‘If you can’t beat then join em’ step 2 -a second Hilltrek product is now available on Amazon.
Assynt Cotton Analogy Jacket
If you are an Amazon fan you now can buy both the Braemar Ventile Smock and the Assynt Cotton Analogy Jacket alongside an array of Paramo Clothing and other outdoor stuff in the Hilltrek store.
See www.amazon.co.uk and search for Hilltrek.
Our new Liathach Cotton Analogy Smock is on its way to Leeds University Centre of Technical Textiles for Rain Room Testing.
The Liathach will be our top end Cotton Analogy Smock combining an outer of Ventile with a Nikwax Analogy® Pump Liner.
When passed each garment will have a Nikwax Analogy® Waterproof badge as proof of its waterproof capabilities.
The Leeds University Test Centre was set up by Nikwax to test the Páramo brand. The test process is rigourous and consists of:
See Leeds University Test Centre for more info.
| August 20, 2011 | to | August 21, 2011 |
See us next weekend at the 10th Galloway Country Fair in the stunning surroundings of Drumlanrig Castle near Dumfries.
Our stand will feature Naturally Paramo and Hilltrek Ventile and Cotton Analogy ranges as well as Tilley Hats, Teko socks, Anatom boots and much more.
We will have great deals over the weekend. See you there.
| August 6, 2011 |
We will have a stand at the Aboyne Highland Games next weekend showing our Ventile & Cotton Analogy range of garments and Naturally Páramo
Pipe band marching
The Aboyne Highland Games has been held on the Aboyne Green since 1867 and is located only 300 metres from our shop and workshop.
The games is a traditional highland event with heavy events, piping, dancing, fiddling competitions and the hill race. This is a gruelling hill race over rough terrain on the Fungle drover track.
For more information see their website
We will have several offers available on the day including 10% off on production of a show catalogue.
One of our customers James Garrett recently returned from a trip in Lapland where he tested a modified Foinaven jacket.
This is his story:
The Jacket was ordered to be used as an outer layer while skiing and husky racing in Finland/Lapland. It needed to be large enough to accommodate insulation layers under it, breathable and capable of dealing with cold, damp UK weather as well.
Modifications from a ‘standard’ Fionaven smock included re-modelling of the hood and collar areas, adding a gusset behind the main front zipper, re-shaping the cuffs, adding waist size adjustment, side vent zippers and pocket insulation, and tinkering with the basic sizes.
Heavier weight Ventile ‘L19’ was used for the outer shell due to its added toughness and weather resistant properties as well as the fact that it is available in ‘Blaze Orange’ colour. This particular colour is not normally available and had to be ordered specially. Paramo’s pump liner fabric was used for the inner lining to give the jacket a more slippery inner when worn over layers as well as to deal with moisture in wetter conditions.
First Impressions
The jacket arrived on January 28.
The ‘Blaze Orange’ Ventile is certainly very bright indeed, perfect for the dark, low visibility conditions expected in Lapland. It is also quite a heavy fabric, heavier and slightly stiffer feeling to the touch than the L24 used for the standard Fionaven. However, the difference in total weights between the two jackets was only 150g, so not enough to really worry about. In addition, once the jacket was put on its apparent weight was not noticeable and movement was in no way restricted. Considering that the jacket is intended to be worn all day and not packed into a backpack for repeated putting on and taking off then, again, the added weight is not a problem. On the other hand, the apparent increase in toughness should be beneficial when dealing with sharp husky claws.
The jacket has contrasting black L19 areas added to the back of the arms/elbows and shoulder areas. These were requested partly for added wear resistance as well as cosmetic appearance. It seems that the areas on the arms have been ‘let in’ to the rest of the arm fabric while the shoulder areas have been added as additional ‘patch’ areas to double up the fabric thickness. On the arms this helps keep the weight of the jacket down and, thanks to where the seams between the two fabrics have been put, it also helps the arms articulate around the elbows. Of course, the double thickness over the shoulders simply beefs up the already impressive toughness of the jacket.
