merlin
Well-Known Member
I recently ordered a RW smock from Swillingtons, and it arrived whilst I was away on holiday, so was waiting for me on Monday.....so given the weather up here today (the phrase "grim up North...." doesn't do the rain justice ), it seemed an ideal opportunity to test out its waterproofiness .
Driving home, I found myself thinking "I hope it's still lashing it down when I get in....". Bizarre.
Anway - home I get, lashing it was, and on goes the new smock. And then I face the torrential downpour. And then for good measure, I ask my 2 kids if they want to turn a hosepipe on me (...and before anyone asks, no, I'm not getting any training in for being on the wrong end of a water cannon....). Unsurprisingly, they didn't take much persuading, envisaging giving Dad a bloody good soaking - at his request.
So how did it fare....?
I was absolutely bone dry. I had a pale T-shirt on underneath so I'd be able to spot any water ingress. Not a drop. Mighty impressed. (Kids were disappointed though !)
The jacket itself is very comfy to wear, with a nice long back to cover your bum when you sit down, nice big central chest pocket to drop your bins in, and a slit behind the main pocket to either cool down with (as vents) or stick your mitts in to warm 'em up. Nice big hood to that will easily go over your hat, and a high neck at the back of the collar to stop the drafts.
There is a 'lower' pocket for ammo strips - not sure about that one, as the flap is magnetised, and I could envisage losing ammo if you had to crawl along, and it's not as easy to take on/off as a conventional full-zip jacket - but then to be fair, no overhead smock ever would be would it?
Early days I know, but I thought I'd give my first impressions, and so far, it's a thumbs-up.
(As I wear it more, I'll post any further thoughts/feedback).
ATB,
Merlin
Driving home, I found myself thinking "I hope it's still lashing it down when I get in....". Bizarre.
Anway - home I get, lashing it was, and on goes the new smock. And then I face the torrential downpour. And then for good measure, I ask my 2 kids if they want to turn a hosepipe on me (...and before anyone asks, no, I'm not getting any training in for being on the wrong end of a water cannon....). Unsurprisingly, they didn't take much persuading, envisaging giving Dad a bloody good soaking - at his request.
So how did it fare....?
I was absolutely bone dry. I had a pale T-shirt on underneath so I'd be able to spot any water ingress. Not a drop. Mighty impressed. (Kids were disappointed though !)
The jacket itself is very comfy to wear, with a nice long back to cover your bum when you sit down, nice big central chest pocket to drop your bins in, and a slit behind the main pocket to either cool down with (as vents) or stick your mitts in to warm 'em up. Nice big hood to that will easily go over your hat, and a high neck at the back of the collar to stop the drafts.
There is a 'lower' pocket for ammo strips - not sure about that one, as the flap is magnetised, and I could envisage losing ammo if you had to crawl along, and it's not as easy to take on/off as a conventional full-zip jacket - but then to be fair, no overhead smock ever would be would it?
Early days I know, but I thought I'd give my first impressions, and so far, it's a thumbs-up.
(As I wear it more, I'll post any further thoughts/feedback).
ATB,
Merlin