Landjoff suit feedback wanted

Cavematt

Cavematt

Well-known member
Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere (I found a six year old thread, but thought a newer one would be useful).

Does anyone have any recent feedback on the Landjoff oversuits that are available from Action Stash? For over a decade I have been a strictly Warmbac wearer, more recently the digger suit (as I do a lot of digging in some really sharp and nasty places). I tend to go through one suit each year, and the current one is approaching retirement, but I thought I'd explore other options before rushing headfirst into another Warmbac.

I'm quite drawn to the Landjoff Cordura Extreme:

Landjoff Cordura Extreme Caving Oversuit - Orange | Caving Equipment UK

Extra tough durable caving oversuit, reinforced in high strength Cordura fabric, suitable for caving, digging.
www.actionstash.co.uk www.actionstash.co.uk

Similar price to Warmbac and looks nice and rugged. However, does anyone have any feedback on this in terms of quality and robustness?

Not influenced at all by orange being my favourite colour :cool:

I am 6ft tall, slim-average build have always had to buy XL Warmbac due to my height (I bought a size L once and within two months it had shrunk enough to cause my voice to be an octave higher). As with Warmbac, my technical size according to the Landjoff sizing guide would be L, but I'm inclined to go XL to account for shrinkage. So does anyone have any experience on whether the Landjoffs suffer the same shrinkage as the Warmbacs and whether their sizing is comparable?
 
ActionStash

ActionStash

New member
Hiya Matt,
I won't make any comments on the product to give suit users a chance to post if they want to, but a few words on sizing:
  • Don't pay too much attention to the body weights quoted by Landjoff - e.g. I'm a hefty 105kg which means I should be too big for XXL, but XXL is comfortably loose on me (which I prefer)
  • Landjoff sizing and fit is pretty close to the AV suits in my experience, in case you know which of those fits you best
  • Of course you're welcome to try it on at home with an undersuit when you receive it, and if the sizing is wrong just get in touch and we'll swap for a different size - the only extra cost is in posting the unwanted size back to us (about £3.29 with Royal Mail Tracked 48) - or if we happen to be caving the same day we could do the swap in person :)
-Tom
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
I already replied to another member's PM with my opinion on the Cordura Extreme, so it's easier to paste most of that in than type it all out again. But orange is my favourite colour too :)

I'm very happy with it. To be honest, it was a bit of a shock going back to Cordura again after years in an AV, as it is noticeably thicker fabric, and somewhat stiffer as a result, especially after a few trips - however, the cut is superb, at least for me, and once in use the freedom of movement sort of cancels out the thickness. Although it initially felt tight across the front, the back and shoulder area is very roomy, and it's actually quite a nice design in that sense, especially for crawling. I have quite a 'muscular' build, and a fairly flat belly, so dunno how it would fit others if chubbier.

I was most worried about SRT, as I do it a lot, but again, it doesn't seem to be that much of an issue, especially when wet. One thing though - their claim of 'stain resistant' is a bit fanciful, though it's still clearly orange - but the almost hi-viz colour (which I like) won't last long - at least in Derbyshire - you may be OK. However, I have washed it in the machine once (in a cool 'easy care' wash), just to see what happened, and it seemed to be fine, and did clean up a bit too. Bizarrely it rolls up really tightly despite the relative stiffness, and is quite light too.

Another thing - the sizing is weird. I've always bought 'Large' sizing in all my clothes, but their sizing guide made me a little worried as their Large seemed huge. Action Stash said they'd send me a Medium, and would be happy to replace it as long as I kept the brand tags on - as it turned out it was a perfect fit. I don't know how tall you are, but I would consider the same size if you're no taller than 180cm, as I think the legs would be too long otherwise. It's good to have leg-cuffs that fit over my wellies at last, as my AV ones wouldn't.
 
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caving_fox

caving_fox

Active member
I'm happily using the the LJ PVC which replaced by worn out Meander that was no longer available in the UK. I bought directly from LJ, which once you'd allowed for postage was about equivalent cost. I'm 6'2", 70ish Kg and bought the Large. It's about right for me.

Don't bother with the LJ kneepads though, they're probably ideal for european SRT caves where you just touch the walls now and then, but they're not suitable for UK crawling, especially with an open end.
 
Alex

Alex

Well-known member
Had it for a couple of trips so far, it's not ripped yet (I have had suits that have ripped on my first trip before now so that's good). It's really good fit and has a few new features I have not seen before. First it has straps on the inside which is great for walking across the fell on warm days as you can strip off to your waste put the straps on and not have constantly pull it up again like you do on other over-suits. The other great feature is the inside pocket as it uses a zip design which means no more loosing car key and phones in caves for me! Though maybe I should just not bring those things underground with me?

It's also quite warm, I used it to go through the ducks at the bottom of Rough pot and it kept me warm enough on the return trip and I was not too hot going down before I got wet.