As mentioned above, one of the big changes to this jacket was to do with the hood and collar areas. On the standard Fionaven the hood is a simple, two-piece design that is ‘grown on’ to the rest of the jacket, i.e. there is no separate collar. In use, this was plenty good enough for most UK weather conditions but it did cause issues when it was either very cold or very windy – this simple hood was not roomy enough to wear layers of hats or balaclavas comfortably and it did not really extend forwards enough to fully protect the face from side winds. The modified hood is a three-piece design and has a significantly larger volume (but the same 3-way volume adjustment to clinch it down when needed). When tried on at home there was now plenty of room for hats and balaclavas. It also seemed to give much more face coverage with the front zipper now ending at about lip height when fully done up and the side sections and hood’s peak now finishing well in front of the face. This should be good when used in more extreme conditions.
The throat area / front zipper has also been modified. Firstly a large, triangular gusset has been added behind the main zipper. This is to enable the zipper to be undone for venting off heat but still offering wind protection at the same time. Secondly, an adjustable draw-chord had been added around the neck, again for adjustable venting options. During home trials these both seemed to function well and fulfil their necessary tasks well, although the very top of the triangular gusset seems relatively narrow compared to the mid-section which means it does not always open fully when the zipper is undone all the way. However, plenty of ventilation still seems possible since the gusset can be folded down below the chin to give an increased open area around the throat if and when needed.
Other modifications were the change to the cuffs, front pocket and general fit. The cuffs had their overall diameter increased by an inch or so to allow them to slip over glove/mitten cuffs more easily – even with goose-down mittens on the cuffs now go on over these with ease. Alternatively, the velcro adjustment allows the jacket’s cuff to be clinched in around the wrist when wearing longer cuffed, gauntlet type mittens or gloves. The main front kangaroo pocket has had 200wt fleece added inside it to keep the contents insulated. This has only been added to the back face of the pocket (the side which will be against your body when wearing the jacket) for some reason. It should provide some insulation, I hope it will be sufficient.
The dimensions of the jacket were increased for overall body length (with extra increase at the rear) so it now completely covers my backside and comes to around crotch level at the front. Aside from that, its overall size is very close to a standard ‘medium’ fit. This seems pretty close to an ideal size for both UK and arctic conditions – it allows room enough for base layer, thin fleece and synthetic insulation pullover (PHDesigns ‘Sigma’ smock jacket) to be worn under it for when the weather is very cold, yet it does not seem excessively baggy with just a fleece under it for UK winters.
It is pleasing to note that the pump liner fabric allows relatively good movement no matter what layers are worn under the jacket – since this fabric has quite a smooth, slippery inner face to it, under-layers don’t seem so prone to bunching up during use or coming off with the smock when you need to take it off.
More standard areas of the jacket include a standard front pouch pocket at chest height (zippered closure and velcro storm flap), size zippers for easy on/off and venting, zippered pocket on the left chest area (with internal loop for attaching items to) and adjustable lower hem. The only minor niggle here is the lack of extended zipper pulls – I have added my own to make the zippers easier to use when wearing mittens or gloves. Of course, doing my own has meant I can choose some really garish colours…
Overall first impressions were extremely good, I can’t wait to get this jacket out and try it!
Testing
The first few outings with the jacket were simple, relatively low energy walks with the dog in the UK. Conditions ranged from a few degrees above freezing (around +5C) with wind and driving rain to quieter conditions just below freezing (-2C).
In the rain I only needed a thermal base layer under the jacket. Sure, I was a little chilly when I set off but I always warm up easily when exercising and after only a few mins I was perfectly comfortable. I did try with an added 100wt fleece as well on one outing, but I got too hot too quickly. Undoing the vent zippers helped to get rid of some of the heat but I was simply more comfortable with lighter layers under the jacket. I am guessing that the pump liner fabric has quite good insulation in its own right? The hood certainly works well in these conditions and I never felt or got damp under the jacket so it is waterproof enough too.
The added fleece was better when used below freezing, this time a little extra warmth was needed. However, the hood was not needed but, again, it was just as comfortable worn down as it was when worn up. The jacket gets a big thumbs up for UK weather!
