Smocks. I know I know but...
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My EDC waterproof is a Paramo smock that lives in the rucksack I take to work or down the shops. Only deployed rarely. Once out in t'wilds it's a full zip jacket.
I've got a rivers west field pro smock, and overhead one.it has got 2 armpit ventilation zips on it so overheating isn't really a problem. I love it, like most things it's personal preference 
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Still got my ex-somebody's olive green army smock I got from Exchange and Mart for a 17/6 postal order in my early teens. Still just about fits and the heavy cotton just will not wear out despite the heavy use it got in my twenties and thirties and lighter use since. Wouldn't mind a new one but do not seem to be available. More appropriately at the moment the hoodless blue fisherman's smock is a very useful garment.
For the vast majority of outdoor activities, I prefer a full-zip jacket. I do like a smock to ski in though; but, that said, they're still a pain to take off at the end of a day.
I like my smock, it has a 1/2 length zip so easy enough to regulate temperature. Not sure why folks say its a pita to take off/on I mean it's no more complicated than putting a jumper on, I've been doing that for years .
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I like my smock, it has a 1/2 length zip so easy enough to regulate temperature. Not sure why folks say its a pita to take off/on I mean it's no more complicated than putting a jumper on, I've been doing that for years
Jumpers or fleeces go on more easily than smocks because of the slight stretch in the material of which they're made and the difference in the fabric: wool and most fleeces has a certain 'slip' factor to them, making them easier to manoeuvre. A cotton smock, like the Swedish Army snow ones, is commodious - yes - but lacking in 'give'; add to that the slight 'stickiness' and 'boardiness' of cotton when its damp and you have that p.i.t.a. to get off. The only smock that I've ever owned that has been easy to remove was a Paramo windshell thing that slithered on and off readily. Sadly, it didn't fare too well near the fire...!
Sorry my comment came across a bit arsey. My ventile smock is pretty huge so maybe that's why I've not had these issues, although when its wet it does get that cardboard feel.
I prefer my Ventile smock, it's got a nice long zip, and I've never felt I needed more ventilation.
The plus side of the smock for me, is that they generally have a tunnel front pocket so I can get access to stuff with either hand.
The plus side of the smock for me, is that they generally have a tunnel front pocket so I can get access to stuff with either hand.
Crikey alive: no arseyness was detected at all! Apologies for coming back with, when all is said and done, some dumb observations on my part.
As I said, I like my smock for skiing but, because of its bulk and the sometimes-damp-sometimes-warm-sometimes-cold weather we get in the U.K., I tend to use a jacket in the woods purely to avoid that feeling of removing all the clothes on my top half when I need to cool down!
My Smock I used this morning for a walk in the woods was a pain to put on (the back just folds up and is awkward to pull down). Then it rained and was a pain to take off. I like them Still but today I wish I had worn my green jacket instead
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I like to wear a fishermans smock purely to keep most of the mud and crap of of me when in the woods, also keeps a good buffer from the woodsmoke so when I take it off i get a relatively smokeless sleep and my sleeping bag doesnt smell like a kipper factory for weeks afterwards.
I'am writing this reply laughing my head off at burly outdoors men complaining about how hard it is to put on and off a smock what ever next probably that it is easier to remove a short sock rather than a long one ha ha lol.
Not strictly a smock, yet the humble ubacs top can be a right pain, when tired stinking of Georgia pine resin and soaked with sweat.
I've had two Bergans smocks as a young lad and was glad to get away from them. Too restrictive in a purely mental capacity and also a hassle to take off. Nice in a blizzard, but for your average day in the mountains, too much.
Will be using both and still like both but reading this thread does show the obvious and ease of a good old combat jacket.
I can't be bothered with over the head smocks any more, though I do own a few. I've kept trying them, thinking I must have got it wrong.
They offer less versatility with ventilation, are a pain to get on and off (especially when wet) and make it slower to swap layers around when your activity level changes. Oh, and I don't like tunnel pockets. Full length, decent quality zips every time for me.
They offer less versatility with ventilation, are a pain to get on and off (especially when wet) and make it slower to swap layers around when your activity level changes. Oh, and I don't like tunnel pockets. Full length, decent quality zips every time for me.
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