Best waterproof jacket

[RPA 6MM BR]

What do the Scottish stalkers consider to be the best waterproof jacket for stalking and shooting?
Sorry that this aimed at Scottish stalkers but they face the worst of the weather

 

[greenshoots]

no such thing

greenshoots

 

[devon deer stalker]

Nowhere is as wet as Okehampton

 

[caorach]

no such thing

I agree, there are good solutions to the problem but I don't think you will find them in a single, waterproof, jacket.

 

[lochty]

Depends whether you are climbing hills, or stationary. Most quality gear works to some degree, but climbing hills, sticking a rope on a 16 stone stag and retrieving it leaves you fairly damp, whether it's raining or not.

 

[Hales Smut]

An Alaskan bear guide said, nothing stops water like PVC. The weather out there seems VERY bad.
Most of them seem to favour Helly Hansen Impertech jackets and bibs.

 

[762Scot]

RPA 6MM BR,
After much trial and error I have found the one combination that works is an SAS DPM windproof smock (great value too at the moment). I also have for torrential downpours on the hill the Military Surplus MTP Goretex smock and trousers easily carried in a pack. The windproof smock handles quite a downpour well though plus its breathable and dries relatively quickly when wet.
Hope this helps.

 

[sauer]

Search for group member
"caorach" on here and read his reports / method on what said above on milsurp smocks .....he is in the islands 100 odd days a year so tried and tested .

Also as said above no such thing as truely waterproof .....it's a trade off between breathability & waterproofing .....always a compromise .

I've had expensive smocks etc and they were good , but me personally I'm a sweater .....even when I was truely fit....I sweat ....so no point wearing a jacket that costs ££££ to still end up really wet / uncomfortable ...

I'm now going down the milsurp smock & a waterproof one carried ...
I think the best ways is layers ....can strip down when hiking or dragging then of sitting or glossing you can layer back up to suit .

Get some of diverdave waterproofing called Repel and coat the wind proof smock etc and helps a bit more .....

Only down side to layers is you need a day bag or roesack or like to carry in but it's best way ....for me anyway .

For my legs I have a few pairs of Hoggs of Fife plus fours and my gaiters , I've treated the plus fours with Repel too ....if gets real bad I have a set of eBay bought but stolen from my brother Dutch army goretex plain olive bib n brace ...easy to slip on and rolls up small and light .....so stay relatively dry but not too bulked up with big gear

Paul

 

[levigsp]

So its alright people recommending smocks, but not everyone can wear them/get them on overhead and being pedantic, they are smocks not jackets.
I have three Jackets that have never let me down in the highlands whilst fishing or shooting/stalking.
Because I sweet like a pig I really need to be careful not to over heat and get wet, so my jackets have to breath, but keep long persistent wind driven rain out.
A force 8 TFG fishing jacket in real tree camo, its light has the right pockets and a zip in fleece and its my 1st choice for Red stalking, no matter what the weather I never get damp inside, its fantastic and I wish I could find another.
A Scierra Patagonia jacket in a slate and dark green colour, it is a lot like the above coat but no fleece liner.
A Rivers West jacket in mossy oak camo, this is for extreme conditions and will keep you warm no matter how cold it is, its breathable but because it keeps me so warm if I move about I have to be careful of moisture. I have worn this jacket when its been -25 and I've been toasty, I've been out when we had 52mm of rain in 4 hours and I was dry!.
One thing I will say is that these coats have lasted and still work, I have had plenty of others that work when new but soon start failing, some costing hundreds of pounds are worthless in my book, living of there names etc.

 

[sauer]

The milsurp " smocks" I speak of are not smocks per say but coats with full zip and yes a definite advantage ...open it right up let breeze in.

But yes the fashion is for the full on pull over smock



Each to their own

 

[762Scot]

+1
Yes easy on easy off with full zipper and wired hood for moving in foul weather. The army spent big money and lots of time solving the problem of what to wear in "inclement" weather whilst "hunting". Try it and it may make you a believer.

