of its tunnel. Dried mud is easily removed from a pair of moleskin trousers with a good brushing. Try it on a corduroy pair! Of all the employed outdoor workers the ‘Game Keepers’


were generally the better clothed for many of them were under contract to be given a suit of clothes, often with boots thrown in, once a year. It need hardly be said that these suits were generally designed to specifications that fitted the task of working out of doors. They were often made by the employers’ own tailors and there would be ample pocket space and very likely a pleated ‘billows’ back to allow greater freedom of movement. Some coats or jackets would be reinforced with leather shoulder patches to take the wear of game bag straps and the frequently carried gun. A tightly spun tweed, being made of wool, is almost waterproof and capable of withstanding the clutching vegetation of hedgerow, copse, or riverbank. While some may regret the disappearance of tweeds in the field sports arena more versatile materials have taken their place. New ways of spinning and weaving have produced cloth that is not only one hundred percent waterproof but allows the escape of potential condensation. This is produced by a weave that leaves a space between the threads small enough to repel a droplet of water but big enough to allow vapour to escape. Only those that have spent days wearing oil-skins or the rubberized covered fabrics of old for work or pleasure can fully appreciate it. However, like that earlier development, the waxed jacket, such clothes have removed the small pleasure I and perhaps other young beaters gained by deciding not only whose style we would copy when we got behind a peg at a shoot but how we would dress. Today there seems little variation. It is true one can see pictures of immaculately clad models, both male and female in journals but frequently many of the male models at least would not have impressed the aspiring young countryman of my youth while the females rarely equal the good looks found in the average outdoor girl that we appreciated in later life. Waxed jackets are probably the number one article of country


clothing these days and may, with the introduction of the modern field boot, have reduced the after effect of a working life of those spent exposed to all weathers dramatically. Such jackets are fashionable and it is unlikely that any outdoor country event in inclement weather will be without a number being worn. Like most things in life you get what you pay for. The expense is not so much in the cut or design, for outwardly there is little to tell the difference, but in the materials used. The more expensive ones are made with a very close weave cotton and probably have more wax rubbed in and a better class of zips and press-studs fastenings. More care would be devoted to the placing of seams where seepage through stitch holes is less likely. Some are offered with heavily padded lining, which is fine in cold weather but can become unpleasantly warm on a wet summer’s day. Some believe a non-padded waxed jacket or coat the better buy for they can be worn over body-warmers of various weights. It is also considered by some that several light layers of clothing will be warmer due to the air between them making a good insulation. Winter sports enthusiasts are inclined to support this theory. While P.V.C. coated articles are normally at the bottom of the


list as they cause serious condensation problems they can be rolled and packed into a game bag or something similar taking up little room and be easily available in the case of a sudden summer shower. I have however found a P.V.C. poncho ideal to take fishing. One can still fly cast wearing it and the air moving about under it reduces the old bug-bear of moisture collecting on the under surface. A comparatively new and popular material for out door clothing is the fleece. As many of these are made from recycled plastic bottles there is much to recommend them.


n March 2011 41


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84