The main test was during a recent trip to arctic Lapland and Finland, what the jacket was really intended for. The weather there was significantly more extreme – conditions varied from air temperatures just below -20C with light winds right down to -15C air temperatures accompanied by 40mph gales, driving blizzards and ice storms. We did have significantly colder conditions on a few days (lowest daytime temperatures were around -44C) but it was felt that goose-down duvet jackets would be more appropriate here.
In use, the jacket coped with all this extremely well indeed. For the couple of colder days I used a Helly Hansen ‘Warm’ base layer set (top and leggings), my PHD ‘Sigma’ smock under the jacket and then some PHD ‘Zeta’ bib salopettes over my legs. A windproof fleece hat and balaclava (Extremities ‘Windy Boreas’ models) were used to cover my head, two layers of socks were used inside my ski boots and I used some mittens I made myself (Dachstein felted wool mittens for insulation inside hand-sewn leather shells) to cover my hands. I’m quite an active skier and although the runs in this area of Lapland were relatively short they were quite steep and high energy. On the other hand, most of the lifts were surface drag lifts and the longer ones took 10-15 mins to complete. However, I never felt either too hot when working, nor too cold when sat on the exposed lifts. Sure, I could feel the coldness of the wind as it howled over the mountain but I did not get chilled.
On the ‘milder’ days I ditched the Sigma smock and Zeta salopettes and swapped them for just a 100wt fleece and Paramo Aspira trousers. Again, this was perfectly comfortable for most of the day but during the longer trips on the lifts and during open air lunch stops I did add a PHD ‘Minimus’ down vest over the top of the jacket for a little extra warmth.
On all days the jacket was absolutely windproof, dealt with whatever moisture build up occurred inside it extremely well (I never felt the need to specifically dry or air under layers at the end of a day) and also provided good physical protection to these relatively fragile insulation layers. The re-designed hood coped well with extra layers of headwear and getting mittens under the larger diameter cuff openings was extremely easy. As for size, the jacket’s longer length covered the overlap between under-layers around my waist well and the adjustable waist and neck draw chords did an excellent job of keeping the winds out!
I have examined the jacket carefully since returning to the UK and there are no signs of wear from rucksack straps, no loose or broken threads on the sewn seams, no discoloration of the outer Ventile and no obvious signs of bobbling on the inner pump liner fabric. All zippers and toggles still work perfectly.
Summary
Overall this is a cracking jacket and it offered fantastic comfort and protection it in extremely horrid conditions. There are only two potential downsides I can point out – the lack of full insulation in the front tunnel pocket and the positioning of the added velcro strip for a fur ruff. In use I was reluctant to put anything electronic (camera, GPS or walkie-talkie) in the main pocket for fear of it getting too cold. Instead I kept these in the pockets of whatever under layers I was wearing. When using the PHD Sigma this was very easy – it has a single front tunnel pocket and this could be accessed quickly and simply via the side vent zippers on the Fionaven. However, it was more of a problem when I just needed my fleece under the Fionaven – this only has pockets high up on the chest and access to these was nearly impossible without striping off completely. On this occasion I got around the problem by bundling my camera inside a fleece liner mitten and then storing this in the Fionaven’s front pocket. It worked well, the camera’s battery indicator did register lower voltages as the day wore on and the camera got a bit cold, but it survived without any damage. I’m guessing a second layer of fleece lining behind the front face of the pocket will get around this potential problem.
Similarly, the position of the velcro on the hood could easily be adjusted. It is currently positioned don the inside of the hood a few centimetres back from the hood’s rim. The fur ruffs I have stuck on securely enough but the way they had their velcro positioned meant that they ended up sitting inside the hood rather than around the outside of the rim. The not only restricted visibility but was not particularly comfortable to have touching your face. In use I had to flip the hood rim inside out so as to put its velcro on the outside to get the fur in the right place. Now, I don’t know if all fur ruffs are sewn up like mine but I have several and they all lie the same way. A simple solution would be to re-position the hood’s velcro strip on the outside of the hood, right along the rim. This way it would be in exactly the right place, the hood rim would not need flipping and it would therefore also offer much better protection.
Like I said though, overall this is a fantastic jacket and several of my friends on the trip were very envious of it!
