What ideas do you have for the Ideal waterproof Smock?

We are looking for your ideas/suggestions because you guys are the ones using them. What do you look for?

- Longer back?
- How many pockets and where?
- Detachable hood?
- What style cuffs?
- Whats the best smock out there at the moment?
 
Maybe a drop down longer back that is padded(not too much) and made out of a tougher material, so you can drop it down and park you backside ?? Insulate your backside when sat om the ground.

The hood should be detachable via a zip, and a couple of press studs, Ive got a Sasta wolf jacket that I had to pay extra for the hood but its only attached via press studs, the hood often detaches itself when dragging it out from under all my kit in the truck!!!! A design flaw I think on Sastas end, a zipp on hood would have been ace

PS do I get a commision if you patent and it gets used LOL

Kjf
 
Last edited:
Definitely a longer back for extra comfort bending over or sitting
Pit zips perhaps
A reliable secure pocket for keys - preferably inside the smock.
Outer pockets - my experience is that things fall out of wide shallow pockets. So perhaps a pouch pocket with a relatively narrow opening and or zipped.
The (dreaded) mobile phone pocket - how often do you really need to get at it in a hurry. But I do like to keep it separate from the keys to reduce the risk of pulling out the keys unnoticed.
No velcro - Popper buttons for tightening cuffs or elastic inner cuffs. Also generous sleeve length. I invariably buy a size larger to get my long arms covered.
Attached hood - softish material, worn over a cap in my case. I find detachable hoods which fold into the collar very uncomfortable - they never fold back up they way they left the factory.
Low noise - my hearing is poor , but I hear every rustle of clothing.
I haven't bought a new stalking coat for years. I have two well worn Backridge Apparel fleece Bush Hunter jackets imported by Blue Thomas which I think makes them late 1990's.

I look forward to sending you my measurements
:tiphat:
Ion
 
Ion pretty much has it...
It needs to be long enough at the front so your family jewels don't get wet and long enough at the back so you can sit on it on it in a wet high seat.

Attached peaked hood. No velcro, anywhere. Cuffs need to be adjustable to keep out the wet, but not neoprene. It needs a central bino pouch which is big enough for only a pair of bins, but as long a chest zip as you can get. Generous cut around the shoulders. No full length zip. Draw cords around the waist the don't dangle and get caught on stuff.
Choice of material is important - silence is golden.

Elbows reinforced but maybe not the shoulders. Right and left shoulders need a button or a ridge to keep your rifle sling in place.

Minimal pockets - but a discrete generous hand warmer pockets would be nice.
 
Drawcord at waist and hem
Longer back, shorter front (I don't like the way some look like you're wearing a dress from the front)
Pit zips definitely, I'm a hot sweaty beast
Separate high collar and (detachable) hood.
Pouch pocket on front with small stretchy pocket inside that.
Handwarmer pockets
Cuffs elastic with press studs

Sizes that fit people of average height and build! I'm sick of trying on shooting clothes where the "small" has a 40 inch chest. Or where the chest /shoulders fit but I can't wear it because instead of tailoring the cut to the waist, the manufacturer has lazily and cheaply made it rectangular.
Articulated elbows, not just tons of excess fabric.

Oh, and it should cost 20 quid... :lol:
 
a long zip is a definate so maybe ofset the bino pocket to the side of the zip, hand warmer pockets, waist draw cord, longer back, pit zips, wired hood, internal pocket for FAC + keys, something to stop sling slipping off shoulder, elbow patches, a good cut for mobility.
I have a ventile smock from country inovation i think thats them and these are some what it is missing plus the gusset on the zip/collar get on my nerves but good in the wet.
 
Detachable hood definitely but go like Alan Jarrett eider jacket and have small zip pocket in the rear to keep it in .....could also double as padded rear as asked above .....my Tilley hat gets in way of hood .

Definitely pit zips or vents as lot of folk like me, even if fit you sweat and buying a expensive coat smock etc to be wet in from inside out waste of time .

Would prefer keep bingo pocket as is central ....let's be honest if you want a long zip,get a full zip coat .....I think you would get peed off with offset binos and don't think it would be aesthetically pleasing to look at


Long back option yes

Paul
 
We are looking for your ideas/suggestions because you guys are the ones using them. What do you look for?

