Over the past few years I have become a convert to a couple of Kiwi clothing brands, Swazi and Egmont.
Most know the former as the maker of very expensive rain jackets, and having owned most of their range (Tahr XP, Kagoule and Wapiti Standard and XP) I can say that they are good, hand made items (makers name is sown into the label area) which do work. However, by the time they arrive on our shores and the retailer and taxman have taken their cut, they are expensive for what they are. You can puncture the fabric (don't go near a gorse bush!) and the wrist cuffs do take a while to dry out.
I use the Kagoule for yardwork and the Tahr for stalking, each being perfect for that task. The Wapiti in standard form is not that great of a jacket. If you do want all the pockets in the world get the Wapiti XP from Swillington. The Wapiti XP is a nice out and about jacket and the 'XP' (meaning Tahr style hand warmer pockets) really do make it worth the price increase over the regular Wapiti (a Highland Pony stomped a hole in the hood of mine, don't ask why!).
Fabric used in these garments is 'peached' (ie soft on the outside)so its pretty silent. I would say it is only moderately puncture and abrasion resistant. Visible wear on the tail of my Tahr jacket where I have sat down to glass. When they say 'breathable yet waterproof' they mean you will still sweat when exerting yourself but it does wick the sweat away reasonably well. The biggest benefit of this stuff is its weight, or lack of it. Not sure why Swazi see the need to make an 'ultralight Tahr' as the original is light enough in my opinion.
All that being said, the waterproof over-trousers they make are supreme. Nothing but praise for my pair. Some will complain about the lack of pockets but I would say just stop complaining as pockets mean more seams and more seams mean more sealant and more sealant means more failure points!
Not tried Stoney Creek but they seem to offer designs that are very close to the Swazi ones at a similar price. I've had no reason to try one yet.
However, Ridgeline stuff only belongs on (or in) a fire! Had the misfortune to buy a pair of their trousers at a deep discount and the first thing a friend said was 'bet you will sweat like a ********** wearing those. Lucky me as paying £15 to find out why is not as bad as buying a £300 jacket made of the same material as my friend did. I would only wear these as a last resort or if I knew I had to wait in the freezing cold for hours without moving. Apparently Ridgeline is often referred to as Binline as it has about the same effect, always wetter on the inside from your own sweat.
Finally, we move on to the famed NZ wool shirts/bush shirts. A friend (the same one as above) had an original NZ made Swanndri (affectionately called the Swanni, bit of an NZ icon!). I nearly bought a new one, but when I found out they are now made in China I swore off them. Thankfully too, landed up talking to some knowledgeable guys who steered me onto Egmont wool bush shirts.
Unlike the Swannies they don't have a hood, are deliberately oversize round the chest yet short sleeved to avoid being caught in machinery (a design feature of the original Swanni but phased out in favour of long sleeves for hipsters,which seems to be their target demographic now!). They are 100% wool and the weave is actually pretty 'loose' so you get good ventilation when worn as an outer layer over a cotton shirt. The magic of these is that the addition of a rain garment (like the Swazi Kagoule, an ace paring for fencing or path work) gives you some air space between the layers which heats up nicely without being sweaty. They are described as 'showerproofed' but I would treat it like any quality wool garment (meaning never, ever wash it!).
Unfortunately like most well made bits of gear, Egmont Bush shirts are no longer made so you will have to hunt around for one. Even in NZ good examples go for around $100 NZD. You'll be doing well to get one for £60-80 in the UK. Most come in the iconic red or blue check/tartan pattern which is ubiquitous in any depiction of NZ tramping or hunting although I have seen a few other patterns. I think mine was at least a decade old when I got it but is still holding up nicely.
Hope this is of use to some. I really like NZ made gear as on the whole it is quality stuff and there seems to be a real sense of pride in the product. Supposedly Swanndri used to have a slogan 'We make good clothing for our customers...because most of them own guns!'
However they have now fallen to the wayside and become a 'lifestyle' brand to be seen in when visiting fancy coffee shops. Really hope the other brands don't become like that, just look at what happened to out tweed industry (don't even get me started!).
