How long does it take to develop a specialised garment?

We started in summerof 2009 when a customer visiting our shop was interested in adapting one of our Cotton Analogy Assynt Jackets for salmon fishing.  Initially we were a little reluctant because angling garments were not part of our main business although we sell Glencoe Ventile Jackets and Páramo Pajaro Jackets to anglers, river wardens and gilles.

After discussing it with the customer we felt that Cotton Analogy was a good fit for the application. In the past several companies made wax cotton wading jackets, which were warmer and more robust than the Goretex equivalents which are now the trend, but not very breathable. Fabric technology has now moved on since the era of wax jackets. Cotton Analogy in contrast offers toughness due to the Ventile outer fabric and high breathability due to a Nikwax Analogy Pump Liner.

Why is high breathability required for angling ? When standing in the middle of the river slowly moving while covering the water – probably not! 

Imagine however the perspiration generated in a warm wet day when walking from the fishing hut to the start of the beat. Where does the perspiration go? With shell jackets and traditional Wax Jackets the answer is nowhere due to the wet saturating the outside of the jacket. Perspiration gets trapped under the jacket and when you are out standing in the river you stop perspiring, the accumulated sweat cools down and you get cold. Not too comfortable when you have to spend the next two hours concentrating on the fishing.

After deciding that Cotton Analogy was the best fabric solution we made a test jacket for the customer based on his requirements and a year later we are still getting excellent feedback from him.

We decided to make a standard Hilltrek product, reviewed other wading jacket designs and consulted with local salmon anglers in Deeside. This process took many months. 

The design was tested in the field, tweeked several times and a final prototype made. The design was tested at the Leeds University test facility and finally approved by Nikwax Fabrics, the owners of the pump liner concept.

One of the River Dee fisherman who helped us was Davie Murray of the Monaltrie/ Lower Invercauld beats near Ballater. 

Davie commented on the jacket in October at the end of the season on the Dee:

‘I’m very impressed. Very smart and nice colour.

The closure of the sleeves works really well, they enclose the arm and keep wind and wet out. It is a well designed smock with an eye for detail.

The smock is not as long as I would have liked it. When I sit down, my bum is no longer covered, so it gets wet and cold. Wearing a backpack in strong, chilly winds it is hard to keep the bum covered with the smock. Even so, in case of rain a longer smock should keep the trousers (at the front) dryer’

* 1 x map pocket (Kangaroo) with zip

* 1 x handwarmer pocket (waist level with opening at each side) with velcro

The Lecht webcams show the snows of the last few days are hanging around dispite it being a touch milder right now.

Autumn is much like Spring in terms of walking in the hills.  The range of weather conditions that you can experience in such short periods of time, temperature changes with altitude or your placing on a hill or valley make a big impact on.  With such variability having good logic behind the clothing layers you put on make a big difference to the comfort level you experience while out in the hills.  Today, the temperatures had been in negative numbers for much of the night so the valley floor frost was melting back in weakening sunlight come mid morning.  Therefore, it was cold.  The first layer to think about was a woolly hat, time to put that in your pocket, ventile walking trousers for me and then a T-shirt, fleece and outer light shell jacket.  All layers were needed for the valley floor, even the runners had their hats on today but then the steeper climbs of the Fungle make you warm up from the inside so the outer shell jacket was opened up plus the big zip in the front of my fleece.  In a deep valley and tree lined the wind was light, also, with just a 100  metres of verticle added, the air was not so cold  (cold air sinks).  So having the ability to cool down is important but then the open heather hill top paths exposes the wind.  Time to zip up again, even put the hat back on but then the sun gets warmer and a dip in the hills provides shelter, time to zip down again but then turn the shoulder of a hill and the wind is blowing across 30 miles un-interrupted from the Cairngorms and its time to wrap up again, even in the even warmer sun.  Then its time to head down towards the valley floor, shelter and sun but then the sun disappears and the breeze disappears and the still cold air is still around in pockets.  While it is not as cold as when starting out the fleece provides the warmth.  No rain or wintry precipitation on this walk but that will come real soon.

The busiest I have ever seen The Rest and Be Thankful on the Fungle this morning.  The Aberdeen Rambers branch of the Ramblers Association were out for a walk from Aboyne to Dinnet. I call this walk the Roof of Mid Deeside walk.

