With all the variety of clothing for hunters present on the market today, it can be conditionally divided into hopelessly outdated and modern. The first one is sewn from cheap materials that do not protect from heat, frost, wind, moisture, etc. In most cases, the main argument in defense of the “hunting” purpose of such hunting clothing is the most primitive camouflage coloring.
If we talk about modern hunting clothing, the concept of its design and production is based on two basic principles – modularity and multi-layering.
Modularity
Dictionaries define modularity as “the principle of constructing technical systems, according to which functionally related parts are grouped into complete units – modules.” Thus, the modularity of modern hunting clothing is, in fact, building a system that will work optimally in a particular situation.
To build this system, we need the right “building materials”, i.e. we do not just combine certain items of our wardrobe in a random order, but select those elements of the hunting costume that will provide us with the most comfortable stay on the hunt in combination with each other.
Hunters know very well that the weather cannot be trusted. A frosty morning in spring can turn into a wonderful day when the sun will really warm you up. And, on the contrary, within a few hours it can become noticeably colder. To radically solve the problem of protection against temperature changes, clothes made of several layers can be used.
It also helps out in cases when you have to experience uneven physical exertion during your stay on the hunt.
Consider a specific situation, such as driven hunting. In order to get to his room, the hunter sometimes needs to walk some (sometimes considerable) distance. The clothes chosen by him for active movement successfully cope with the task assigned to them. The hunter will have to spend several hours on the room almost without moving. It is clear that soon the clothes worn will no longer serve as sufficient protection from the frost. This means that additional insulation will be needed. There are quite a lot of heat-saving clothes for hunters with different properties and different cuts. The main task is to choose the one that will work best not only in these climatic conditions, but also in combination with other layers of clothing. In one situation, a fleece jacket is enough, in another you will need an additional jacket. It should be noted right away that, thanks to modern insulation, such undergarment jackets, as a rule, are not very voluminous and quite compact, easily fit into a small hunting bag or backpack.
The starting point for choosing the right additional heat-saving clothing can be an outer jacket. As a rule, all good manufacturers make winter jackets with insulation. However, some hunters prefer to buy an outer jacket without insulation and consider it as a kind of outer membrane that allows you to wear a certain number of layers of clothing under it, depending on the weather.
In any case, the stake is placed on the modularity of clothing or, as hunters often say, on the “cabbage” principle.
When building a competent system of hunting clothing, the question of what size an outer jacket should be will inevitably arise. On the one hand, it should have a certain supply of “air” so that it can be properly insulated; On the other hand, with a small number of layers of inner clothing, the outer jacket should not be too loose. So what size should you buy? In order not to make a mistake, experts recommend that during the fitting, do not limit yourself only to the outer jacket, but try on the entire possible set of clothes in different combinations (including thermal underwear and various heat-saving layers) – this will help you choose the optimal size of the outer jacket.
Layering
This is the second basic principle of the design of modern hunting clothing. The first layer is clothing directly adjacent to the body, i.e. thermal underwear. It regulates body humidity and temperature. The task of thermal underwear, which is made of fabric with a special weave of threads, is to wick away sweat and partially save heat. When choosing high-quality thermal underwear, the part of it that comes into contact with the body is never wet. It can be damp, because the body sweats continuously during active loads, but the main part of the moisture is quickly removed to the next layers of clothing.
If we make a small excursion into history, we will see that the first type of underwear designed to provide additional protection from the cold were… Ladies’ pantaloons, invented and put into use by the wife of Henry II, Catherine de Medici, back in the XVI century. At the end of the XIX century, underpants began to be made of woolen knitwear. Such underwear retained heat well, but with intense physical exertion, it absorbed sweat into the wool and instantly lost its heat-protective properties. The solution was found in the 20th century, thanks to the invention of synthetic fiber.
There are two basic rules to follow when choosing hunting thermal underwear. Firstly, it should correspond to a specific season and, secondly, it should fit snugly to the body.
The next layer of a hunting suit after thermal underwear can be clothes made of fleece or some bulky materials – “breathable”, but at the same time well saving heat. Sweat should pass freely through this layer of clothing.
This is followed by one (or more – depending on the weather) protective layer.
And, finally, “at the finish” there should be a membrane (and, possibly, insulation) that will reliably protect the hunter from bad weather (rain, wind, snow, etc.), but at the same time will be permeable to steam: it should come out, and not condense on the inner surface of the jacket.
Speaking of modern hunting clothing, of course, it is impossible not to touch upon three issues regarding materials, aesthetics and budget.
Today, good artificial fabrics are seriously competing with natural ones on the market, as many interesting developments have appeared in this area. In some cases, hunting clothing made of synthetic materials turns out to be much more comfortable and functional than those made of natural ones. In terms of strength and hygroscopicity, a good synthetic material is not inferior to a natural one, and in many cases weighs significantly less. When going hunting in the mountains, the hunter counts every gram of his equipment in advance, because all this weight will have to be carried on himself. It is clear that high-quality, but lightweight clothing made of synthetic materials is preferable in this case.
As you know, there is no universal hunting clothing for all seasons and all types of hunting in the world. Manufacturers, as a rule, produce different lines – for winter hunting, for spring-autumn hunting, etc. The assortment is quite rich, so the principles of modularity and layering can be observed both by combining clothes of different brands, and by maintaining loyalty to one brand. If we talk about functionality, there is not much difference. If we talk about aesthetics, then the selection of a wardrobe for a particular season within one brand is considered more stylish.
Budget
This is another tricky issue that has to be addressed when you are faced with the need to form, replenish or update your hunting wardrobe. It is clear that everyone has different financial capabilities, so the choice of a manufacturer should correspond to your capabilities, since there are premium hunting clothing on the market, and high-quality equipment from reliable manufacturers at more forgiving prices.
One thing is important to understand: truly good clothes cannot be cheap. It is no coincidence that they say that we are not rich enough to buy cheap things. Each of us is interested in hunting clothing that lasts a long time and is a pleasure to use. A simple example: a low-quality shoulder strap can break while hunting, and then you will have to carry the gun under your arm for many kilometers. The pleasure of hunting will be ruined. And what if the zipper stops fastening in the cold? It seems that lightning is a trifle, but taking into account the fact that a lot of money and time has been spent on hunting, a small problem turns into a big disaster.
The high price means that the hunting clothing (hunting jackets and hunting pants) is made of high-tech membrane materials, that the most modern insulation, zippers, buttons and other accessories are used. Miracles do not happen: all these materials are expensive, which directly affects the price of hunting clothes. If a manufacturer is focused on the premium segment, he will always install the best (super-efficient membrane, the most advanced insulation, etc.), because he knows that there are very energy-consuming hunts, where cheaper membranes and other components simply will not cope with the tasks. That is why the prestige of the brand is, first of all, a guarantee of quality: companies operating in the premium segment, by definition, are not ready to compromise at the expense of quality.
The conclusion is extremely simple: if you can’t or are not ready to buy top hunting clothing at high prices, do not waste time to find a cheaper product from the same manufacturer – it will not be available (the opportunity to save a little by “catching” the right product with a certain discount during some promotion held by the store does not count).
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It is better to initially decide what budget you are ready to allocate at the moment for the purchase of hunting clothing, and study the range of products offered by companies operating in the price segment available to you. But the starting point, in any case, should not be the affordability of the price, but the “price-quality” ratio.