Most know the former as the maker of very expensive rain jackets, and having owned most of their range (Tahr XP, Kagoule and Wapiti Standard and XP) I can say that they are good, hand made items (makers name is sown into the label area) which do work. However, by the time they arrive on our shores and the retailer and taxman have taken their cut, they are expensive for what they are. You can puncture the fabric (don't go near a gorse bush!) and the wrist cuffs do take a while to dry out.
I use the Kagoule for yardwork and the Tahr for stalking, each being perfect for that task. The Wapiti in standard form is not that great of a jacket. If you do want all the pockets in the world get the Wapiti XP from Swillington. The Wapiti XP is a nice out and about jacket and the 'XP' (meaning Tahr style hand warmer pockets) really do make it worth the price increase over the regular Wapiti (a Highland Pony stomped a hole in the hood of mine, don't ask why!).
Fabric used in these garments is 'peached' (ie soft on the outside)so its pretty silent. I would say it is only moderately puncture and abrasion resistant. Visible wear on the tail of my Tahr jacket where I have sat down to glass. When they say 'breathable yet waterproof' they mean you will still sweat when exerting yourself but it does wick the sweat away reasonably well. The biggest benefit of this stuff is its weight, or lack of it. Not sure why Swazi see the need to make an 'ultralight Tahr' as the original is light enough in my opinion.
All that being said, the waterproof over-trousers they make are supreme. Nothing but praise for my pair. Some will complain about the lack of pockets but I would say just stop complaining as pockets mean more seams and more seams mean more sealant and more sealant means more failure points!
Not tried Stoney Creek but they seem to offer designs that are very close to the Swazi ones at a similar price. I've had no reason to try one yet.
However, Ridgeline stuff only belongs on (or in) a fire! Had the misfortune to buy a pair of their trousers at a deep discount and the first thing a friend said was 'bet you will sweat like a ********** wearing those. Lucky me as paying £15 to find out why is not as bad as buying a £300 jacket made of the same material as my friend did. I would only wear these as a last resort or if I knew I had to wait in the freezing cold for hours without moving. Apparently Ridgeline is often referred to as Binline as it has about the same effect, always wetter on the inside from your own sweat.
Finally, we move on to the famed NZ wool shirts/bush shirts. A friend (the same one as above) had an original NZ made Swanndri (affectionately called the Swanni, bit of an NZ icon!). I nearly bought a new one, but when I found out they are now made in China I swore off them. Thankfully too, landed up talking to some knowledgeable guys who steered me onto Egmont wool bush shirts.
Unlike the Swannies they don't have a hood, are deliberately oversize round the chest yet short sleeved to avoid being caught in machinery (a design feature of the original Swanni but phased out in favour of long sleeves for hipsters,which seems to be their target demographic now!). They are 100% wool and the weave is actually pretty 'loose' so you get good ventilation when worn as an outer layer over a cotton shirt. The magic of these is that the addition of a rain garment (like the Swazi Kagoule, an ace paring for fencing or path work) gives you some air space between the layers which heats up nicely without being sweaty. They are described as 'showerproofed' but I would treat it like any quality wool garment (meaning never, ever wash it!).
Unfortunately like most well made bits of gear, Egmont Bush shirts are no longer made so you will have to hunt around for one. Even in NZ good examples go for around $100 NZD. You'll be doing well to get one for £60-80 in the UK. Most come in the iconic red or blue check/tartan pattern which is ubiquitous in any depiction of NZ tramping or hunting although I have seen a few other patterns. I think mine was at least a decade old when I got it but is still holding up nicely.
Hope this is of use to some. I really like NZ made gear as on the whole it is quality stuff and there seems to be a real sense of pride in the product. Supposedly Swanndri used to have a slogan 'We make good clothing for our customers...because most of them own guns!'
However they have now fallen to the wayside and become a 'lifestyle' brand to be seen in when visiting fancy coffee shops. Really hope the other brands don't become like that, just look at what happened to out tweed industry (don't even get me started!).
