Reminds me of sailing. I learned to sail at scouting. Every Saturday in spring and summer, kids in heavy steel sailing boats, wearing jeans and blue scouting sh

Reminds me of sailing. I learned to sail at scouting. Every Saturday in spring and summer, kids in heavy steel sailing boats, wearing jeans and blue scouting shirts. If it rained you put on your cheap AGU rain suit and a life jacket (always a life jacket when wearing a rain coat!). Later, during my student days, I started seeing people sail in specialized sailing outfits with extra high pants that cost a couple of hundred bucks. I always thought that was completely unnecessary. I'm not made of sugar! I can take a bit of water, regular clothes are fine, no need for expensive, specialized gear. In fact, I developed a bit of a habit of sailing in seemingly unsuitable gear. Army boots to bare feet. It all works fine for me. But here's the thing: at scouting, we only sailed for a couple of hours. If it rained all day, you would still be home dry in the evening. And we were young. You can take a lot of discomfort when you're young. But when you're sailing for a couple of days, maybe on larger bodies of water with higher waves, clothes that are guaranteed to keep you dry are really, really nice. And some people really do need flexible shoes with extra grip on deck.