Many thanks for all your help and assistance with this jacket, and please pass on my appreciation to the rest of your team,
James
Post Script: We liked the modification of the Foinaven so much we have decided to make it a standard product. We will call it the Liathach Extreme Smock after the iconic Torridonian mountain in North West Scotland. The comments made by James will be incorporated into the new product.
In these days of the ‘throw away’ culture we are rather proud of our skills in refurbishing worn Paramo & Ventile Jackets and trousers. From £45 we can restore that well loved jacket to almost pristine condition replacing worn zips, refurbishing cuffs, patching tears, patching draw cord channel wear – a common problem in Paramo jackets.
Winter hillwalking and mountaineering is punishing on outdoor clothing where typical problems include crampon tears on trousers ankles. We can repair Paramo and ventile trousers easily while tears on trousers made of laminates such as Goretex, E-Vent and Sympatex require seam-sealing after repair. Seam sealing is highly skilled and requires sealing tapes and machine settings specific for the fabric. This can be challenging with an unusual laminate or PU coated fabric. There is no room for experimentation on a £150 pair of ripped salopettes!
All we ask is for you to ensure that your garment is clean before sending it.
Delivery is normally 4 to 6 weeks.
Ken Reid Fisheries Development Officer at the River Dee Trust tested our Dee Wading Jacket in Iceland in a recent trip. Here is his story:
I visited Iceland in some of the wonderful salmon fishing on offer; there are so many fabulous rivers in this country sitting at the roof of the world. It’s been a must go venue to me for some time so when the opportunity arose over a beer with a friend in Argentina in January, I knew I would have to take the opportunity. Having fished in a number of countries around the world where you can encounter cold, wet and windy conditions, I knew Iceland would be no different. Prior to flying out though I paid a visit to Hilltrek to speak to owner Dave Shand as I was intrigued to hear about their bespoke facility for fishing jackets. Dave explained the principles around the design of their jackets using top quality materials which have stood the test of time such as Ventile. I was delighted to be given a jacket to field test and promised I would report back my findings in due course after it had been given a decent workout. The jacket was technically sound and had all the features I like to have in jackets I use when fishing around the world.
I met up with friends in Reykjavik and we organised our provisions needed for our visit to the Laxa in Adaldal River in the north of the Iceland . Ahead of us was a drive from the south of Iceland to the north via the town of Akyureyri and onto our fishing lodge, where we would meet up with other anglers staying at the Veidiheimilid Arnesi Lodge. We had 3 days fishing at this venue and then we headed back to the south west of Iceland to fish on the Holsa Thvera River , where the famous East and West Ranga Rivers enter it beside the lodge we were to stay in. I somehow managed to leave the big Laxa River having picked up the wrong wading jacket, however a phone call notified me of my mistake and the jacket was promptly retrieved to much hilarity from the lodge manager, who wanted to keep the jacket for himself. The journey over the highlands of Iceland was quite dramatic as the weather was a lot colder than back in Scotland , there were fresh snowfalls on the mountains indicating we were fishing in late autumn conditions. It really is a quite beautiful country where the roads are very quiet compared to the United Kingdom and this allows you to travel at a leisurely pace admiring the breathtaking scenery.
The fishing was carried out in tough weather conditions and the fishing jacket acquitted itself fantastically. As is often the case when fishing; when the weather is bad, the fishing is good. We were delighted to catch over 40 salmon throughout the week from both the rivers, whether fishing from the bank or wading above waist depth in icy cold waters. I was very comfortable thanks to the efficient breathable membrane and construction of the jacket, and at no times were there any problems with water ingress from persistent rain or deep wading. As a result of being comfortable I was able to concentrate on the job at hand where success is never easy when visiting new rivers to fish. I was delighted with the jacket, and I would be more than happy to endorse Hilltrek as a company that can deliver a quality bespoke garment to suit your needs. I look forward to fishing in Argentina in January 2011 where we will encounter force 9 winds and driving rain, in the knowledge that I will be comfortable when pitting my wits against the giant Sea Trout of Tierra Del Fuego at the world’s basement.
For more information on the River Dee Trust see www.riverdee.org and for information on fishing on the Dee see www.fishdee.co.uk
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.
