Just seen this on his website http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/779-Swazi-Ray-Mears-Narwhal-Gore-Tex-Anorak-Sage-Black/
Andrew
Andrew
New RM Swazi Jacket
- Thread starter delbach
- Start date
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Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Paganwolf
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Not to that spec. I have a cheaper paclite with two layer G-tex that I bought from Craghoppers (who are cheap), that cost me £245.... well.... reduced to £130 at TKmaxx
Timberland have a short Paclite with single layer G-Tex for £299. For Swazi without the RM logo I think it's in the usual region and you'll get quality to boot.
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Here you go...
http://www.swazi.co.nz/Online-Shop/Outdoors-and-Leisure%253A-Active/Narwhal-Anorak/
Current XR between NZD and GBP is 1GBP = 2.17 NZD
So NZD 499.99 = GBP 229.00 or there abouts..
HTH...
John
So if you added shipping and VAT/customs charging, not to mention Parcelfarce charges, The RM branded one would actually work out cheaper.
It may well be the case..
I'm in the market for a new waterproof jacket as my Berghaus Lightning is looking a bit sad after 17 years of great service it's still waterproof though.. So Iv'e been looking at different options from Norrona Recon's, Swazi, Berghaus, Macpac etc etc ad infinitum...
When I looked last year it was marginally cheaper (about NZD 20.00) to buy the RM version of the Swazi Tahr from Woodlore in the UK and have it shipped here to NZ than Buying the regular version of the Swazi Tahr here in NZ.
How that is I have no Idea?
Go figure...
Cheers
John
The Woodlore site gets a kicking constantly for being expensive. The truth is though, many of the items stocked are cheaper there than elsewhere, the Gransfors axes and firesteels to name just a couple. The firesteels are RM branded and perform better than any others I've tried and are cheaper than the LMF versions which are considered top of the range.
Try ridgeline.nz look at the monsoon jkt and others no difference and a 1/5 of the price
In Swazi's defence
There is a bit of a difference between Ridgeline and Swazi.
Firstly fabric... Swazi use Goretex and clearly to use that you need to be registered with WL Gore for the Seam taping etc... Ridgeline use depending on the garment either RL Tex a breatheable fabric or Quiet tex whic I think is a non breatheable fabric... without descending into an arguement over the merits of breatheable fabrics in outdoor garments My choice would be on a factory certified by WL Gore to produce Goretex garments...
Secondly Swazi manufacture here in NZ in Levin a small town North of Wellington with the Tararua range nearby Swazi employs Kiwi's for all of it's CMT..Ridgeline is owned by Cameron Imports and the garments I understand are made in China or somewhere in Asia.. But they might be NZ designed...
Thirdly Swazi's finish on the garment is better compared to Ridgeline's from my observations.
Ridgeline is popular here as it's economic Swazi stuff is a quality product..
HTH
John
I use swazi and am in the swazi clan but i was merly pointing out to the NOT too rich young folk here that there is a very good OTHER option very one gets suck in RL-TEX is as good as g-tex and it breaths better at altitude,all saying and done gortex paclight materials are NO good near or whilst trying to light your fire
Surely something like a Musto Woodlands jacket would be a beter and cheaper option, backed with a good brand name as well http://www.musto.com/fcp/product/Ou...LAND-JACKET/614?colour=moss&source=googlebase
Resurrecting an old thread here I finally succumbed and got one of these and mine arrived today. You can see from the thread above that I was very sceptical at first.
What was my rationale in the end for getting it?
- Despite being a fan of Ventile, I still feel the need for a totally waterproof breathable shell for when I am out in heavy rain without shelter for a long time, or on multi-day trips. Ventile's place is round the fire, or working in brush or walking hard when condensation could be a problem etc, but with somewhere to dry out after rain.
- The conventional choices are too heavy for this shell role and take up a huge space in your pack : Noronna Recon (very nice jacket but heavy for a shell), or Swazi Wapiti or Tahr (very heavy in your pack as well, especially when wet) or Ridgeline equivalents. I also find all the other hunting-orientated jackets get soggy when wet.
- So I was looking for a high quality waterproof shell that packed down light and small, didn't soak up water when wet and looked like it belonged with the rest of my stuff (ie not bright blue etc)
- I also wanted a canoeing waterproof and most of the smock-style canoeing tops are supposed to be breathable but in reality aren't whereas Goretex Paclite is pretty good.
- I was initially very sceptical of this jacket because of the Goretex Paclite material, as well as the usual background suspicions of "Add Ray's endorsement, add margin" etc.. I have an old Berghaus Paclite jacket that is vey thin and delicate, and I just couldn't imagine a bushcraft-type jacket so flimsy.
Anyway I took a punt and ordered one and the jacket in the flesh exceeds my expectations. It is light and rolls away to very little, so can easy sit in my pack, but the Paclite material is double-layer and looks pretty strong - it actually feels slightly poly-cotton-like to the touch. I wouldn't shower it with sparks, of course, but it looks more than up to the challenge of normal wear. The fit is excellent, with generous shoulder-sizing, and the hood design is superb, managing at the same time to sit well when not up and be very deep and protective when up (something not many hoods achieve). The build-quality is absolutely superb to boot.
Of course I haven't tried it in the rain yet but i suspect that won't be long in coming with our Scottish summer.
As to cost, well it is probably more than I would have wanted to spend, but the same price as a Noronna Recon and a more useful garment, I would suggest. Anyway, it was my money and I enjoyed spending it ;-)
What was my rationale in the end for getting it?
- Despite being a fan of Ventile, I still feel the need for a totally waterproof breathable shell for when I am out in heavy rain without shelter for a long time, or on multi-day trips. Ventile's place is round the fire, or working in brush or walking hard when condensation could be a problem etc, but with somewhere to dry out after rain.
- The conventional choices are too heavy for this shell role and take up a huge space in your pack : Noronna Recon (very nice jacket but heavy for a shell), or Swazi Wapiti or Tahr (very heavy in your pack as well, especially when wet) or Ridgeline equivalents. I also find all the other hunting-orientated jackets get soggy when wet.
- So I was looking for a high quality waterproof shell that packed down light and small, didn't soak up water when wet and looked like it belonged with the rest of my stuff (ie not bright blue etc)
- I also wanted a canoeing waterproof and most of the smock-style canoeing tops are supposed to be breathable but in reality aren't whereas Goretex Paclite is pretty good.
- I was initially very sceptical of this jacket because of the Goretex Paclite material, as well as the usual background suspicions of "Add Ray's endorsement, add margin" etc.. I have an old Berghaus Paclite jacket that is vey thin and delicate, and I just couldn't imagine a bushcraft-type jacket so flimsy.
Anyway I took a punt and ordered one and the jacket in the flesh exceeds my expectations. It is light and rolls away to very little, so can easy sit in my pack, but the Paclite material is double-layer and looks pretty strong - it actually feels slightly poly-cotton-like to the touch. I wouldn't shower it with sparks, of course, but it looks more than up to the challenge of normal wear. The fit is excellent, with generous shoulder-sizing, and the hood design is superb, managing at the same time to sit well when not up and be very deep and protective when up (something not many hoods achieve). The build-quality is absolutely superb to boot.
Of course I haven't tried it in the rain yet but i suspect that won't be long in coming with our Scottish summer.
As to cost, well it is probably more than I would have wanted to spend, but the same price as a Noronna Recon and a more useful garment, I would suggest. Anyway, it was my money and I enjoyed spending it ;-)
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