Swazi Wapiti Jacket; read before purchase

[User00040]

How breathable is the Tundra, are we taking bin bag like Ridgeline or Fortis or on par with Goretex?
I've always thought thier gear looked decent but I've thought that about other makes and they've turned out to be shite.

It's pretty good for what it is. Tough jacket, not light but waterproof and not a bin bag. Good with a wool/polymer jumper underneath.

Problem is that Stoney Creek are made in China... check the pockets and labels for S.O.S messages...

 

[8x57]

Belstaff, bike jacket???

Sorry my mistake it isn't a Belstaff the waxed waistcoat was made by Elveden. We always referred to it as my Belstaff waistcoat probably because at about the same time I also had a Belstaff quilted waistcoat, unfortunately that didn't last anywhere near as long.
The quilted waistcoat was made by the firm that is more known for their motorcycle wear.

 

[John Gryphon]

Swazi seem to keep in business though and I’m assuming from a continual stream of folk unaware of their garments short comings and Swazi’s appalling customer service.

I wont buy their overpriced rubbish,sounds good,looks good but it isnt good,not for the hunter that is actually out there in the field in all weather.
Fine for dog walking and game fairs.

 

[redrbr]

There appears to be a fairly common marketing model amongst the big name brands:

1. Generate a lot of interest in the product and launch it as a 'premium' product, with much fanfare and some high impact endorsements by Big Names in the field.
2. Price it at the upper end.
3. Rely on the fact that many people who buy it will tend to use it lightly; not be experienced enough in the field to really understand the acceptable parameters for a product at this price point; and not be able to afford multiple items from different brands for comparison.
4. The majority of these people will either never encounter problems (because they don't use it often or hard enough); or may not recognise that they are genuine problems, because they have no frame of reference.
5. These people will be entirely happy with the product, and will say so. That is fine - they have got what they wanted, but they may not be using it the way you want to.
6. Often, because of the expense and cachet of the product, the people of who are happy with it will be quite vocal about how good it is.
7. A minority will encounter problems, and recognise them as such. A substantial proportion of these will be unwilling to broadcast that they have the problem, primarily because they are unwilling to fully come to terms with the fact that something they spent so much money on (and which may have formed part of their 'identity' as a stalker/mountain climber/photographer etc) is not fit for purpose.
8. Therefore only a very small proportion of the total number of people who bought the thing will actually complain or post negative comments. A simple browse through the reviews section of ANY high end recreational equipment manufacturer's website will show this vividly: the vast majority of reviews give 5 stars, fewer give 4 stars, very few give 3 stars and almost none give less than 3. That ALL products manufactured by ALL companies have a mean quality of around 4.5 stars is a statistical impossibility. The corollary to this is that if you actually want a realistic review of a product, only ever read the 3 star and less reviews.
9. Therefore the tiny number of negative reviews that appear are drowned out by all the positives. Sometimes this is even active: people can be extremely defensive of their pet thing, and can be very reactive when someone posts a negative review (witness the ugly little cat fights that can develop on here).
10. This means that the manufacturer can afford not to care - and they generally don't. The majority of their customers are either happy or don't complain, so why worry about a minority who come across as cranky axe grinders?

Fair comment.
This is a quality issue really.
And I'm not impressed with the quality control of shooting gear in general.
The tech usually works. I've been kept warm and dry by most of the kit I've owned, and there's not much to choose between any of them on that side.
But - and this is across the board - zips break; buttons snap; cuffs fray; stitching comes apart.
It's as if they get bored with the basics.
And at ±£400 a pop, I want everything right.

 

[bluesako]

if any of you guys like wool jkts and coats check out filson at filson .co ive wore them for years fantastic clothing

 

[Mungo]

Fair comment.
This is a quality issue really.
And I'm not impressed with the quality control of shooting gear in general.
The tech usually works. I've been kept warm and dry by most of the kit I've owned, and there's not much to choose between any of them on that side.
But - and this is across the board - zips break; buttons snap; cuffs fray; stitching comes apart.
It's as if they get bored with the basics.
And at ±£400 a pop, I want everything right.

Absolutely.

But they have no incentive to get them right...

 

[SimpleSimon]

Fair comment.
This is a quality issue really.
And I'm not impressed with the quality control of shooting gear in general.
The tech usually works. I've been kept warm and dry by most of the kit I've owned, and there's not much to choose between any of them on that side.
But - and this is across the board - zips break; buttons snap; cuffs fray; stitching comes apart.
It's as if they get bored with the basics.
And at ±£400 a pop, I want everything right.

I absolutely agree, I'd go one further and say that in general manufacturers of shooting kit just aren't trying. I used to work a lot with top-end mountaineering and hill walking kit. Compare the features, fit and finish of a £400 waterproof from the likes of Mountain Equipment or Haglofs to the best offering from Harkila etc.
It's laughable.

 

[Mungo]

I absolutely agree, I'd go one further and say that in general manufacturers of shooting kit just aren't trying. I used to work a lot with top-end mountaineering and hill walking kit. Compare the features, fit and finish of a £400 waterproof from the likes of Mountain Equipment or Haglofs to the best offering from Harkila etc.
It's laughable.

