The £60 layers challenge... clothes you never knew you needed.. or hated!

[Mr Happymoose]

Well, I've now got the Mit-Tec smock and for the money, I'm very impressed!!

If Axel find this size (XXXL) a bit on the restrictive side to put on, all I can think is that the man is built like a gorilla!!! I'm 6'2" with a 48 to 50" chest, tall in the body and not generally thought of as a little bloke and there's bags of room in this for me I can get it on with out too much trouble and there's plenty of room to move and to layer up underneath if I want. One thing that did surprise me was the length of the body. Most of my height is in my body (I might be 6'2", but I only have a 29" inside leg, don't ask me to work out how that happened!) but this will reach down past my backside if I want it to or the bottom hem will stay right on my waistband without riding up if I reach my arms over my head, something that I definitely appreciate.

It definitely has that 'duvet' feel to it. A very pleasing sort of warmth and softness that, if nothing else, feels comforting which in itself can boost moral nicely. But of course it is warm as well. Certainly today I was very soon starting to feel very warm as I hobbled round out in the garden to get a feel for it. It feels wind proof and the hood is good, full hood that is also padded unlike some smocks I've seen where the hood is no more than a couple of layers of fabric. I have a big head and I reckon I could comfortably get a woolly hat on underneath if I wanted just to give you an idea. After hearing Axel's fun and games with the zip and his beard, i was careful to keep mine out of the way as I zipped it up. The zip was easy to use and when up all the way it pulls the hood forward in a sort of semi-snorkel fashion which I think would give a lot of shelter even in windy conditions.

As Axel said, the pockets are good and well placed with even the handwarmer pockets being zipped if you want to securely stash stuff in them. Interestingly, in the short time I was wearing it, I didn't find that the zips on the handwarmer pockets scratched my hands as I took my hands in and out of the pockets. I can think of a few motorbike jacket and even trouser manufacturers who could learn something there. There will be a temptation to overload the joey pocket, but I think that things would start to get quite uncomfortable if you did. Personally I think it's ideal for a map and some munchies and maybe somewhere to briefly stash your gloves if you need to take them off to operate a camera for instance.

I like the shock cord on the hem as well. I find that this makes it very easy to adjust and to keep it adjusted rather than a piece of paracord for instance where you would need to tighten it up to stop drafts but then have to loosen it off to get the smock on and off. The cuff are just elasticated. It would have been nice if they were adjustable as well but for the money I'm not going to complain. They seem tight enough to stop most drafts but not so tight that they cut off the circulation in the hands.

My fabric preferences for outdoor stuff tend to be for natural fabrics such as ventile. Unfortunately my wallet doesn't stretch that far The outer skin on this does however feel quite soft with that sort of peachy texture. It does rustle a little but I think that with a bit of wear and a few washes it will soften down a bit and certainly some of that will disappear. The torso and hood are lined with a soft fleece material which is very nice to feel. Unfortunately the sleeves seem to be lined with a nylon material which might get a bit clammy if you're wearing it against the skin and you get a bit sweaty. Again though, for the money I'm not complaining.

It's been mentioned that there is a water repellent coating on this but I think that is all it is, if you were caught in a proper downpour you'd very probably soon be very wet. My feeling is that the kind of places where this smock would excel is either the round the campfire evening chillout or in cold, dry conditions such as we had up here last winter with all the snow. I went for a few walks in the snow last winter and this would have been ideal on those sorts of days.

All in all, for less than £40 delivered, this really is a lot of smock. I'd never really heard much about Mil-Tec and looking at this, I'm surprised at some of the things I've read on the net. Time will tell of course, it could all fall to pieces the first time it's washed or something but it really doesn't feel like it will
and I am actually very impressed and I'd certainly look at their other stuff. From the pictures Axel has posted, it's certainly in another league compared to the Helikon jacket he has!!

[Stew]

I realised after I posted that I didn't put a link in. Sorry about that! Click Me. It's windproof, reasonably warm and it seems to have some kind of DWR treatment - not waterproof though. I think it's good value for £33.

Must admit, I'm really tempted to pick one of these up - I drive past the Bushcraft Store everyday after work so could just swing in....

[Essexman]

Must admit, I'm really tempted to pick one of these up - I drive past the Bushcraft Store everyday after work so could just swing in....

That is tempting isn't it. Don't go there Stew!! I'm sure you would leave with more than one item.

[Mr Happymoose]

Must admit, I'm really tempted to pick one of these up - I drive past the Bushcraft Store everyday after work so could just swing in....

That is tempting isn't it. Don't go there Stew!! I'm sure you would leave with more than one item.

There's going to be better kit out there, but for the same money?? I seriously doubt it!! It definitely feels tougher than I was expecting.

Go on, give in, you know you're gonna so why suffer

[Stew]

Yeah, just in time for the summer!

[Mr Happymoose]

Yeah, just in time for the summer!

Summer!! Try coming up where we get some real weather

[Stew]

Would love to.

Spent a fair few weekends stopping around or up the Peaks.

[templogin]

Summer!! Try coming up where we get some real weather

Southerners whinging about the weather - pah! Come to Shetland. Absolutely hideous yesterday. Just plain old windy today! Before turning this into a moaning about the weather thread though, I really had to force the card back into my pocket. These over the head things always used to have me swearing as they were always too hot and too difficult to get the heat back out of. It does look nice though. I just think that I would be better with a hooded zip-up jacket.

[MeetTheGeeks]

Ive had hail storms here for a few days on and off and its been proper cold in the evenings. Stew, if you are near the store pop in and try one on, Im sure you will leave with one, maybe even something else if temptations strikes
Mr Happymoose, Thanks for the additional comments

[MeetTheGeeks]

On a side note should I be looking at Ridgeline for anything folks? Anyone care to comment or share some views on their line?

[benp1]

It certainly does look like a nice smock. Good value. Might pop in when I'm nearby

You can tell if something has a DWR coating as water will bead on the surface of anything DWR'd, it helps with maintaining breathability and water proofing (as the fabric doesn't wet out)


I have a Keela belay, amongst a number of primaloft outers, its a good bit of kit. Its not the lightest thing in the world but thats because it has a heavyweight primaloft fill, 133g i think

[MeetTheGeeks]

The Keela is here tomorrow!

Im actually really excited and if people would like I'll get a discount code for BB members to us.. 15-20% off

[Noddy]

Southerners whinging about the weather - pah! Come to Shetland.

-2C and sustained horizontal sleet on a 80kph wind this morning. I just couldn't stop stuff getting in up sleeves, round hood, everywhere. I just wanted to curl up after a bit

[Gizmo]

-2C and sustained horizontal sleet on a 80kph wind this morning. I just couldn't stop stuff getting in up sleeves, round hood, everywhere. I just wanted to curl up after a bit

....ah, just like an English summer!

[Mr Happymoose]

On a side note should I be looking at Ridgeline for anything folks? Anyone care to comment or share some views on their line?

Be interesting to see how the Mallard smock stands up against the Mil-Tec at almost twice the price. I must admit, I've always liked the look of their Monsoon Euro II and Roar jackets but they're out of the pricing for this test.