Paramo jacket

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I'll perhaps update you on this in a months time, as I have a Hilltrek smock with Paramo lining on order. Made to measure as they're only five minutes from me, thought I'd support local industry !
It'll get used for stalking, beating, shooting, everything really sincentre it needs to earn it's keep!
No doubt the good Lord will provide me with a few soakings to test it's waterproofing. Keen to see how it feels stalking in the Ventile compared to my ancient Nomad. I doubt it will be as quiet.
 
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Yes, supporting the local industry must be a good thing, especially when it turns out the owner lives 1/3rd mile away.
Which one have you ordered? I will have a look a the Askival on saturday.
 
They just launched a smock on Facebook page few days ago .....speaking to a guy today had a made for him version and looked good .....
I'm leaning towards natural stuff rather than goretex etc ....what I. Reading tots far better for breath ability etc

Paul
 
I have had a Paramo Velez smock for years and other layers of theirs. It takes a bit to get used to the concept of them, but they do work very well. Yes you have to wash them in Nikwax Tech wash for them to perform to their best, but that is no trouble. The whole thing is breathable and made of many layers. A lot of water will bead and run off the outer layer, but some will soak in. It wont get through all the layers to get you wet though. your natural perspiration and body heat will move moisture away from you and back out through the layers.
I never get any of the damp spots which you get with shell waterproofs, the ones where you are never sure whether the waterproofs leaked and got your groin / arm pits / back wet, or if it was sweat.
Because of the layers the jacket is much warmer than a shell and often I would only wear a single base layer underneath.
However, if you are going to sit on a wet patch of ground for a long period of time, then yes you will get a rising damp problem in the seat of your pants. But once you get under way again it will soon dry out.
I love mine and I would buy another.
 
I'll have a good look round the shop on Saturday. The price is high but nearly 100 GBP less than the Swazi Wapiti. It will need to be very good though to deter from the Wapiti.

Big fan of Ray Mears when I was younger, so if he is a Ventile fan then that is a big plus for me

 
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Rancid Rabbit said:
I have had a Paramo Velez smock for years and other layers of theirs. It takes a bit to get used to the concept of them, but they do work very well. Yes you have to wash them in Nikwax Tech wash for them to perform to their best, but that is no trouble. The whole thing is breathable and made of many layers. A lot of water will bead and run off the outer layer, but some will soak in. It wont get through all the layers to get you wet though. your natural perspiration and body heat will move moisture away from you and back out through the layers.
I never get any of the damp spots which you get with shell waterproofs, the ones where you are never sure whether the waterproofs leaked and got your groin / arm pits / back wet, or if it was sweat.
Because of the layers the jacket is much warmer than a shell and often I would only wear a single base layer underneath.
However, if you are going to sit on a wet patch of ground for a long period of time, then yes you will get a rising damp problem in the seat of your pants. But once you get under way again it will soon dry out.
I love mine and I would buy another.
Click to expand...
Just watched a YouTube video on the Velez. Looks excellent for hiking in open country.

Have you tried the Halcon or Parajo jackets? They look very nice, but there were some threads a while back saying they rip too easily for enough stalking. Would you agree? Can get a Halcon for 260 on Ray Mears site - 200 quid less than Swazi and least 100 GBP less than Hilltrek.

Have you ever used Ventile/Paramo sandwich gear? I assume the Ventile is there to act as hard wearing yet highly breathable outer shell?
 
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No, never tried those. I bought mine for hill walking / climbing. It definitely isn't as tough as my wax jacket, but it has survived everything that I have thrown at it so far. Maybe the Halcon / parajo have a heavier weight outer than mine since they are not aimed at the super lightweight alpinist market. I wouldn't take mine through a gorse bush backwards. If they do tear and rip at least you can stitch them back together without affecting their performance.
 
Thanks. Any issues with horizontal rain being driven into fabric or sudden lack of waterproofing due to not enough / or excessive application of the Nikiwash stuff?
 
Unsuitable for what we do. Excellent for other outdoor pursuits and used extensively by mountain rescue teams. But not for stalking.
 
Jim xyz said:
IMHO Paramo is awesome for what it's designed for, mountaineering and serious walking.

Sadly I don't think it would be any use for stalking/shooting. It's not designed to be used for crawling through rough terrain and the material is quite slippy so I think you'd struggle to keep the butt in your shoulder.

If you intend to get up into the hills walking then it's worth every penny, for stalking I'd stick to military surplus kit.

Jim
Click to expand...

I second this.
My Pajero is also of the same age, I used to be an Outdoor Persuits instructor and it was well-used on a regular basis for about eight years without any major problems. Yes, they do lose their proof over time, but you soon know when to reproof. Minor damage can be carefully sewn (cotton thread is best) and the jacket reproofed, sorted.
I still wear mine for wet weather dog walking.
 
Thanks for info. I won't consider the Parajo or Halcon jackets any further and won't think about their trousers either.

Might get the cheaper Feura in green just to have handy in the car.

New stalking/fishing jacket is going to be either Hilltrek or Wapiti. Buy once and cry once, as they say
 
i have four of their jackets for various purposes - mostly mountaineering and general outdoor use. For mountaineering/hill walking/general wet-weather outdoorsy stuff there is in my experience nothing better. With regular reproofing, they stay waterproof - one of my jackets has been in near daily use for around 8 years and is still perfectly waterproof in anything less than monsoon-like conditions.

As pointed out by other posters, repairs can be made with a needle and thread - if you tear a GoreTex jacket, that's it.

i have loads of GoreTex, eVent and similar kit but to my mind, nothing comes close to Paramo for waterproofing and breathability. That said, i don't use any of them for stalking - colours are all wrong and not enough pockets in the jackets/smocks i have.

If stalking is your top priority for use, i'd say look elsewhere - for anything else, they're unbeatable - even at those prices.

atb,
nonethewiser
 
While this thread is about Paramo outers, I found their lined fleece to be so user friendly that I swore I'd replace it with same. Never thought that about any other garment before or since! After 20 years almost daily use when the zip broke I replaced it with new in a heart beat. For perhaps 6 months of the year, a Rohan base layer this fleece covered with a Chevalier lightweight hooded smock is a lightweight stalking solution for the torso but in heavy weather the Prostalker jacket comes into its own over their trousers.
I'd like to see more choices of material weights in long smocks like we see from Nomad UK, Swanndri and Swazi. Perhaps post BREXIT, the awful import surcharges from those excellent NZ firms will disappear in a magical puff of common sense? Yeah, I know dream on!
 
Well, went to Hilltrek. Very good shop. Was about to arrange an appointment to get measured for the Ventile/Paramo jacket, but then tried on the Paramo Halcon jacket in moss colour. Felt so good had to buy it. If it does not work well for stalking then will get the custom job next year, but for me, the Halcon is the most comfortable jacket I have ever worn. Very impressed. The prices are negotiable as well. Glad I bought from them.
 
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