White Water Softshell Robe review: a classy piece of beachwear for all year long

Meet the reviewer

Pat Kinsella

Pat has hiked all over the world, his adventures taking him to Mont Blanc, the roof of Western Europe; the Norwegian Alps; the highest peaks on Australia; and New Zealand’s Great Walks – among others. He’s an experienced tester of hiking footwear and gives each pair a thorough thrashing before reviewing.

White Water Softshell Robe: first impressions

The White Water Softshell Robe offers something really quite different in what has become a pretty busy market over the last few years, following the success of Dryrobe’s pioneering products. Hailing from a new British brand, it’s an environment-friendly, stylish-looking softshell changing robe that’s warm, weatherproof and breathable, but crucially, you can wear it all year round.

Up until now, people have had to choose between a chunky, heavy and hot hardshell robe (ace in winter, but a bit too much for most of the year) or a towel-style robe (often inadequate outside of summer). This softshell robe provides the perfect in-between weight, which is weatherproof and warm enough for virtually all-winter use, but still breathable enough to be comfortable in the summer, and absolutely perfect for the shoulder seasons.

This robe is constructed with White Water’s trademarked SWB-Tech three-layer fabric, which comprises a stretchy outer material, backed by a breathable, waterproof and windproof TPU membrane, with a recycled microfleece lining. The outer layer has been treated with an ecological fluorine-free, water-repellent finish, so light rain and other moisture beads on the surface and rolls off. The S in SWB stands for sustainable and, impressively, the polyester used in the majority of this robe is all recycled.

The design of this stylish robe has been very well thought through, and practical features include a variable-volume hood, raglan sleeves, adjustable cuffs, a fully waterproof chest pocket, two hand pockets with zips and a YKK two-way front zip. The logos are reflective, and you can wear it in all kinds of scenarios. 

White Water Softshell Robe: on the coast

I’ve been testing this softshell robe while wild swimming along the coast of Devon and kayaking in Wales during the latter part of winter. The water temperature has been Baltic, frankly, and as I zipped the robe up during its first outing I was desperately hoping its thermal performance would prove to be at least half as good as it promised to be. 

Fortunately I was not left shivering and disappointed. After I emerged from the water, the robe wrapped me in a warm embrace. The lining is not as sumptuous as the deep-pile fleece you find on many hardshell robes, but the brushed-finish microfleece inner has a lovely soft and warm next-to-skin feel, and it doesn’t clog with salt. Meanwhile the smart softshell outer very adequately protected me from the brisk breeze that was whipping across Lyme Bay. 

I reduced the volume of the hood with the Velcro band on the back and pulled the cuffs tight to keep the elements out, and plunged my numb thumbs deep into the hand pockets, which were nice and easy to open – despite the reduced dexterity of my half-frozen fumbly fingers – thanks to the oversized pull loops. Meanwhile, my mobile phone was safely and securely stashed in the waterproof chest pocket, from where I could quickly and easily retrieve it in a second.

Keen to get out of my wet swimwear and put on some base layers and a good fleece as quickly as possible, I was relieved to discover how easy it was to get changed while wearing this generously sized robe. The raglan sleeves allow plenty of freedom of movement when you’re contorting yourself into awkward poses with one limb in and one out of various undergarments, and the two-way zip is very useful in these ever-risky alfresco wardrobe-change scenarios too. The inner material is reasonably absorbent, but if you plan on getting changed immediately into dry clothes, a decent towel is required.

After using the White Water Softshell Robe to keep me warm after my first sea swim of the year, I took it with me on various standup paddleboarding and kayaking adventures, and on more swimming sessions. While I’ve found myself shivering on occasion, as the seasons start to turn and spring begins to beckon, I’m increasingly convinced that this softshell garment offers the best balance of protection and temperature control for the largest proportion of the year.

As well as being a functional and high-performing piece of kit, this is a good-looking robe with some stylish branding (which is reflective if you happen to be wearing it at night around traffic) and it can be worn along the coast and around the campsite (or wherever else you want to take it) as a nice big, warm jacket (which is quite comforting, since it’s far too expensive to be used merely as a fancy towel).

White Water do offer a heavier hard shell robe as well, which is designed for use in properly freezing conditions (or for people who feel the cold more keenly), but this soft shell version is less bulky. ‘Less’ being the operative word here, though – because this robe is still a large, voluminous and heavy garment, and it doesn’t come with a stuff sack for transportation or storage when it’s not in use. (There doesn’t even appear to be an option to buy a compression bag or carry sack separately, which feels like something the brand really ought to offer.)

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