Tried and tested - Ladakh technical shooting clothing

Editor Rebecca Green tests these Ladakh technical shooting trousers and jacket

The unseasonably mild weather we all endured during the last shooting season made it difficult to know what to wear most shoot days, when all you really needed was a shooting vest. Luckily, there were a few wet and windy days in January, which enabled me to really put the John Field Ladakh shooting jacket and trousers through their paces.

This updated design for the 2015/16 season really scores highly with me, both practically and in the design department. The dark forest green with tweed trim sections is really attractive and I’ve received lots of compliments on the slightly unusual design every time I’ve worn it.

The jacket is comfortable to shoot in, with a good range of arm movement. It is warm, breathable, lightweight and I can honestly testify to its waterproofing – it has kept me dry in the worst driving rain and hail the Wiltshire plains could throw at me this winter. I love the magnetic cartridge pockets – they really make life easy on shoot days and they stay open as well as closed. The fleece-lined hand-warmer pockets are perfectly positioned and, crucially for me, do not feature annoying and uncomfortable zips.

It really feels as though every last detail has been thought-out here – and successfully so. There are shoulder pockets with pads (into which you could add your own recoil-reducing pad if you preferred); a tuck-away hood that when concealed creates a stand-up collar with a smooth fleece lining that doesn’t irritate your skin when zipped up (many others do); and a useful game pocket with additional padded flap for sitting and a bag for storing empty cartridges (great idea). The jacket even comes with a set of heat patches to insert into the wrist and neck pockets.

The cleverly-designed technical trousers feature reinforced fabric at each leg bottom with zippers and a high, slightly padded back (so no gaping when you sit down). The trousers really were extremely warm and I could only wear them on one of the coldest days this winter; but if you were shooting on a ‘properly’ cold day these would be great, and very comfortable. They also wash well – mine were plastered in mud after their outing, but came up as good as new after a cool machine wash.

Now that ‘spring’ has arrived and, in true British form, we are getting our winter weather, the jacket has hardly been off my back.

Available sizes: S-XXXL

RRP: jacket – £309.60; trousers – £219.30

www.johnfield.eu