No I’m not that fit and slender. I hit 6ft 3 at 12, Girls were of no interest at that age and I REALLY ENJOYED the pies, and let’s just say the oncoming middle age spread is bringing me back to my old waist size.

It’s been used used and used again. When I got my hands on it the British Army had boil washed it to within an inch of its life. Not a lot that could go wrong when I attempt to navigate my way round the white cube-ish washing thing with a window in it.

It’s also cheap so you don’t mind throwing yourself round in sheep poo, fixing cars or the odd bit of DIY.  Let’s just face it’s been used abused and served me well. Not bad for something that’s purpose in life is to break up your outline and help you blend in with your surroundings. Like I said if it good enough for the Army its good enough for me. And after all I’m popping rabbits and vermin, they’re after a quarry that can usually see in colour.

I think its fair to say, I’m a huge fan of the old army surplus kit.

So why on earth am I now sporting a load of kit courtesy of Realtree and Deerhunter.

Well my gears old. . .so old I leave a trail of pellets wherever I go. As well as spare change the odd mobile phone or two and last week the keys to the car fell out into a puddle. Time for some new gear.

Now I’m not going to sit here harping on about hi def pattern this, leafy timber that. You all pretty much know how effective realtree kit is as camouflage, and there’s been numerous pieces in mags and internet about it. Camo wise if its good or not, is an argument for people that know more about this then me to sort out.

I want to do this a bit different, I’m going to harp on about functionality.

No I’m not going to redecorate in it.  

Mine has got to serve me in all the UKAHFT rounds this year, as well as all the hunting I’ll be doing in between. Comfort, ability to cope with the British weather, mud, stalking, getting my aching bones up and down from kneeling and prone shots, and  carry the bits and bobs I need when I’m out shooting Thats what it has to do and what Im look for in my kit. And I’m not going to compare it with my old army stuff either. Firstly its 24 years old and dated. It’s just no comparison. No we’re going to up the stakes a bit comparison wise, and compare it with kit that I demand a lot from, huge amounts. Its kit that I've used in extreme environments, and in fact at times my life has depended on it. . .and there's a reason for using it as the comparison here.

Let me try to explain.

The first thing I notice with the realtree gear is the material. Its furry and feels a bit velvety and it’s called deertex.

 I have no idea what that is, but I could say the same for Gore-Tex a couple of years ago. Yet all my motorbike gear is now made of that and it works, Gore-Tex is a household name. Now the new technological advance is softshell fabrics. My mountaineering gear is just about all these new softshells.

AND this is the gear I’m going to compare my realtree with.

I’ve got fleeces, Gore-Tex waterproofs, and the like. When the softsehll fabrics hit the scene, I was very dubious. However again, having to replace a certain a much loved jacket all I could get was a softshell one, by North Face. Now I live and die in it. It doesn’t look like it will ever keep you warm but like a wetsuit it maintains your body temperature. It’s also wicks away moisture and stops the wind and wet getting in and is lighter than Gore-Tex. Basically although it cost me a shedload more than I wanted to spend. BUT it’s ended up replaced 3 or 4 Jackets & fleeces. More than worth the extra cost and technically saved me cash, especailly when I sold a few unneeded ones on ebay. 

So I’m a convert when it comes to softshell fabrics, and even though it’s got a bit of a jazzy name, Deertex looks like one of these softshell materials so I can see the league its playing in.

The quality of the zips, fabric, stitching lining etc, make it unfair to compare this gear with my old DPM’s. It  sooo much more technically advanced and designed, you may as well be comparing a Black and White portable TV with today’s superfast  computers. Quite an apt analogy I think as my old gear is 24 years old . If this Deerhunter gear was bright red, black or plain colour and was sporting  a label like North Face, Berghaus or Jack Wolfskin, you’d be up around double what it actually cost, and people would be wearing it in coffee shops. The only difference is that its missing an avalanche detection tag its good at pattern break up.

Putting the gear on, I found the material is stretchy. I have legs like tree trunks, which now look like tree trunks. The material softly giving where it’s needed to comfortably fit my legs.  You don’t get that with Gore-Tex gear or in fact ex army gear. I usually have to get a size larger in the waist to accommodate my legs, or baggy trousers. Which can get a bit flappy in the wind and are a more stiff fabric. Being stretchy and soft I can see will have huge benefits  with movement and sound when out and about hunting

As if on cue as I stand looking at myself in the mirror, the girlfriend wanders in,

“What's that?  You look like a bush”

“ That’s what it’s supposed to do. . . ”

“Its miles better than that Army stuff “

“And its furry-ish, like velvet”

“oooooooooh yeah it feels. . .  snuggly”

“I don’t think the rabbits will think so”

Well that’ll be her seal of approval, even if she does think I look like a bush. The only other time I’ll get a comment on it, will be when it gets washed.  