The milsurp " smocks" I speak of are not smocks per say but coats with full zip and yes a definite advantage ...open it right up let breeze in.

But yes the fashion is for the full on pull over smock



Each to their own

 

[hammo]

Hi All

Over the past 18 years I have worn all the evolving UK Issue Smocks; and not surprisingly the latest one is the best (in my opinion!)

Get hold of a current MTP UK Issue temperate weather Smock. It will have a mesh lining, and the lower front cargo pockets will have 'hand warmer' micro fleece lined pockets with horizontal entry slits, within them. The hood is wired so you can shape it as required, the buttons have tape attaching them instead of traditional thread; and none of the buttons are exposed, they are covered. There are armpit zips to let you cool off rapidly when too hot (carrying lots of weight or going uphill fast) There are four roomy cargo pockets on the front, and two zipped chest pockets too. There is also a pocket on each upper arm, you will probably never use these!
The cotton is nice and breathable when you need it, and if you get rained on the tight weave of the cotton swells slightly and gives a reasonably water resistant layer. If its ****ing down you need to get a goretex jacket on over the top.

If you want to look cool, spend hundreds on name brand jackets. If you want a practical shooting jacket that lasts for years and costs little, get the above.

Hammo

 

[sauer]

Hi All

Over the past 18 years I have worn all the evolving UK Issue Smocks; and not surprisingly the latest one is the best (in my opinion!)

Get hold of a current MTP UK Issue temperate weather Smock. It will have a mesh lining, and the lower front cargo pockets will have 'hand warmer' micro fleece lined pockets with horizontal entry slits, within them. The hood is wired so you can shape it as required, the buttons have tape attaching them instead of traditional thread; and none of the buttons are exposed, they are covered. There are armpit zips to let you cool off rapidly when too hot (carrying lots of weight or going uphill fast) There are four roomy cargo pockets on the front, and two zipped chest pockets too. There is also a pocket on each upper arm, you will probably never use these!
The cotton is nice and breathable when you need it, and if you get rained on the tight weave of the cotton swells slightly and gives a reasonably water resistant layer. If its ****ing down you need to get a goretex jacket on over the top.

If you want to look cool, spend hundreds on name brand jackets. If you want a practical shooting jacket that lasts for years and costs little, get the above.

Hammo

How do you get your hand on that version? Without signing up that is ?
Paul

 

[ChesterP]

I do a lot of walking over the hills, but it's hardly the Scottish Highlands down here in the Cotswolds. Nevertheless, I go out in all weathers, and once a week, I trek perhaps 8 to 10 miles. I use the same gear as I do for stalking. In winter, a pair of Fjallraven Vida Pro trousers and if cold, Deerhunter Recon jacket which I've found to be very breathable and tough. It has reinforcing material where it counts, is just short of 3/4 length and has a handy phone/radio pocket as well as compact built in hood. When it warms up a bit, I use Milsurp and carry a breathable waterproof in a pocket. If it's cold, I wear a thin fleece jacket underneath, and the base layer is always a polyester/wool mix or when cold, Morino wool base layer.

Layering is the best way IME. I prefer the basic hoodless DPM temperate weather jacket (later issue with taped buttons etc) to the MTP smock. I simply don't see the point of spending hundreds on fancy stalking clothing when the MTP/layering options or recon jacket do (to my mind) a better job. The problem with a lot of expensive kit marketed for stalking is that you simply get too hot in it when exerting yourself. If you're sat in a high seat, then the milsurp stuff doesn't make as much sense as well insulated "technical" clothing. If you're out over the hills, it's perfect. Like a fair few others on here I suspect, my military past makes me a little more than biased, as we spend a lot of time in the hills in all weathers "hunting" and the military stuff is designed well, just for that job.