You can’t escape the suspicion that they’re actually trying very hard - to make as much money as possible.

Top end mountaineering/hiking kit is streets and streets better than shooting kit. And I think that’s because there are many more people using it hard, where quite often lives actually depend on it working properly.

This is where the Americans are way ahead of us. They have many more hunters, and many of those go further into remote places and stay longer. So they need much better, more reliable kit. There are quite a few American companies who have simply taken top end mountaineering gear and re-designed the colour schemes to appeal to hunters. It’s often much, much better than the UK and European brands.

 

[captain jon]

You can’t escape the suspicion that they’re actually trying very hard - to make as much money as possible.

Top end mountaineering/hiking kit is streets and streets better than shooting kit. And I think that’s because there are many more people using it hard, where quite often lives actually depend on it working properly.

This is where the Americans are way ahead of us. They have many more hunters, and many of those go further into remote places and stay longer. So they need much better, more reliable kit. There are quite a few American companies who have simply taken top end mountaineering gear and re-designed the colour schemes to appeal to hunters. It’s often much, much better than the UK and European brands.

I agree with you there I've got some mountain equipment jacket (hard shell) and soft shell trouser I use for ski mountaineering and fantastic with the Wright base layers but my Harkilla pro hunter leaked from the off and so heavy when sodden wet .
I live just down the road from Fortis and there gear looks good and is British made,why pay more for Chinese made garments when you can get British made for less , I'm going to try Fortis and I will keep you posted.
I'm a full time fisherman and if you want to stay dry all day then Guy Cotten yellow oil skins ,not much good for stalking though !!

 

[Mungo]

I agree with you there I've got some mountain equipment jacket (hard shell) and soft shell trouser I use for ski mountaineering and fantastic with the Wright base layers but my Harkilla pro hunter leaked from the off and so heavy when sodden wet .
I live just down the road from Fortis and there gear looks good and is British made,why pay more for Chinese made garments when you can get British made for less , I'm going to try Fortis and I will keep you posted.
I'm a full time fisherman and if you want to stay dry all day then Guy Cotten yellow oil skins ,not much good for stalking though !!

Fortis are good.

At least the water proof trousers I have are.

 

[David78b]

It's threads like these that keep me in army surplus gear. Crawling through icy puddles and heather after the hinds in a surplus gore-tex and buffalo mountain jacket is fine - I may be a bit damp but always warm, and I don't care if the jacket fails or rips because £35 will get me another.

Same here, army stuff is built to last and does what it says on the tin shame you can't buy it with out camo patterns too would be even better.

 

[wytonpjs]

Just an update;

Swazi have continued not to accept any responsibility for this issue and I am having to arrange and pay for a repair, despite the jacket only being 11 months old and having had very light use.

So far and whilst i have been given the run around on this, I have been without the jacket for 5 months waiting for a resolution (of the now 17 months I have owned the jacket)

Any recommendations of an alternative manufacture of good quality stalking clothing who I should turn to in future?

Thanks,

Simon

Bought a Fortis Field Smock in their sale in February for £90 and with the recent wet weather, it’s got some hard use. Impressions so far a very good. It’s heavier that my Ridgeline Monsoon and I’m now alternating between these depending upon how heavy the rain‘s forecast to be.

Fortis® Field Smock - Fortis Clothing

The Field Smock is lightweight, waterproof and breathable ensuring you are protected from all the elements. It has a strong ripstop outer and a waterproof breathable drop liner inner.

fortisclothing.co.uk

 

[robt1137]

Hi all,

Just wanted to post some feedback for anyone interested in one of these jackets;

I spent ages contemplating getting one of these jackets and finally bit the bullet. First impressions were great; was really pleased. Had it around 11 months, in which time it only saw fairly light use, when I noticed the inside lining beginning to fail, exposing the outer layer of the jacket. So, particularly given it cost >£400, and the fact Swazi pride themselves on quality and longevity I sent it back, expecting they would see it was failing and they would repair or replace; no big issue, these things happen. They have however told me it has been caused by wear / rubbing on something (it definitely hasn't) and refused to repair or replace, and instead suggested I send it to Scottish Mountain Gear and pay to have it fixed. I would accept this if it had been heavily used, but as it clearly apparent from the overall condition of the jacket it is otherwise as new.

Really disappointed, was genuinely planning to purchased plenty of other things from them. I don't think I have ever left an unfavourable review for a product like this before, but wouldn't want anyone else considering spending this sort of money on one of their products to get stung. Really beyond disappointed by them.

