I will recommend to any sailor Sailing Chandlery in the future. I really appreciated how easy it was to charter this boat. Thank you very much. Jacques Kerrest
This was a birthday present for a sailing daughter (i don't sail!) She was delighted, it hasn't been out on the water yet but she's looking forward to trying it out and says it's just what she wanted... so looks like a good choice by me after helpful advice from Sailing Chandlery staff!
I bought the 2.5mm dyneema for a special winch/pulley project which needs to pull two sides of a cradle exactly simultaneously for about a meter. Originally I was going to create loops on both the LHS and the RHS, then loop them together onto a 3mm dyneema rope. This gave me two issues : firstly the "knot" would be large and may rub on the cradle (not much room available), secondly there was no redundancy if the 3mm dyneema was to fail. So I then looked at splitting the drum on the winch into 2 halves so I could wind on both the RHS and LHS 2.5mm ropes on together. This would give redundancy if one leg was to fail but it would not guarantee simultaneous pulling.
Then I had a brainwave. I spliced the 2 x 2.5mm together and then fed a 1.5meter tail through the middle creating a combined rope of approx 3.5mm diameter. I then wound this onto the drum of the winch as a single rope. This would ensure simultaneous pulling, and also provide redundancy if say the outer sheath was abraded and failed - also there was no significant "knot" so it fitted in neatly in the space available.
It was a bit of a fiddle pulling the tail through but not really difficult with the D-splicing tool.
All in all, I am very impressed with the dyneema and I am glad I did not choose a wire rope for this application.
Quick and easy to fit on to the end of the sail and work perfectly.
Thank you 'Sailing Chandlery' for your quick service and easy website which helped me pick the correct part I needed. I am back sailing when the weather allows.
Prompt delivery, with helpful updates and time slot spot on. Perfect new sail at a great price and the number fixing service is well worth it. It even won its first race! Thank you.
This was an easy thing to sort out for my Wanderer. It's a common part for a wide range of boats. The whole thing comes complete that's the Rudder pivot bolt, wing nut and 'socket washer' for the bolt head. The whole process took just a couple of days for my order to be picked dispatched and shipped and I was ready to go sailing again.
I needed GBR letters for the ILCA Europeans and they arrived by the next post.
I bought four of these blocks to deal with Control line take away Perfect.
Great product. Very good quality and price!
Quick delivery, great item
New jib sheets are good to hold, do not twist up and hold well in the cam cleats.
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