What Makes a Great Shooting Jacket?
A shooting jacket is an essential component of your shooting clothing wardrobe.
Hunting and shooting has long been a staple part of a country lifestyle, and there's been a lot of knowledge and experience gathered throughout the generations that has established what makes a great shooting jacket.
Although what makes an individual garment the best may, ultimately, be down to personal preference, there are a few things which can elevate a jacket on its journey into greatness.
What is a Shooting Jacket?
So, first things first, what is the difference between a regular jacket and a shooting jacket?
Well, a shooting jacket is, put simply, an outdoor jacket that is used for shooting and hunting.
This means it needs to have practical features that makes it built for this classic country sport - taking it from a jacket that suits popping to the shops in, to one that will aid you throughout your shoot.
Key Features to Look For in a Shooting Jacket
Alongside exceptional comfort for all-day wear, shooting coats and jackets should have certain features that will help an active shooter when they are out in the field.
What you would usually be looking for is the following:
- Fit that is designed for freedom of movement
- Waterproof membrane
- Breathable, silent, lightweight fabric
- Adjustable cuffs
- Further handy features, like cartridge pockets and handwarmer pockets.
If your jacket has all this, you can be confident that you will be protected in any weather conditions.
Types of Shooting Jackets
Traditional tweeds were historically the standard, but now there are numerous high-tech, contemporary style outdoor jackets that have also become firm favourites as shooting essentials. However, if tweed is still your thing, we love it too, and have plenty of options in our range!
The continual advances in fabric technology means that the garment itself keeps evolving, and just gets better and better with time. Hunting brands work to combine their technical know-how with real life hunters' experience out in the field to ensure that shooters' needs are met and the best is achieved.
By utilising features that aid movement and provide exceptional comfort, these jackets become a perfect piece of shooting kit.
You might also want to invest in a shooting smock, to further advance that range of movement needed, or a shooting waistcoat for those milder, early season shoots.
Which Brands Make the Best Shooting Jackets?
Here at Hollands, we like to give our customers the best. For us, this means providing a wide range of shooting apparel at different price points, so anybody can get outside and join the hunt.
Within our collection, you'll find traditional shooting jacket from country brands such as Hoggs of Fife and Alan Paine, and modern, technically advanced options from the likes of Harkila and Deerhunter.
To point you in the right direction, we suggest starting with the Deerhunter Muflon range, the Harkila Stornoway, or the stunning Ridgeline Monsoon Jacket. We can't get enough of Ridgeline jackets - in fact, we wrote a whole blog post about them!
No matter what type of jacket you are looking for, Hollands has a great choice for you.
How to Layer a Shooting Jacket
When it comes to layering, the best thing about a shooting jacket is its versatility.
The comfortable fit of all our jackets means you can layer up underneath, depending on the season and the expected temperature of shoot day.
To help with layering your shooting outfit, consider investing in the following:
- Fleece gilet
- Button-down collared country style shirt
- Waterproof trousers or breeks
- Shooting accessories like shooting gloves and caps.
A smart shirt and fleece gilet underneath your jacket on a winter's shoot will give you that warmth needed for the day ahead. And you've got a great waterproof jacket, so make sure you have a great pair of waterproof shooting trousers or breeks. Stocking up on accessories also means that you can add even further warmth or comfort to your shooting outfit when needed.
Summary
Whether you're an experienced shooter, or just at the beginning of your venture into the sport, you need a quality outer layer that you can rely on.
Clay shooting, rough shooting, game shooting - whatever your go-to sport, make sure you also have a go-to shooting jacket. And Hollands has a complete range of waterproof shooting jackets, hunting jackets, and much more shooting apparel to help you get exactly what you need.
