Breathable warm jacket with a hood??

DanGriff

Well-Known Member
Can anyone recommend a jacket for the winter.

It must be the following:
Warm
Have a hood that fits and is adjustable so it stays up and can be pulled around your face so it doesn't affect your view.
Most importantly it must be breathable.

I will be wearing this jacket for walking around shooting, up and down hills and being a bit of a fat lad need a coat that's warm but breathable. I also do alot of ferreting so will be rolling around in hedges often as well as climbing over barbed wire fences.

It would also be brilliant if the jacket was waterproof as well, but have found in the past waterproof jackets aren't as breathable.


I currently have the pro hunter trousers made by harkila and think there great but didn't really want to spend £350 on a jacket for it to get ripped on hedges and barbed wire fences.
 
i got a Swanndri zip front a month or so ago. ive got to say im pleased with it been lamping tonight got caught in a downpour, dry as a bone.
Warm whlist ive been ferreting and it doesnt seem to get caught up in brambles and hedges. just my two pence worth. ATB
 
Can anyone recommend a jacket for the winter.

It must be the following:
Warm
Have a hood that fits and is adjustable so it stays up and can be pulled around your face so it doesn't affect your view.
Most importantly it must be breathable.

I will be wearing this jacket for walking around shooting, up and down hills and being a bit of a fat lad need a coat that's warm but breathable. I also do alot of ferreting so will be rolling around in hedges often as well as climbing over barbed wire fences.

It would also be brilliant if the jacket was waterproof as well, but have found in the past waterproof jackets aren't as breathable.


I currently have the pro hunter trousers made by harkila and think there great but didn't really want to spend £350 on a jacket for it to get ripped on hedges and barbed wire fences.

Have a look at http://www.riverswest.com/ They have a UK office now. I find their kit amazing and the people in the UK are most helpful.
 
Also known as River sweat! Warm, waterproof and breathable - let us know when you find such a garment.

HME
 
Also known as River sweat! Warm, waterproof and breathable - let us know when you find such a garment.

HME

I said it would be good if it was waterproof, but breathability is more important. The plan being chucking a gortex smock in my bag for when it's tanking down!
 
Deerhunter ram its warm waterproof and breathable also has vent zips under the armpits which really help let moisture out nice touch, and has as many pockets as couple of pool tables it also gets no love as far a rough treatment goes seems to be taking all I can throw at it, my only complaints ? its a little on the heavy side and wish it had a wired hood but heck it works pretty well anyways, and if you shop around it can be had at good money got my last one new off the bay for less than a 100 squids good luck!!
 
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ive been using the pro hunter jacket for two years now and found it very reliable and no damage to it in that time
pricey but why spend your money twice
can only speak for myself but has been money well spent
davy t
 
If it is non-cammo you want take a look at these

http://www.cotswoldcountry.co.uk/store/product/15984/Schoffel-Ptarmigan-Superlight-Coat-Olive-36/

(
though you an find them a lot cheaper than that).

This is a superb coat - you could camp in it and mine has stood up to many years of beating through all sorts of bramble etc without any problems.

If cammo then look at the Musto Advantage Stalking Jacket. Again, superb, and like the Schoeffel I have never got cold or wet when wearing it. (Currently one cheap on ebay).

Both are Gore-tex and both have hoods.
 
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deerhunter ram for me used in all weather not let me down yet. if i had the money harkila pro hunter, fyallraven stuff is very good to.
 
I have an entry level (cost) Ridgeline Roar jacket. 3/4 length, huge pockets that will hold binos, hood, zip up waterproof wallet pocket. I can wear it with knee high gatters and not need special trousers. The Roar II is more of a good thing having a removeable hood.

http://www.ridgeline.co.nz/catalog/product/roar-ii-jacket

It's bloody hot if walking in over 10 deg C though. Mine is in Buffalo camo but I would have prefered a plain olive green.
 
I think you will need to do this in layers and it looks like you are already going that way by carrying something waterproof.

I've been wearing mil surplus stuff of late and for what you want would wear a fleece with a mil surplus windproof smock over the top - good hood, good pockets, £7 to about £20 off ebay, robust, pretty waterproof (4 - 6 hours of rain) when treated with nikwax wash in waterproofing, very breathable, no worries about damaging it. Add a surplus goretex jacket (german flecktarn ones seem the best value) for when it is really wet and wear the goretex under the smock so you keep all your pockets. Job done, all weather protection for not a lot of cash.

