Jacket recommendations

[Thoburns]

Would value your recommendation on wet weather jackets. Had a swazi for several seasons then ripped it so bought a new one in January, had rain while picking up 1st time out and had to do a full change of clothes within 4 hours due to leaking so retailer gave me a refund. Seen on here the new swazis vary in performance so not taking a chance on another at £380. I Like musto but the really good ones are too noisy for stalking Looking for a none thermal shell type. Recommendations? Price not a consideration.

 

[@theroedeerguy]

I don’t have this specific jacket but have been really impressed with the performance and design of my Kuiu Axis Hybrid.

If I was looking for a top performing outer waterproof jacket the Kutana would be high on my list

 

[Mattsage76]

harkila pro hunter endure or if too warm id look at mountain hunter smock. register all harkila products on 'harkila pro hunter society' and you get 5 years guarantee, thats piece of mind. i use both products and cant fault them.

 

[ZimCoxy136]

I use have a Musto keepers westmoor BR1 jacket, and I have been really impressed with it. Been out in heavy rain for hours and stayed completely dry.

 

[Pete655]

I also rate the Harkila pro Hunter and I find it is not too warm unless going up serious hills. The outer has been bombproof to tears and nicks from thick forestry

 

[6.5_shooter]

Would value your recommendation on wet weather jackets. Had a swazi for several seasons then ripped it so bought a new one in January, had rain while picking up 1st time out and had to do a full change of clothes within 4 hours due to leaking so retailer gave me a refund. Seen on here the new swazis vary in performance so not taking a chance on another at £380. I Like musto but the really good ones are too noisy for stalking Looking for a none thermal shell type. Recommendations? Price not a consideration.

I’ve used my Swazi for ~5 seasons and it has been amazingly waterproof - have had many days on the hill of non-stop rain and made it back with a fully dry upper body if I didn’t sweat too much. Another big plus is it maintains its colour quite well when soaked - I have seen Harkilas that start the day green and end the day almost black…

On fairer days with no severe rain forecast I’ll wear my Kuiu Axis jacket which I rate highly. Plenty of other nice offerings from Kuiu such as the Yukon. The Gale Force is a wonderful thing, but it’s insulated and you mentioned wanting more of a shell jacket.

 

[Sierra]

If you can afford it and can find one in your size Arcteryx LEAF Alpha is the best you can buy.

Sitka & Kuiu are close behind in terms of quality.

Harkila pro hunter is very good but extremely heavy when wet. Personally I prefer the water to run off rather than soak into the first layer.

 

[Madu]

Hi,
I have a Stoney creek long bush coat, can't fault it, superb in the rain and not sweaty when on the march

 

[Koenig]

The Harkila Pro-Hunter is waterproof and tough, but as described above heavy and despite being y insulated hot if on the move or working hard.

The best shell jacket I ever had was a US EWCS jacket made out of three layer GoreTex. You can find them now and again on eBay.

 

[Marrajack1]

Kuiu for me

 

[@theroedeerguy]

If you want an incredibly high performance waterproof jacket, I have one of these and can highly recommend it’s ability to keep you dry

Mens Wetlands Jacket

Shop Mens Wetlands Jacket from Huntech Outdoors - the original performance hunting clothing brand in Australia and New Zealand.

huntechoutdoors.com

Mine was purchased in NZ so not sure about import costs but I wore this for a days fishing on a boat on the Tay which was basically a 9 hour downpour!!!
The ghillie went and changed out of his expensive Simms jacket at lunch which was soaked through, the Huntech stayed dry all day, really well made and designed.

 

[jim_allen_uk]

https://www.musto.com/en_gb/keepers-smock-84053

 

[jim_allen_uk]

Not had it very long but impressed so far. It’s been out in some very wet conditions and kept me dry. Quiet and hard wearing material. Looks like a few retailers have it on sale currently as well

 

[Boomerang]

One thing I think about is the noisiness of the fabric. If you are picking up, that is less of an issue. If stalking it is an issue, at least to me. US manufacturers go for heavy Gottex materials (e.g. Kuiu and Sitka fully waterproof jackets) and are to my ears noisier than European OEM like Harkila and Beretta - why? Harikla has a quieter outer fabric over the top of a Goretex membrane. Downside is that it is heavier -dry or wet. I have the Kuiu Hybrid jacket which has waterproof panels on the shoulders/upper sleaves and partial front and back. It is quieter than their pure Gortex jacket. I have not been in a heavy downpour but guess it will eventual let moisture through the windstopper material. I ski in Arcteryx (but not LEAF) and have for many years - love their gear - but it is really noisy.

If I were buying from scratch I would look at the Harkila Mountain Hunter (the offer a jacket and smock - although probably 2x price of Swazi) or Deer Stalking (if you prefer Camo) ranges - or Kuiu (as they have European/UK distribution).

 

[Bowland blades]

Shooter King Greenland smock. I have literally waited laid in a deep puddle waiting for a stag to present without getting wet and the outside dries off real fast . Not silly money and very tough
Ogdens should be able to sort you

 

[Bowland blades]

I wouln't buy anything Harkila since they started selling rubbish import stuff at the same silly prices

 

[@theroedeerguy]

Heads up Presidents Day sale at Kuiu.
Get 25% of Kuiu Yukon Rain gear

Yukon Rain Jacket | Verde

This 3-layer, 4-way-stretch hard shell rain jacket provides as much waterproofness, durability, and comfort as anyone could ask for in a waterproof-breathable outer layer. Built to limit the need for a soft shell in non-stop bad-weather areas, this jacket was designed to meet the demands of...

www.kuiu.com