When you're a company like Dryrobe, innovating always has a bit of risk involved. While it has expanded its roster of products beyond the change robes that made it famous, every time it launches a new mainline Dryrobe, it has to be careful not to depart from its core offering too far.
That explains why the Dryrobe Nexus, its latest high-end robe, feels pretty familiar to those who've worn one before, albeit with some really nice upgrades to make it more weatherproof than ever before.
The robe, unveiled today and coming in at £225, is an impressively subtle evolution of what's come before, and won't replace anything in Dryrobe's lineup. Rather, it's just aimed at those outdoors enthusiasts who want more waterproofing from their towel robe.
As such, the Nexus has 30,000mm waterproofing and a tougher, tear-resistant outer layer that adds a new coating to make for the most water-resistant Dryrobe going. It also uses YKK Aquaguard zips to help with this waterproofing, and has one totally waterproof pocket on the chest that's ideal for a phone.
I used the Nexus at a launch event in London last week, and can attest that it's outrageously warm, with that inner fleece making for a lush cosiness. Crucially, though, that's paired with impressive breathability that has meant I haven't felt stuffy inside the change robe.
Some changes to the Nexus are hard to see from the outside, but one very welcome addition is newly redesigned pockets that feature poppered-up reach-through holes if you want them. These internal openings let you reach into your robe to make changing easier, all without having to take your arms out or anything like that. It's hard to describe, but a game-changer when actually changing.
You can order a Nexus direct from Dryrobe today, and you'll see on its storefront that this is now basically the most premium option from what was already perhaps the most premium change robe brand on the market. It comes in two colourways – one with a two-tone camo finish, and one in a stealthier all-black version.
If you're a beachgoer or wild-swimmer, though, there's unlikely to be anything quite as impressive as this on the market right now, and having swaddled myself in it after a couple of cold plunges, I can vouch for how well-designed it feels.
