Ideal stalking jacket

[caorach]

Cheers.There are some very nice jackets on there, I think I'll just get my daughter to sew some zips into the armpits on mine , that's the only thing that bugs me.

If you really need armpit zips in a jacket then the new MkII MTP issue smock has them, along with a lot of other fancy stuff that is of questionable value in the field.

 

[liongeorge]

If you really need armpit zips in a jacket then the new MkII MTP issue smock has them, along with a lot of other fancy stuff that is of questionable value in the field.

What like this one?......gotta love the model

Genuine British MTP MK2 SMOCK 170 /96 in Original Packaging | eBay

 

[caorach]

What like this one?......gotta love the model

Genuine British MTP MK2 SMOCK 170 /96 in Original Packaging | eBay

Yeah, they have pit zips and hand warmer pockets and mesh lining and all sorts of stuff like that. They are actually very good jackets but I think the older DPM type are better because they are simpler and do away with all that stuff. I'd guess there is an element of personal preference in this but I've slowly come round to thinking that simpler is better, and lighter, and quicker drying, and less lightly to snag on things and... well you get the idea. The DPM jackets have everything you need, and nothing you don't.

For what it is worth I generally wear the MkII MTP jacket for stalking and the DPM one for fishing/walking etc. For the most part this is because I think the DPM pattern is a little too dark in colour for most stalking and although it doesn't make up for fieldcraft I think the MTP pattern can give me a little advantage sometimes.

I wouldn't pay £40 for one though, see if you can shop around and find someone selling with a starting price of 99p or £5 or something and bid on a few of those until you get one, just be sure to check the size is right for you.

 

[lambic]

Based on this thread bought the Army Smock, Austrian Goretex Jacket and the Arktis non-waterproof smock. Been out half a dozen times, so each one has had some use in relatively warm weather. All olive green.

Arktis is the best of the three and should last longer than me, but the other two are decent as well. Army smock is starting to fall apart already so maybe I bought a dodgy one.

Austrian jacket now used as reserve in car.

 

[ChesterP]

For winter months I use an Engel Deerhunter jacket over a shirt as it's warm, windproof, reasonably water resistant and impressively breathable for an insulated jacket. Quiet too being a micro-fleece type design. Sensible shoulder pads so the rifle sling wont slide off. Good pockets too and a handy storm flap which detaches from the rear inside or can attach and give a warm dry seat! It's given a decade of reliable service and I can't recommend it highly enough for winter shooting.

For all other seasons, I use layers. Military jackets including windproof DPM smocks, layered cold weather jacket "systems" which are usually a windproof polycotton jacket with removable liner. For summer months I use lightweight cammo jackets or smocks including a CADPAT jacket, a lightweight shooting cammo smock and a few other military surplus lightweight smocks. For trousers, I use drab olive poly-cotton trousers or military surplus DPM/Multicam. As others have said, you can't go wrong with layers and basing most of your yearly wardrobe on military surplus stuff. Value and durability wise, it can't be bettered.

For colder months, I much prefer to use my Engel jacket. It keeps me warm in sub zero conditions when there's hard frost on the ground, keeps me dry in the rain and breathes well enough even when out for the day and covering a fair distance over rough ground.

 

[greville1689]

I keep saying this but...

British army Windproof smock. As a stalking jacket (and I've got quite a few jackets from everyone from Musto to Cabellas) it simply can't be beaten and because it doesn't have a waterproof membrane you stay much drier, and therefore warmer, when working hard as it breathes very well. However, with waterproofing washed into it then it is "showerproof" to a degree (2 - 4 hours in the rain depending on conditions) that means in most stalking situations you'll not get wet. With correct layers underneath the non-waterproof smock will keep you both drier and warmer than a completely waterproof jacket but it is light enough to wear on all but the warmest days and windproof for when there is a cool breeze. The pockets are great and you can get them in a range of colours with the most common, as you'd expect, being the DPM and MTP cammo patterns but green, black and even blue are available. The MTP has a more "sophisticated" design with hand warmer pockets, mesh liner, pit zips etc. but I prefer the simpler design of the DPM smocks as they do away with all this stuff.

In really wet weather then you put on a gore-tex liner (British army goretex jacket) UNDER the smock and so you keep all your pockets, are still silent but are now totally waterproof. Rain stops, smock dries out in a few minutes, gore-tex layer off and you are back to being breathable again. In terms of versatility you can't beat it.

It is necessary to remember that this is a clothing "system" which is flexible and suitable for nearly any weather you'll ever meet. However, the smocks and gore-tex jackets are pretty cheap to buy into and if you don't like them you can stick them back on ebay and get your money back so there is nothing to lose in giving it a try. If you use it as designed all the other jackets you own are redundant.

The current MTP smocks are pretty good and reasonably waterproof when new. I wear one on the hill and so long as you have layers underneath that wick the sweat away you should stay warm. The new issue goretex is like a "bomber" jacket and could only go underneath. I must admit that I have not tried one in poor weather as I have an older model that goes over the top.

I am also a fan of the new MTP pattern for the hill as it is not as dark as the old DPM.