Stockists of the milsurp for anyone interested include Military1st or Ebay

 

[caorach]

Get hold of a current MTP UK Issue temperate weather Smock. It will have a mesh lining, and the lower front cargo pockets will have 'hand warmer' micro fleece lined pockets with horizontal entry slits, within them. The hood is wired so you can shape it as required, the buttons have tape attaching them instead of traditional thread; and none of the buttons are exposed, they are covered. There are armpit zips to let you cool off rapidly when too hot (carrying lots of weight or going uphill fast) There are four roomy cargo pockets on the front, and two zipped chest pockets too. There is also a pocket on each upper arm, you will probably never use these!
The cotton is nice and breathable when you need it, and if you get rained on the tight weave of the cotton swells slightly and gives a reasonably water resistant layer. If its ****ing down you need to get a goretex jacket on over the top.

I prefer the design of the older DPM jackets just for the very reason that they don't have all these features - stuff like handwarmer pockets take a lot longer to dry out when they do get wet. However for most stalking I think the MTP pattern is way ahead as it blends in better with so many different backgrounds.

Also don't put the goretex layer on over the smock, put the smock on over the goretex, this is key to how the system works. The idea is that the poly/cotton smock on top means that you keep all your pockets plus it keeps the goretex layer quiet. You see people complaining that the mil surplus goretex coats can be noisy but they are only noisy if you aren't using them correctly. The same applies to pockets - the goretex jackets have few, or no, pockets because it was always assumed that the smock would be on top. As it is on the outside so the smock will dry very quickly once the rain stops and this means that it will soon be dry enough for you to take the goretex layer off and be back to a much more comfortable, breathable, configuration.

The only down side with this system is that you have to use your brain, rather than just hand over £1000 for some coat that claims to do everything for you.

Paul - the MTP smocks with the "features" are generally easily available mil surplus. For a short time when the MTP pattern was introduced there was a MkI MTP smock which was the same design as the old DPM one but in MTP pattern and, in my experience, made from a different and less hard wearing material. Then they moved to the MkII MTP smock which has the mesh lining, pit zips, fleece handwarmer pockets and maybe a few other bits. The most obvious visual difference is that the pocket buttons are covered by the pocket flaps in the MkII whereas they are exposed in the MkI. Generally speaking the MkII MTP smocks make up the vast majority of those available and I suspect the MkI ones were only a stopgap measure while full production got up and running.

 

[sauer]

My DPM ones do not have the hood on the back

I noticed the new MTP does have a hood
Is it removable ?
Or can you get them hoodless ?

I prefer not having the hood


Paul

 

[caorach]

My DPM ones do not have the hood on the back

I've not seen a windproof smock without a hood (That's not to say there aren't any) but there are "field jackets" that don't have hoods so I'd guess that is what you've got.

That I know of all the MTP windproof smocks have hoods and I've not seen an MTP field jacket, there are some "shirts" but these tend to be much more lightweight and also to have less pockets.

The other option might be to look and see if, for example, the US army do a field jacket in multicam. A quick ebay search, just because I'm nosy, revealed that they do an M65 multicam jacket but it has a zipped in hood. Now, I don't know if this means the hood can be removed by unzipping it or if it means it is zipped into the collar and is attached at all times.

 

[sauer]

Aye it's definitely more than a shirt .....field jacket it must be ....I prefer no hood , but not a deal breaker

Quite like the German flecktarn pattern .....almost like a digi cam ....

Paul

 

[TOMMO.B]

Aye it's definitely more than a shirt .....field jacket it must be ....I prefer no hood , but not a deal breaker

Quite like the German flecktarn pattern .....almost like a digi cam ....

Paul

Aye Paul the German flecktarn takes some beating esp at the end of summer through to spring. Best of all if or when you rip it. Then mend it no big loss
The rest of the time its old DPM for me.
I have a rack full of expensive jackets only for them to be side lined by the old faithful wind proof DPM smock.
Makes me laugh when you see folk remove there good jacket before a bog crawl. in case it gets wet and dirty. ( then i think at £600 for a jacket nether would i )

 

[TonyR]

Went to Scotland stalking a few years ago and the gamekeeper that took me out on the hills did not use waterproof clothing used usual vest,shirt ,jumper and standard army jacket . He covered a lot of distance and it was constant hill walking he said that the heat from his body evaporated the rain before it soaked in and kept him dry ?
I did not try it .

Tony