Round one to the Realtree gear.

I guess all that’s left is to go shooting. So let’s start with the pockets. Well firstly there’s no hole in them and here’s where some little touches that are on my mountain gear seem to have appeared.

   Trouser pockets opening are either big enough to get your hand, which means when you sit down the contents fall out. Or they are small so that you can only get a couple of fingers in and you sort of have to wiggle stuff around up to the top before you can reach it.

Now these have got flaps over the opening and the pockets are sort of guided so that the pocket falls backwards. So things don’t fall out when you sit down and the openings big enough to get your hands in properly.  

  Something I’m used to with my mountain gear.

  The similarities continue up into the jacket. Not only are the pockets big enough to get gloved hands in. But there’s what I always think of as a semi inside chest pocket accessible near the main zip but under a storm proof flap. It means you don’t have to undo the coat to get access to it.

  Moving up onto the hood, it has an extended front piece which stops your eyebrows getting water logged in the rain, and right at the very top there’s a little flap which covers the top of the zip when its done right up stopping it from spiking your chin

  Again something common on the extreme gear.

All in all its been well thought out with pocket placement and size.Functional enough that I had no problem lamping the fields, with the lamp battery in my pocket. ANd something that I know will come in handy in those summer months - pitzips

Now this time of year when you’re out shooting rain is pretty much as guaranteed as someone singing I will survive at a karaoke night. Tonight had all the promise of a clear if somewhat windy night. I had to go as I needed to get the rapid zero’d up ready for first UKAHFT round, and I could do that in the barns.

And maybe, if I was lucky, take the vermy out for some rabbit action.

Zeroing up was simple enough and to get back to the gear, I was impressed. Laying down on cold barn concrete flooring, is a solid and cold affair. Unfortunately there was nothing I could lean on $so I was forced to get down on the floor. I could tell it was cold but after half an hour of getting up and down I wasn’t feeling it and there wasn’t a chill. The wind whipping up through the barns had no effect either. So  far it was working well and out performing my old camo gear. Trust me you can really feel those floors in all their glory.

With the rapid zeroed up I stet about nailing some rats round the Barns, get a feel for the kit in some fast furious ratting action. It performed brilliantly. It wasn't constricting and allowed a lot of freedom and adjustment when needed perfect stuff. TBH and this wont be the first time I say this. I didnt really think about wearing it. Instead comfortably focusing on the job in hand.

The evening was clear with some spotty clouds on the horizon so it was worth popping up to see if there was any rabbit action. The first field was empty, nada, nothing, just, the wind, me and the vermy. But no rabbits.

  So a yomp across to the other fields was in order. The kit was quiet, comfortable and warm, even the wind didn’t get through, which was getting up a bit. That’s normal as my shoot overlooks an estuary and the weather can come in fast and change at the drop of a hat. The orange glow of the city reflecting  off the clouds signalled oncoming . . .too late, it was here. . . Rain.

If the misty drizzle was a warning to turn back, the wind driven deluge that followed drummed it home. So much so the lamp started packing up, the connector getting soaked making it dim now and then. I turned it off as I knew the way back, and there was going to be any bunnies out now.

Back at the car I instantly steamed up the windows.  I didn’t realise I was that wet.  I was warm and dry, with the rain sitting on the outside.  I’d actually forgotten I’d got it on, walking back my mind was miles away. That’s a sign it works, not worrying that I’m cold or wet, instead wondering what’s for tea. A me shaped wet patch on the driver’s seat demonstrated its water proofness further. Can’t say I was looking forward to the wet bum tomorrow morning when I got in with jeans on.

Putting the pattern break up aside. This gear has been designed to perform. It’s been thought out and hasn’t just happened, instead its purposefully evolved, bringing camo gear up to date. We demand more and it delivers. Up to a level that’s up there with extreme mountain gear. Yes it cost a little more than Army surplus, but it does more and gives you confidence you won’t be returning home to dry out soggy camo gear on radiators. You won’t even think about it working.

It’s fair to say it’s good, and worth it.

This isn’t just camo gear, its M&S technically evolved rich chocolate sauced realtree camo gear.

So all that remains is the most important question. Will it help you pull the birds?

Well my girlfriend says it looks better than the army stuff. So maybe you’ll get more corvids than you thought.

Realtree Europes website can be found here.