- Longer back? smocks need to be longer front and back
- How many pockets and where? two chest , two hand warmers , two-four round waist smallish size
- Detachable hood? I prefer to roll mine so wired hood works for me
- What style cuffs? neoprene with adjustment , Velcro is fine
- Whats the best smock out there at the moment? swazi thar

embedded answers
 
- Longer back? Yes, long enough to sit on.
- How many pockets and where? I like lots of pockets. My current smock is an Arktis military one, and the only pockets I'm missing are handwarmers like the current issue smock has.
- Detachable hood? I seldom use the hood on my smock, but occasionally it's a godsend. If it was removable, it'd be in a cupboard at home, and wouldn't help at all.
- What style cuffs? Velcro or button adjustable. I want to be able to roll the sleeves up for the gralloch.
- Whats the best smock out there at the moment? Good question.
 
Pockets should be at chest level, not waist level. This means that they are more easily accessible when seated (driving + high seat) and won't clash with the waist belt on a rucsac.
 
The ideal smock isn't waterproof.

For stalking (or fishing or walking for that matter) where you aren't sitting around most of the time then a completely waterproof smock will leave you damp no matter how good the membrane claims to be. The British military with their two part "system" have got it just right - a showerproof smock that is very breathable which is suitable for most conditions and a waterproof liner that you put on under the smock once it gets really wet.

So, the ideal smock is a showerproof and breathable smock with a pocket for your waterproof liner.

There is something to be said for the British Army sizing system as well - people want different things and by making the clothing in a range of lengths and chest sizes it means that you can get yourself a smock of your ideal length and with the correct chest size. So, for example, I like my smocks a bit on the long side and as a result despite being only 5'8" I buy my windproof smocks designed to fit someone with my chest size but 6 foot tall. Simple solution.

The older DPM model windproof smock in my view makes the perfect example of what you need in a smock in terms of design and pockets with my only slight gripe being the velcro where there should be some other, not so noisy, means of fixing. Not only are the pockets excellent in terms of size and position but also in the way they stop things falling out. If you only walk down a field for 400 yards to shoot your deer then it doesn't much matter but if you are walking big miles then if you decide to carry something you are usually depending on it, you'll not carry anything just because you saw it in an advert, and you don't need it falling out of your pocket.

The newer MTP smock has lots of nice "features" which would certainly look great in a magazine advert and which do provide some comfort, for example fleece lined hand warmer pockets, but when the going gets really nasty these will take longer to dry and so will be a negative rather than a positive thing and for this reason I think the older type DPM smock is actually a better design even if it has less comfort features under moderate conditions. Despite that I do wear the new MTP smocks a lot as the MTP pattern is good whereas DPM is a little too dark but the extra "features" provide little or no value at all.
 
Pockets should be at chest level, not waist level. This means that they are more easily accessible when seated (driving + high seat) and won't clash with the waist belt on a rucsac.

i wouldn't use the waist pockets if I had a rucksack with me ,only if I'm traveling light which is how I prefer to stalk
 
Buffalo Special 6 and a simple Ventile single layer smock to wear as well as or instead of depending on weather.

Neil.
 
We are really learning a lot from what people are looking at. Caorach we have been doing this for many many years and people have in the civilian world haven't taken to it as our military clients have. We agree that is the best system but it is not a system in demand from the market at the moment. We already do this system and sell it but we are still surprised people like the all in one.

We see these waist pockets are not the go to idea? B220 Stalking Smock rd sml.jpgB220 st smock back RD.jpgB220 stalking smock OG sml .jpg
 
The ideal smock isn't waterproof.

For stalking (or fishing or walking for that matter) where you aren't sitting around most of the time then a completely waterproof smock will leave you damp no matter how good the membrane claims to be. The British military with their two part "system" have got it just right - a showerproof smock that is very breathable which is suitable for most conditions and a waterproof liner that you put on under the smock once it gets really wet.

So, the ideal smock is a showerproof and breathable smock with a pocket for your waterproof liner.

There is something to be said for the British Army sizing system as well - people want different things and by making the clothing in a range of lengths and chest sizes it means that you can get yourself a smock of your ideal length and with the correct chest size. So, for example, I like my smocks a bit on the long side and as a result despite being only 5'8" I buy my windproof smocks designed to fit someone with my chest size but 6 foot tall. Simple solution.

The older DPM model windproof smock in my view makes the perfect example of what you need in a smock in terms of design and pockets with my only slight gripe being the velcro where there should be some other, not so noisy, means of fixing. Not only are the pockets excellent in terms of size and position but also in the way they stop things falling out. If you only walk down a field for 400 yards to shoot your deer then it doesn't much matter but if you are walking big miles then if you decide to carry something you are usually depending on it, you'll not carry anything just because you saw it in an advert, and you don't need it falling out of your pocket.