As for durability, I can't say yet. Maybe it will be the over-suit that actually lasts me longer than 6 months!

I bought mine at Inglesport, so you can pick them up there if you want to try them on.
 
pwhole

pwhole

Well-known member
Yes, I forgot to mention the internal braces - a lovely touch, and very robustly stitched in at the back too, so unlikely to fall apart. I did also wonder about applying a seam sealant to the back, but I think I read somewhere that the thread used doesn't need it, but it's a bit of a moot point really if you're up to your waist in it. And yes, it is very warm if you keep moving.
 
caving_fox

caving_fox

Active member
ActionStash said:
Hiya Matt,
I won't make any comments on the product to give suit users a chance to post if they want to, but a few words on sizing:
  • Don't pay too much attention to the body weights quoted by Landjoff - e.g. I'm a hefty 105kg which means I should be too big for XXL, but XXL is comfortably loose on me (which I prefer)
  • Landjoff sizing and fit is pretty close to the AV suits in my experience, in case you know which of those fits you best
  • Of course you're welcome to try it on at home with an undersuit when you receive it, and if the sizing is wrong just get in touch and we'll swap for a different size - the only extra cost is in posting the unwanted size back to us (about £3.29 with Royal Mail Tracked 48) - or if we happen to be caving the same day we could do the swap in person :)
-Tom
Click to expand...

Do you also stock the PVC option? Would be great to have a UK supplier.
 
Cavematt

Cavematt

Well-known member
Thanks for all the replies above and feedback. Sounds like a 'L' is going to be more suitable than XL.

Appreciate the 'try on and return if not right' offer ActionStash :)

However, is anyone able to comment on the 'shrinkage factor'? Tom/PWhole/Alex, have you found these Landjoff suits shrink in the same way as the Warmbac (to the point where a suit that is excessively baggy new, quickly becomes the right fit, so that you always have to buy 1-2 sizes larger than what is the right fit in the shop). Or do they seem to hold their sizing better than the Warmbacs?
 
ActionStash

ActionStash

New member
Well personally I use the Cordura Plus for most of my caving (the Extreme only gets an occasional outing when somebody persuades me to dig). I've not noticed any shrinkage on either, although other users would be better placed to comment on the Cordura Extreme's shrinkage specifically. The lack of shrinkage on a par with AV was a main reason for me switching to the Landjoff.

For reference, the Cordura Plus (the less robust one) lasts me about 12-15 months (of ~ two trips per week) before the sacrificial arse panels start tearing, then maybe another 4-6 months before it wears through the second layer and needs replacing if I'm lazy and fail to keep it patched up (which usually happens - I'm rubbish at proactively taking care of my suits).
 
Maisie Syntax

Maisie Syntax

Active member
Some feedback on the Landjoff 'pvc' suit:
Initially, thought the suit would be a reasonable option to the Warmbac plastic suit, seeing as how Meander suits are no longer a 'thing'.
The cut is far better than the rather bulky Warmbac, unless you prefer the Michelin styling of the latter. The fit (svelte? ;)) is pretty good as far down as the knees, mind you, the lower part of the legs do seem to be modelled on the Rish! Sunak school of tailoring; narrow does not even begin to describe the snug cut around the ankles.
Thought everything seemed to be performing well, until a closer inspection after what was only the third trip. The seams appear to be a very weak point, with quite a few of them showing significant signs of wear through the plastic coating, revealing the fabric inner over which the material appears to be layered. A number of the seams have actually come apart already, which is far quicker than any other suit I've ever used. All three trips were in fairly undemanding ground in terms of gnarly-ness - imagine something along the lines of Committee Pot entrance to Notts 2 and you wouldn't be far wrong. No crawling or thrutching about involved, just straightforward ladder & scaff climbs.
Although there are no cuts or tears in the material, that the suit seems to be falling apart along the seams does seem pretty poor.
In the warmer months, I'd been using a standard AV cordura suit in the same cave, with no undue issues with wear. Winter conditions made the change to a plastic-based suit something of a necessity - particularly with the howling draught (😉).
Previously had mainly been using various vintage Meander PVC suits with nothing much untoward in the way of what you'd expect in the Dales - but eventually there is a limit as to how many times you can put patches on patches. Previous winter suit had been a plastic Warmbac which, whilst a bit cumbersome and nothing like as repairable as the old Meanders, had the advantage of not falling apart at the seams after only a few easy trips.
In summary - the advantages of many of the good features of the suit seem to be far outweighed by the poor quality of the seam construction.
 
Maisie Syntax

Maisie Syntax

Active member
It is a small, although by no means tight on me.
Tried on various sizes - it was the only size which didn't totally engulf me and require significant amounts being trimmed from arm and leg length. It's not a case of wearing one that's too small for me. Able to use full range of movement without any restriction from the suit. My usual small AV cordura suit is a far more snug fit without any issues.
 
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