Camouflage Gear:
The company "Stealth Gear" has formed a relationship with John to test and review some if not all of their products. Following Johns initial look at just a few of the companies products, to say he was excited may just be an understatement.
Below you will see the various items, which have been supplied to John and obviously he will be conducting thorough reviews throughout the next couple of weeks on each item.
Should you have any suggestions or ideas for a new piece of gear or to make an improvement to an existing item, please feel free to drop me a line.
Extreme 4 Piece Photographers Camouflage Suit:
OVERVIEW:
What can I say? Well quite a lot about this product, I'll start by saying that in my honest opinion I think that this 4 piece suit has had a great deal of thought and care put into its design and production. I believe that this suit is targeting not only the "Natural History & Wildlife Photographers", but also many other outdoor users who place a great deal of emphasis on your looks being as discrete, comfortable, hard wearing, warm, and waterproof. I don't want to list a full specification, as these can be found on the "Stealth Gear" web-site. I do feel however that it is more important for me to tell you how this clothing stands out above the rest, its extra little features, and what I feel about the gear itself when being used in some tough applications.
The suit consists of 4 pieces of clothing, a jacket, pair of trousers, fleece, and a waistcoat/vest. All of the garments are made from a very dark green, soft, and quiet material which will blend in with the obvious colours of the outdoors, without making you look like a member of the SAS!!
JACKET & FLEECE:
The suit is made of 100% polyester micro-suede and is finished in forest green colour and all the zips are extremely strong and waterproof, and manufactured by the world leading company "YKK". The only other fasteners on the products are press-studs which are also surprisingly quiet. No velcro what so ever. All the pockets and positions have been designed to be photography friendly. An example of this is the lower front pockets are large enough to take a pro camera body, this pocket also has a gusset which can also be unzipped allowing additional equipment to be held in these pockets. An example is a Canon 1Ds MK III with a 28-70 F2.8 lens attached.
On each side of the jacket and at the top are two pockets for those necessary accessories, one pocket has press studs, while the second has a zip. The sleeves also have cuffs, which are adjustable by the use of three press studs. Inside the jacket are also two very large pockets, ideal for carrying such items the detachable hoods, a scarf, gloves etc.
A great addition to this jacket is that of two zip vents under the armpits and two additional side vents or trouser pocket access zips. All this makes for more comfort.
Another superb extra on the jacket is on the rear panel there is a large pocket on the lower half, when not in use as a pocket this can be unfastened and dropped down in such a way as to make waterproof seat for you to sit on. Good idea or what?
The fleece has a very smart finish, as does the rest of the suit does, and can quite easily be worn without any jacket or waistcoat/vest. The main body of the fleece zips inside the main jacket and has three zipped pockets, one at a lower level on each side and one on the left hand side as a breast pocket.
WAISTCOAT/VEST:
The waistcoat/vest follows the basic design of the jacket, but obviously is considerably lighter. The vest has a total of nine pockets, these are either large, extra large, or double extra large, absolutely ideal when going abroad and worrying about the "checkin" rules and regulations. The front of the vest has eight pockets which we will talk about in a minute and one on the rear of the vest is one XXL pocket. The 8 pockets I mentioned on the front of the vest consist of two XL pockets at the bottom of the vest and have, as the jacket does, press stud fasteners and unzipped gussets. At the top of the vest on each side are two large pockets with the final pockets being on each side of the vest and are zipped.
TROUSERS:
The trousers are designed to provide comfort with hard wearing facilities. The trousers have two deep side pockets, two large rear pockets, two leg pockets, all of which are fastened with press-studs, except the deep side pockets. In addition to the pockets, the trousers have protected knee pads, zipped vents on each side, adjustable straps at ankle level, velcro waist fastener and adjusters along with traditional belt loops.
EXTRA'S:
And finally, the last little additon or should I say additions, and very important they are too, this is inclusion of three sets of detachable head gear, just in case you have three heads!!! The pieces are; (1) a zip on waterproof, pull-over hood, peak and cord. (2) another zip on waterproof, pull-over hood, peak and cord. The cord enables the hood to be pulled in sufficiently to protect the majority of your face from one of those very heavy storms. It is extremely lightweight an can be kept in one of the inside pockets. (3) Last but by no means least is a very fine mesh netting which again fits to the jacket and has a draw cord and guess what, it even has a zip in the mouth position, enabling you to have a drink. This is ideal for keeping those midges and mosquitoes out.
360 Degree Elite Photographers Hide:
To Follow Soon.
360 Degree Pro Photographers Hide:
To Follow Soon.
Photographers 2 in 1 Poncho:
A "Poncho 2 in 1", surely a poncho is a poncho I hear you say, at least this is what I always used to think. The last time I had a poncho was in my teens (some years ago now!!) when I used to do quite a bit of cycling, however after inspection and trying, this poncho is most certainly worth keeping to hand. The "Poncho 2in1" has been designed such a way, that in my opinion it can actually perform more than two tasks, depending upon how you separate one job from another. Here goes: This poncho is very lightweight and compact and therefore can quiet easily be strapped to your bag, backpack, or rucksack ready for use. As someone who has always recommended to have some type of waterproof with you such as bin bags etc, which normally only provide one use and sometimes this can be difficult. Here are my findings and possible uses on the "Stealth Gear Poncho 2in1".
Here goes; Obviously it can be used as a conventional poncho big enough to keep you and your equipment dry, know matter whether you are stood up walking or sat down trying to obtain that creative rainy shot. It can also be used as a traditional waterproof, large enough for both you and your gear to be sat on, or lying down. or in fact an major use I found for this piece of gear is that of ground level hide, this could be ideal in many situations.
I personally think that this can be a quite useful piece of gear and in many situations the weight factor can be welcomed for many reasons. This would include such situations like working out of doors on a traditional warm summers day, when showers are expected at any time or by people who travel abroad.
Photographers Gaiters:
On first inspection of the gaiters which "Stealth Gear" have produced, my findings where very pleasing and not like a lot of what you currently find in outdoor clothing shops.
The gaiter can be securely applied without having to remove any of your existing clothing is made up of a extremely hard wearing, dark green, waterproof material with a full length zip complete with waterproofing overlay which is sealed with a velcro fastener. At the ankle level the gaiter is gathered in, in two positions, just below and just above the knee, this again provides extra protection.
The most important and impressive feature for me on the gaiters is that the under boot/shoe starp is normally made from a heavy duty material or an elastic strap, however in this case it is a stell wire with a buckle at one end. Ideal for fast and easy removal and cleaning.
Personally I have quite large calf mussels and even have difficulty in getting a pair of wellington boots to fit, these gaiters are ideal for me, therefore for those of you going on such locations as the moors, mud flats etc, then this is a must for you.
For further information on all the products, specifications, retailers and prices please visit: www.stealth-gear.com
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