The newer MTP smock has lots of nice "features" which would certainly look great in a magazine advert and which do provide some comfort, for example fleece lined hand warmer pockets, but when the going gets really nasty these will take longer to dry and so will be a negative rather than a positive thing and for this reason I think the older type DPM smock is actually a better design even if it has less comfort features under moderate conditions. Despite that I do wear the new MTP smocks a lot as the MTP pattern is good whereas DPM is a little too dark but the extra "features" provide little or no value at all.

What the Honourable gentleman above said works for me!

I used to hate hoods, until I started doing a lot of highseat work, then they can be a godsend, so an attached, three way adjustable wired hood is a real boon.

I have a Country Covers waterproof smock which would be improved by the installation of "pit-zips", but the standard showerproof Arktis smock with the 310 waterproof and breathable liner work best for me for most occasions, it is the smock I reach for first and the one I have had longest. During cold weather high seat work the Mammoth undershirt is a godsend. It's a system which just works, and works well.

They have more than enough pockets for all my face veil, gloves, mittens, buttalo, headtorch, knives, nitrile gloves, cable ties, range finder, optics cleaning kit, pull through and first aid kit with room to spare, and none of the stupid handwarmer pockets that catch on every passing twig while you are beating.

Simon
 
Last edited:
If you bred from your existing field smock and the shape and design of the long Ridgeline (shhh) smock (particularly hood size and length), the offspring would be about there for me. Front pocket to stop binos swinging. In Coyote- best colour for the hill. I like the Velcro. I like the existing roll down/ roll into hood design.

Also, a demilitarised version of the B110 would be great (in Coyote) in light/tropical fabric for summer. No epaulette loops, no bellows chest pockets etc- basically the same jacket but looking a bit less 'war-y'.

PIT ZIPS- yes please.
 
Last edited:
i'm with Caorach, but sometimes a waterproof outer is useful/needed - i'm thinking primarily of the times you're out in the open in foul weather and not doing much for hours on end...

fixed, grown-in hood, it needs to have a really strong wire in the peak so the hood keeps its shape in wind/rain, and it needs to be adjustable around the face and at the crown.

handwarmer pockets, and as long a front zip as you can manage while also having a decent front pocket. it needs to cover my bum even when i'm sat down - it also needs to be long, if perhaps not quite as long, at the front - you could have 6 inches of poppered/zipped side opening to make it easier to sit down while not having to move the whole thing up your body.

pit-zips.

no neoprene at all! neoprene is for wetsuits, its vile stuff to wear in any other context.

if you can't produce a smock with a really, really breathable membrane (high-end Gore-tex etc..) for a particular price point, please don't try. far better to use something like waxed cotton or ventile - the worst, worst clothing disasters are not getting wet from the rain, they are sweating like a Secret Service Agent at Donald Trumps inugeration...
 
Last edited:
Better customer services when things are not as they should be. Not like the uninterested and down right rude response I got from yourselves when I contacted yous about issues with my 3rd and 4th pairs of falkland waterproof trousers which aren't cheap at over £130 a pair. First two pairs were worn until they were thread bare, they were faultless but the second lot I bought were junk. I think you should also take up trade membership if touting for trade on here.
All the best.
 
i'm with Caorach, but sometimes a waterproof outer is useful/needed - i'm thinking primarily of the times you're out in the open in foul weather and not doing much for hours on end...

fixed, grown-in hood, it needs to have a really strong wire in the peak so the hood keeps its shape in wind/rain, and it needs to be adjustable around the face and at the crown.

handwarmer pockets, and as long a front zip as you can manage while also having a decent front pocket. it needs to cover my bum even when i'm sat down - it also needs to be long, if perhaps not quite as long, at the front - you could have 6 inches of poppered/zipped side opening to make it easier to sit down while not having to move the whole thing up your body.

pit-zips.

no neoprene at all! neoprene is for wetsuits, its vile stuff to wear in any other context.

if you can't produce a smock with a really, really breathable membrane (high-end Gore-tex etc..) for a particular price point, please don't try. far better to use something like waxed cotton or ventile - the worst, worst clothing disaters are not getting wet from the rain, they are sweating like a Secret Service Agent at Donald Trumps inugeration...

That's why I sold my very little used nomad gear
I'm a sweater even when I was fit I sweat like buggery , and I see no point now spending 3 or 4 hundred quid on a jacket to be wet regardless inside .
Decided to go layers , base layer or wicking layer and whatever I need vs the current weather then going with Caorach's smock and waterproof under layer if needed , it's cheap compared to the usual brand names so if I get wet with sweat it's not so bad as it didn't cost me lots to get wet again ..... it's that age old battle between breathability & waterproofing .
I already have old DPM smock and waterproof layer , a bottle of diverdaves Repel & away you go .

Not the fancy companies smock fault I add .....it's me and my physiology

Paul
 
Back
Top