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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.

The Scottish Game and Angling Show is a new event run by The Scottish Gamekeepers Association at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh from March 6th to 7th.

We will have a stand at the event showing our Ventile and Cotton Analogy Clothing Ranges  and also the Naturally Paramo range from Paramo Directional Clothing

For many years we have been supplying off the shelf and made to measure garments for gamekeepers, stalkers, ghillies, wildlife managers and rangers from Hilltrek and Paramo clothing ranges.  

We also work closely with local gamekeepers and rangers to trial our designs to ensure that they stand up to the toughest conditions across a wide range of activity and exertion.

Susan, who does our clothing designs, has been working hard over the winter months on our first venture into specific field sports clothing which we will exhibit at the show. – the Dee Wading Jacket.

The Dee Wading Jacket is a chest wading jacket named after the River Dee, one of the most famous salmon rivers in Scotland, which flows through our village.

It uses Cotton Analogy which consists of a Ventile outer and Paramo Pump Liner inner – a combination which is tough, waterproof and highly breathable.

We look forward to your feedback and see you at the show. 

What a difference a week makes. From the hard packed snow and blown powder of last weekend to plus 3 degrees and wet granulated snow today.  At least the wind was minimal – better than 40 mph gusts. 

Pressendye, the most easterly Graham,  at 620m, was my destination this weekend. I intended to climb to Pressendye and ski along the ridge.   It is a hill I regularily climb as the views across to Lochnagar and the Mounth are usually superb.  Alas today it was misty and drizzly and hence the lack of photographs on the blog. Pressendye could be the location of a wind farm, which would spoil a perfect location, however the planning application has been rejected at the local Aberdeenshire Council level.

Today I replaced my Paramo Alta 2 jacket with a Hilltrek Cotton Analogy Foinaven Smock. Cotton Analogy is our own invention which uses a Ventile Cotton Outer and a Nikwax Pump Liner inner. All of our Cotton Analogy designs are approved by Nikwax Fabrics and tested by Leeds University. With a Paramo Reversible shirt underneath, the Foinaven Smock was perfect for the wet humid conditions and its breathability ideal for the hard work.

The track up the hill passing below Pittenderich was patchy and with the wet deep snow it was hard work skinning up and awkward skiing down. Still its better to be out on the hills than sitting inside watching Scotland being gubbed by the French.

For details of Grahams and how to get to Pressendye see  http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/grahams/pressendye.