If you fancy spending more, or having more control over features etc. then Arktis and Country Covers do, basically, slight variations on the windproof smock for lots of money. They also do a waterproof liner for about £50 so I guess you could get a smock mil surplus and add the Country Covers liner.
 
I have been really impressed with the Montane Extreme pro Smock for the colder weather, it is without doubt, the single best cold weather garment I have bought to date.

http://www.montane.co.uk/products/men/extreme/extreme-smock/99

I chose it over the Buffalo smock as it came with an excellent hood and reinforced elbows (especially ahndy when your digging out ferrets!) for just under £100

It's slightly shorter than the Buffalo and I found it easier to put on/remove than the Buffalo too.

It is very warm however if your on the move, but with a quality wickable layer underneath (these smocks are meant to be worn next to skin but I'm not a fan) the side vents and chest pocket let plenty air through.

They aren't fully waterproof but shed a good deal of water and dry well being pertex. If the weather is particularly vile, I pop over my Country Covers field smock and this will really keep out the elements.

Shopping around will get best price for the Montane and it's advisable to try it on for sizing too.

Hope that helps a bit

Rigboot
 
buffalos are great but not great if it pours, but for a fiver you could get a brit army poncho to go over the top job done
 
Just purhased a ridgeline torrent jaket which for £109 was amazing value and is very warm in wind and rain. The silent material seems very rugged and the hood is huge with a drawstring to keep it in place.
 
I think you will need to do this in layers and it looks like you are already going that way by carrying something waterproof.

I've been wearing mil surplus stuff of late and for what you want would wear a fleece with a mil surplus windproof smock over the top - good hood, good pockets, £7 to about £20 off ebay, robust, pretty waterproof (4 - 6 hours of rain) when treated with nikwax wash in waterproofing, very breathable, no worries about damaging it. Add a surplus goretex jacket (german flecktarn ones seem the best value) for when it is really wet and wear the goretex under the smock so you keep all your pockets. Job done, all weather protection for not a lot of cash.

If you fancy spending more, or having more control over features etc. then Arktis and Country Covers do, basically, slight variations on the windproof smock for lots of money. They also do a waterproof liner for about £50 so I guess you could get a smock mil surplus and add the Country Covers liner.



Being a fan of the mil surplus gear myself very tough and cheap, I have never thought of trying to wear it as mentioned I always wore the goretex layers over the smock thus making it most akward to acess the pockets also I found the goretex to rustle to much for my liking problem solved must give it a try excellent bit of info :thumb:
 
I have the Austrian m65 goretex jacket cost £35. it has four pockets, fold away hood and is lined but not very thick. I wore this for a week while hind stalking, 8 hours of driving rain and gale force winds and was still dry. Its olive green and silent best jacket ive got.
 
Being a fan of the mil surplus gear myself very tough and cheap, I have never thought of trying to wear it as mentioned

I believe that the intention was for the Goretex shell to be worn under the combat jacket or smock and in fact some of the British Goretex jackets have no pockets at all for this very reason, so I can't take credit for the idea. The German goretex shell has two very small pockets, watch though as the sizing on them can be tight.

The only problem with this approach is the strange dance you have to perform when you decide, after a few hours, that the rain just isn't going to stop and that it is time to put the goretex on under the smock. You've got to get the smock off, in a howling gale, and get the goretex on without it blowing away and then get the smock over the top of it all the while trying not to get soaking wet :)

If you haven't tried the nikwax wash in waterproofing for cotton on your smocks then be sure to give it a go. To my amazement it makes them waterproof enough for most woodland stalking, say anything less than 5 or 6 hours. Another thing I've noticed is that the new MTP pattern smocks are made of a softer material which is quieter than the DPM smocks I have, this makes a big difference to noise when pushing through trees and the like, so they might be a better bet for the deer stalker
 
After dragging a nice fallow buck a mile and a half after waiting in a bog for the shot my Nomad was amazing.

Expensive but reasuringly so. My only gripe is brambles cling on like fooooook.
 
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