What are the benefits of outdoor made to measure clothing?  Here are some based on my experience:

Fit
Comes without saying but this means nil to a shorter wearing in period thus you don’t have to limit your activities while you bed in the clothing.

Comfort
Not just for that early wear in period but for eliminating those annoy little snags and wearings that become evident in long distance and long exposure to outdoor conditions.

Convenience
The practical design of the clothing is fit for purpose.  The pockets are right for a map, ski gloves, carrying food and are located in the right place and the right size for access.

Personal expression
The ability to select the ethical and environmental values in the materials used and usually to support a local business.  Not forgetting the selection of colour and style.

Innovation
Customers wearing the clothing and the whole community of users can suggest feedback to further improve the clothing they wear, in short a more responsive feedback loop along the whole design, manufacturing and supply chain.

Price
Personalized to the value being gained from the clothing.

The sun hadn’t made an appearance for a few days so things were dull and damp in the hills.  Not particularly cold but a thin east wind you noticed when you stopped walking.  My choice of clothing was a t-shirt and a fleece.  For me my made to measure Lochnagar Fleece.

In fact, it was a made to measure day for me as I was wearing my double ventile walking trousers too.  The hills seem even more peaceful when wrapped in the mist and my Hilltreck clothing was making it comfortable in those conditions.

Don’t miss our Páramo Premier Retailer Event starting next weekend……..

See new Páramo winter stock including lightweight Velez Adventure ladies waterproof trousers, Pájaro Waterproof Trousers and Torres Insulator Jacket.

We will also have some great deals during the week on Páramo and other brands of clothing, footwear and equipment.

We have been appointed a Páramo Partner, one of three in Scotland and twenty in the UK.

We are a small independant retailer short of space but long in experience of Nikwax Analogy and Páramo Directional Waterproofs. 

Incidently we reckon that we are the oldest Páramo Retailer still in existence, starting in 1994.  

Being short of space we cannot stock all Páramo’s products in all sizes and colours at all times. If a customer wants a garment which we do not have in stock, the Páramo Retailer Portal comes to rescue.

Since early September, many satisfacted customers have purchased garments through the portal and delivered home free of charge.

See the Paramo website for more details.

It is blowing a gale today in Aboyne and we are on the valley floor. What the conditions will be like up in the local hills let alone on Lochnagar or on the plateaus of the  Cairngorms?   Stormy I guess.  I have taken a few batterings from the wind over the years while out walking in both summer and winter.  I rate a blasting wind as one of the most dangerous weather conditions to be out in, I’d rather have it raining hard or -20c below.  While both these conditions have their dangers good outdoor clothing can keep you dry and warm.  However, add the wind to those conditions and life becomes real tricky.  Sure, the clothing will project from the elements but it does not help you keep your feet.  And keeping your feet on the ground is a critical and mandatory element of being able to walk.  It is also the unpredictability of the wind that makes it a top weather concern.  I recall walking up Meikle Pap on Lochnagar, it was a windy winters day.  It was windy from the car park but sheltered SE slopes were keeping the wind at bay until an exposed plateau delivered the gusting wind however, get close to the next SE slope and some shelter was to be gained again.  At the top  of the Pap, there is no plateau but an increasingly sharpening summit.  Not only are you now high enough for the uninterrupted storm force NW wind to hit you directly, you have the vexing of the wind around the summit twisting up the wind.  It is an un-nerving experience, your body knows it is in danger, it can not win.  What I like to do is to ‘listen’ to the wind.  You have to say, OK, today I will not get right to the summit today.  You learn the pattern of the wind, its gusting routine, this gives time to brace yourself to the mountain before making head way in the less severe troughs of wind.  The wind does not run like clock work so you have to keep alert to anomalies but if that is happening lot then heading down the hill is the best answer.

A windy day with rain or snow is even more challenging.  Here the windchill effect really comes to the fore.  While we all do our best to find outdoor clothing and equipment to keep us dry, rucksack need to be opened, gloves taken off and on etc.  The weather gets in.  And the wind just gives the rain and the snow much more energy to achieve that.  Once in, the wind adds it chilling effects.  When out walking in such conditions my goal is to find a place of shelter to perform those tasks.  Whether is be under a tree or lee side of a boulder or the side of a gully.  I use these places to prepare for the challenges ahead or to address changes in clothing or equipment.

In summary, it is the intelligence of the hill walker plus the performance clothing and equipment that makes you best prepared to walk in stormy conditions.