Waterproof Jacket recommendations?

[markieg31]

2 hours ago, Old Mill Tree Care said:

Yes it does and I found that to be weird however, I was dry inside.

It is a bit of a warm jacket though.

Yes it is warm, and fpr farm work hay sticks to it. You end up looking like a walking hay bale! Can't understand why they are so popular, round here it is the most common jacket worn by kids and adults. 

[woody paul]

1 hour ago, markieg31 said:

Yes it is warm, and fpr farm work hay sticks to it. You end up looking like a walking hay bale! Can't understand why they are so popular, round here it is the most common jacket worn by kids and adults. 

It's a fashion thing, just watch TV farming like On the farm. 

Like you say attracts everything, saw dust is a sod to get off. 

 

[markieg31]

My wife asked for a ridgeline coat so I got one that was more traditional style of waterproof material as I was concerned about the hay, she wasn't happy and wanted the popular smock. Well someone I know walks around like a bale 

[parkertrees]

On 24/12/2025 at 19:50, Old Mill Tree Care said:

Ridgeline smock is designed for hunters and fishers. Brilliant!

Anything designed for Arb is poor quality and very expensive.

I've got a ridgeline smock i use for stalking, it's great but saw dust sticks to it too when using it for work, plus it wasn't Hi-vis. 

 

Swazi smock i bought seems very good so far, comfortable with the harness over the top (MEWP work), very happy so far

 

[AHPP]

Ridgeline smocks are popular because they're cheap, long on the thigh (when a lof of other jackets aren't) and good enough for what most people who wear them do. Plus they've become the uniform (fashion I suppose) for a lot of rural types (largely shooting and peripheral), which is an advantage in itself. Say you're out at a bonfire night and are wondering where to stand. You might see a bloke in a Ridgeline smock and stand near him because there's a good chance you can strike up a conversation about a shared interest. They might be a pain with dust sticking etc but that's fine. They're not designed for full-on hard work. That's what stuff probably more like Kaiwaka is for.

 

P.S. For the rare occasions I work in the rain, I wear some Regatta piece of crap that I don't like and therefore don't cry about when I catch a dog on it. Aware little help to anyone needing something good for every day but why not write it anyway for only the cost of a few more ounces of Steve's bandwidth.

Edited 6 hours ago by AHPP

[AHPP]

Proper farmers wear Screwfix high vis and a Frosty Jack's loyalty scheme peaked cap.

[markieg31]

Mix of flexothene and then Swazi/kaiwaka/betacraft. I'm still out feeding up in my 15year old cut and climb, no hay sticks to that, so porous that hat goes through it along with the rain!