DRY TO THE BONE ...

DRY TO THE BONE .... 

Being a Fieldsports photographer means I spend most of my days out in the elements, and funnily enough the winter months generally seem to be the busiest for me.  

From August and the start of the Grouse season through to the end of January and the Pheasant  and Gundog Trialling Seasons coming to a close, I can normally be found up to my knees in mud, dogs and camera equipment.  

One of the most important considerations at the start of any "shoot" day is obviously the weather followed very closely by "what to wear". 

And the "what to wear" question brings with it a whole host of other questions and headaches.  My outdoor gear needs to be waterproof, comfortable and durable and also able to let me carry what I need for a day on foot. 

After trying a host of brands professing to offer all the above, and still coming away, wet, cold or with ripped clothing or a wet mobile phone,  I really had decided to adopt the "wear it for a season and be done with it" approach.  

And then the Fortis Forrester Coat arrived in the post.

Now,  I need this coat to work, I really do.  There is nothing worse than trying to work when you are wet and cold.. and the day after I opened the box I was due to photograph a Field Trial in North Yorkshire. 

The forecast was for a wet day .. and it's didn't disappoint.  Driving rain and tough moorland conditions with nowhere to shelter really let me run it through it's paces. 

Whilst I normally carry a small game bag to keep my fuel in, the odd banana and chocolate bar, I also need to carry extra batteries and memory cards, cloths to keep the lenses clean and dry and of course the "mobile phone office".  

So, the Forrester has more than enough space for all the "stay dry" equipment. 

One inside pocket for the mobile, then two large pockets accessible with the zip remaining done up, and only having to release the outer poppers gives me ample room for all my batteries and memories cards and also a couple of lens cloths. 

I then have two large front pocket which happily carried extra gloves and cloths and then nice pockets to keep hands dry and warm. 

The hood is detatchable, but unlike most floppy versions this is attached with press studs and velcro so is nice and secure and has a wire rim to shape round your face, it's also big enough to be able to wear a woolly hat or baseball type cap underneath.  Press studs over the top of the zips all the way up to the top with closers on the hood meaning your are nicely snug. 

My photography involves a lot of bending and kneeling down and at the back are two zips which when undone allow for more movement and flexibility. 

Back to the car at the end of the day, a quick shake to remove the excess water and the verdict.... BONE DRY. 

For the first time for a very long time, my top half was completel dry.  The normal danger areas, across the shoulders and the elbows stood up manfully and not even a sign of damp. 

As the season has progressed we have attended Sheepdog Hill Trials in as bad conditions, various field trials in driving rain, shoot days in freezing fog and snow.  

So far so good........ 

Huge thanks to  the team at Fortis and I look forward continuing to put this Forrester Coat through it's paces.

Next stop, brambles and deep cover.  Watch this space !

And on the odd day off, plenty of room for leads and whistles whilst out training the pup.  

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT 

WWW.FORTISCLOTHING.CO.UK