Buffalo special 6

Trout

Active Member
Has anyone got experience with the buffalo special 6 pullover/ smock, I've heard they can be too warm ????!
 
I have the Arktis version, for general stalking or static use you'll be fine. I think if you were up hill and down dale after a stag you might be blowing a bit
 
Great bit of kit. There are zips and adjusters everywhere to aid venting and adjust the fit. Just don't go near a fire or anything pointy, it'll have more holes than Tetley's finest…
Not waterproof but, the quickest drying garment ever…

cjs
 
I have one and love it for high seat work but find it a little noisy for walk-and-stalk.

All it needs is a regular combat jacket over the top though - avoid covering it with anything else that is insulated for the reason you mention.
 
Fantastic things and they are only too warm if you're wearing them at the wrong time, most people will have the sense to take it off under those circumstances.

They might be a bit heavier than down and don't pack down as small as a down jacket if weight or volume is important to you and the fabric does tend to catch on the zips a little bit which is a minor annoyance. However as an all weather insulating garment I've not tried anything that is quite so good. I think it is important to get a fairly tight fit as they work best close to the skin so the warm air isn't wafting out all the time.
 
I think the pile pertex concept is great, and as long as the weather is cold enough, for me its the most comfortable system out there. It isn't waterproof, but I don't care, because worn next to the skin it's very comfortable and as stated, dries quickly. The only caveat that I've found really is that the system works whilst you are reasonably active, for long periods of static, a more conventional insulation system may work better, or alternatively use it as part of a layered system. The Montane version also has a hood, at no additional cost. It does, I admit, feel a bit strange at first wearing it next to the skin, as it was designed, but you soon get used to it.

I've often wished I could find a similar system for legwear that wasn't too hot, but the outer would need to be more durable than pertex for the terrain we encounter in our world, also not being waterproof could lead to wet boots. Maybe they could be paired up with some sealskin socks or something. Food for thought anyway.
 
as with most things, it depends what you want it for...

it is designed to be a single layer clothing system - baselayer, warm layer and weatherproof outer all in one. its perfect operating environment is cool/cold weather, with rain, sleet and snow, and a breeze. its materials work well when you are active and creating heat (walking/climbing/whatever), and its most fantastic advantage is that not only is it almost as warm when its soaking wet as it is when its dry, but it dries really quickly - to the degree that you could fully submerge yourself in water and after 30 minutes of walking you would never guess that your smock had just been in a river.

what its not brilliant at is just sitting about, the pertex outer can't fend off endless rain without you moving and creating heat, and the pile is not as effective at trapping heat as the filling in a duvet type jacket. effectively you'll eventually get cold and wet, not nearly as cold and wet as you'd get not wearing one, but thats simply not what its for...

i love mine, i wear it lots in late Autumn, through winter and into early spring. its my 'go to' clothing when the weathers crap and i have no intention of faffing about with endless changes of layers to reflect the conditions as the weather changes its mind every ten minutes. i think the longest i've worn it for was about 3 weeks doing a foot patrol on west Falkland in the winter - i wore a windproof smock over the top of it to help keep dry and it was fine, i don't think i put my gore-tex on once. it did stink a bit after that, but i put that into the 'other peoples problem' box and ignored it.
 
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