A quote from Lawrence Clark of Bushcraft Ventures Ltd shown in the picture wearing on of our Cotton Analogy jackets
‘I’ve been using Ventile jackets for a little over 20 years and have never been let-down by their performance. In fact I have a mountaineering Ventile jacket that is 20 years old and still going strong. Earlier this year I took my new Cotton Anology jacket along on my regular annual trip to Arctic Sweden, to see how it would cope with 2 months of teaching bushcraft and reindeer herding.
I normally use a cotton Swedish army skiing jacket, which is not waterproof, when in the Arctic but with the winters getting warmer in this region I felt that I needed a jacket that could cope with temperatures ranging from zero to minus 40C. I was very impressed with the performance of the combination of the Ventile and Nikwax Anology materials and stayed dry and comfortable whilst building snow shelters, ice fish, snow-shoeing in nearly 2 metres of snow and trying to catch reindeer.
For those of you that have lived and worked outside in extreme low temperatures, which may be most us after the recent winters we’ve had in Scotland, you will realise that moisture is a big NO NO. Although the body temperature can be controlled, by correct preparation before activities, having clothing that breathes well and that can be ‘vented’ is highly important. I can honestly say that, despite some hard physical work, I never experienced moisture or any ‘clamminess’ that I have experienced with many jackets solely made from man-made materials.
When working with reindeer and building snow shelter one can often be covered from head to toe in snow and with the temperature at the start of my trip being just below Zero (I believe is was around -24c in Aboyne at the same time) this meant the snow was ‘wetter’ than normal for this time of year. Therefore waterproof protection is vital and if your mid or base become wet and the temperature drops you could be in big trouble. The options when this happen is to dry your clothes by a fire or to let the water freeze and knock off the ice, both of these options can mean a very cold and dangerous situation if you don’t have spare clothing.
Fortunately, as I expected, I did not experience any leakage and despite the hard-work I put the jacket through I remained dry and cosy. I put this down to not only the combination of the materials but also down to the workmanship (or maybe that should be workwomanship) of the highly experienced seamstresses that manufacture a high quality product at Hilltrek’s workshop in Aboyne.
I was able to ask for larger and more pockets, to accommodate gloves and mitten, when I first purchased my jacket but I require some more alterations so I’m taking the jacket back to Hilltrek. This is not due to a problem with manufacture or materials but I have decided to make some personal design changes. I discussed the alterations with the Hilltrek seamstress and got some excellent advice and the jacket shall be ready soon.
In summary I’m very pleased with the materials and workmanship and I’m looking forward to using my jacket over the Scottish winter and autumn and shall be taking it with to Sweden, Norway and possible Canada early next.
Thanks Hilltrek
Lawrence Clark
Bushcraft Ventures Ltd
Dee Wading Jacket modelled by Bryan
Here is a ‘sneak’ preview of our new Dee Wading Jacket which we exhibited at the recent Scottish Game and Angling Fair in Edinburgh. Susan, our designer, has been working hard over the winter months to perfect the jacket based on an original design spec from a customer.
We received an excellent response on the jacket at the Fair from both anglers and ghilles. The jacket is now being modified slightly based on feedback and it will receive further testing by a well known ghille who works on the River Dee.
We wanted to create a high specification wading jacket fitting for the River Dee, one of Scotlands top salmon fishing rivers, which flows past our village. The River Dee has international prominence as a spring salmon river rising in the high Cairngorm plateau to flow through majestic countryside past the Royal Estate at Balmoral. To find out more about the River Dee follow this link.
The jacket uses Cotton Analogy, which consists of a Ventile outer and Nikwax Pump liner inner. The aim was to develop a high specification wading jacket which is highly breathable, has excellent waterproof capability and is tough enough to withstand the rigours of game fishing on Scottish Rivers.
Dee Wading Jacket Side view
Features include two chest pockets, a rear outside pocket, several inner pockets, detachable hood, front storm flap, d-rings, storm cuffs.
What is next?
After testing on the river and final tweeks, it will then be reviewed by Nikwax Fabrics and tested by Leeds University in their Rain Room -a minimum four hour resistance to 3cm of rain per hour.
If you want to be kept informed about availability please email your details to sales@hilltrek.co.uk
Watch this space.
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