Comparison Preview - Best Shell Layer Jacket For Hunters
A terrible picture of some great gear. I took this picture last month at The North Face Summer Outdoor retailer booth where they set up a small historical gear display. This is the Mountain Jacket circa 1985 that really set the tone for high end Gore-Tex expedition wear for the masses.
That is me in my Mountain Jacket and matching bibs (with their half moon union suit backside access zips) at about 14,000 feet. I ski patrolled and mountaineered in these and they were fantastic. This was state of the art then and I am gonna show you just how far "we" have come.
Hey, just giving you a heads up. I am just about ready to give you my initial impressions of a number of high end technical shell jackets. I have been holding off because one of the most eagerly anticipated items has been on backorder but I am informed that it will arrive tomorrow. This is a big deal to me and I am pretty fired up about it.
What makes these particular outer layers special is that they are new, they didn't exist three years ago. In fact, the only product in this once obscure and very small market niche was military issue but the absence of similar commercial offerings is something I have been bitching slash moaning about to anyone that would listen for more than a decade. I am very happy to say, at this point, we have five worthy products to consider. And yes I will take some credit for pushing the market in this direction because near as I can tell I was saying it earlier, louder and more often than anybody else.
Outer shell sets (jacket and pants or bibs) with state of the art quality, materials and features in "technical" or mountaineering styles have been around for a long time and are numerous from top companies like Arcteryx, TAD Gear, Outdoor Research, Cloud Veil, Wildthings, The North Face, and Marmot. However, they did not specifically suit the needs of hard working trigger pullers (ie hunters that actually move long and hard enough to sweat, backcountry law enforcement and military special operators) because they were not offered in camouflage or even muted earthy colors. And, more importantly to this group, they were also noisy.
Regular readers know that I have periodically told you about incremental improvements and new products in this specialty space but I think we have finally achieved critical mass with a number of really good products. So, it is time to do a head to head comparison. Will I be happy? Will I finally be satisfied? Give me a couple of days but stay tuned for a first pass compare and contrast.
Thanks.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or bs'd. Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who can't or won't turn back.
Posted by Wade Nelson at Thursday, August 25. 2011 
Categories: Shell Layer
Tags: waterproof breathable hunting jackets gore tex camouflage jackets waterproof breathable camouflage jacket
Categories: Shell Layer
Tags: waterproof breathable hunting jackets gore tex camouflage jackets waterproof breathable camouflage jacket
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