Simon

I've just been reading these with great interest. I own the original goretex tahr and wapiti they must be over 12 yr old now.. I believe at some point over last few years Swazi refused to pay the fees required to goretex and also I heard goretex would not sanction some of their designs.. so upshot was they moved to a different fabric.. BIG MISTAKE. I believe the owner of Swazi can be quite a difficult man to deal with, hence some reputable UK retailers stopped stocking Swazi. In conclusion if you have an original goretex tahr or wapiti they are likely to last many years. Granted there are pros n cons to design features... But it's not by accident many stalkers used to wear them and all woodlore staff. Just wanted to add my thoughts

Hi all,

Just wanted to post some feedback for anyone interested in one of these jackets;

I spent ages contemplating getting one of these jackets and finally bit the bullet. First impressions were great; was really pleased. Had it around 11 months, in which time it only saw fairly light use, when I noticed the inside lining beginning to fail, exposing the outer layer of the jacket. So, particularly given it cost >£400, and the fact Swazi pride themselves on quality and longevity I sent it back, expecting they would see it was failing and they would repair or replace; no big issue, these things happen. They have however told me it has been caused by wear / rubbing on something (it definitely hasn't) and refused to repair or replace, and instead suggested I send it to Scottish Mountain Gear and pay to have it fixed. I would accept this if it had been heavily used, but as it clearly apparent from the overall condition of the jacket it is otherwise as new.

Really disappointed, was genuinely planning to purchased plenty of other things from them. I don't think I have ever left an unfavourable review for a product like this before, but wouldn't want anyone else considering spending this sort of money on one of their products to get stung. Really beyond disappointed by them.

Simon

Hi all,



Just wanted to post some feedback for anyone interested in one of these jackets;



I spent ages contemplating getting one of these jackets and finally bit the bullet. First impressions were great; was really pleased. Had it around 11 months, in which time it only saw fairly light use, when I noticed the inside lining beginning to fail, exposing the outer layer of the jacket. So, particularly given it cost >£400, and the fact Swazi pride themselves on quality and longevity I sent it back, expecting they would see it was failing and they would repair or replace; no big issue, these things happen. They have however told me it has been caused by wear / rubbing on something (it definitely hasn't) and refused to repair or replace, and instead suggested I send it to Scottish Mountain Gear and pay to have it fixed. I would accept this if it had been heavily used, but as it clearly apparent from the overall condition of the jacket it is otherwise as new.



Really disappointed, was genuinely planning to purchased plenty of other things from them. I don't think I have ever left an unfavourable review for a product like this before, but wouldn't want anyone else considering spending this sort of money on one of their products to get stung. Really beyond disappointed by them.



Simon

I've just been reading these with great interest. I own the original goretex tahr and wapiti they must be over 12 yr old now.. I believe at some point over last few years Swazi refused to pay the fees required to goretex and also I heard goretex would not sanction some of their designs.. so upshot was they moved to a different fabric.. BIG MISTAKE. I believe the owner of Swazi can be quite a difficult man to deal with, hence some reputable UK retailers stopped stocking Swazi. In conclusion if you have an original goretex tahr or wapiti they are likely to last many years. Granted there are pros n cons to design features... But it's not by accident many stalkers used to wear them and all woodlore staff. Just wanted to add my thoughts

 

[Drum123]

I've just been reading these with great interest. I own the original goretex tahr and wapiti they must be over 12 yr old now.. I believe at some point over last few years Swazi refused to pay the fees required to goretex and also I heard goretex would not sanction some of their designs.. so upshot was they moved to a different fabric.. BIG MISTAKE. I believe the owner of Swazi can be quite a difficult man to deal with, hence some reputable UK retailers stopped stocking Swazi. In conclusion if you have an original goretex tahr or wapiti they are likely to last many years. Granted there are pros n cons to design features... But it's not by accident many stalkers used to wear them and all woodlore staff. Just wanted to add my thoughts

Hi all,



Just wanted to post some feedback for anyone interested in one of these jackets;



I spent ages contemplating getting one of these jackets and finally bit the bullet. First impressions were great; was really pleased. Had it around 11 months, in which time it only saw fairly light use, when I noticed the inside lining beginning to fail, exposing the outer layer of the jacket. So, particularly given it cost >£400, and the fact Swazi pride themselves on quality and longevity I sent it back, expecting they would see it was failing and they would repair or replace; no big issue, these things happen. They have however told me it has been caused by wear / rubbing on something (it definitely hasn't) and refused to repair or replace, and instead suggested I send it to Scottish Mountain Gear and pay to have it fixed. I would accept this if it had been heavily used, but as it clearly apparent from the overall condition of the jacket it is otherwise as new.



Really disappointed, was genuinely planning to purchased plenty of other things from them. I don't think I have ever left an unfavourable review for a product like this before, but wouldn't want anyone else considering spending this sort of money on one of their products to get stung. Really beyond disappointed by them.



Simon

I've just been reading these with great interest. I own the original goretex tahr and wapiti they must be over 12 yr old now.. I believe at some point over last few years Swazi refused to pay the fees required to goretex and also I heard goretex would not sanction some of their designs.. so upshot was they moved to a different fabric.. BIG MISTAKE. I believe the owner of Swazi can be quite a difficult man to deal with, hence some reputable UK retailers stopped stocking Swazi. In conclusion if you have an original goretex tahr or wapiti they are likely to last many years. Granted there are pros n cons to design features... But it's not by accident many stalkers used to wear them and all woodlore staff. Just wanted to add my thoughts

Mine was the original goretex , ****ed water in from day one through the sleeves and the facing on the inside of the jacket just seemed to fall to pieces .