Stalking asks the opposite
of a driven-day coat
A gun on a peg stands still in the wet for twenty minutes and then walks to the next drive. A stalker walks for hours, crawls the last hundred yards, lies still in wet heather and then has to shoot accurately with a rifle. The two garments have almost nothing in common. A stalking range built on driven-shoot patterns will be too bulky, too noisy and too warm, and every stalker who tries it will know within one outing.
Fabric noise, zip pulls, hardware knock and a stiff hood are all a problem. We route the hardware, tape the pullers and specify face fabrics by how they sound, not by what the swing ticket claims.
The stalker is hot walking in and cold lying still. A base, a mid and a shell that packs down beats a single insulated jacket, and it sells three garments instead of one.
Elbows, forearms, knees and seat take the punishment on a crawl. A stalking trouser without a reinforced knee and seat is a one-season trouser.
What a complete
stalking range looks like
Six pieces cover the British stalking year from a July roe buck to a February hind on the hill. Most brands start with two.
| Layer | Garment | Specification we build to |
|---|---|---|
| Base | Merino or synthetic base layer | 150–200gsm merino or merino blend, flatlock seams, no side seam over the ribs where a rifle sling sits, long body |
| Mid | Fleece or grid mid-layer | Anti-pill or grid fleece 200–300gsm, quarter zip, thumb loops optional, chest pocket clear of the sling line |
| Shell | Stalking smock | Quiet brushed or peached face, half or quarter zip, kangaroo or twin chest pockets, two-way hood, drawcord hem |
| Shell | Waterproof stalking jacket | Membrane 15k/15k or better, fully taped, quiet face fabric, silent hook-and-loop or magnetic cuff, pit zips |
| Leg | Stalking trousers | Four-way stretch or softshell, reinforced knee and seat, articulated knee, boot hooks, side leg zip for venting |
| Extremity | Gaiters, gloves, beanie | Cordura-faced gaiter with an under-boot strap, fleece glove with a fold-back trigger finger, merino or fleece beanie |
Stalking sells in summer too,
and most brands miss it
Roe bucks come into season on 1 April and run through the summer. That means a stalking range needs a genuinely lightweight set as well as a winter one — and a summer smock in a quiet, breathable fabric is a piece the UK market is short of. The dates below are for England and Wales; Scotland differs on several species and Northern Ireland differs again, so confirm the current position with the British Deer Society or BASC before you build a marketing calendar on them.
| Species | Sex | Open season — England & Wales | What sells |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roe | Buck | 1 Apr – 31 Oct | Lightweight smock, breathable trouser, midge-proof hood |
| Red | Stag | 1 Aug – 30 Apr | Hill kit: waterproof shell, gaiters, packable insulation |
| Fallow & Sika | Buck / stag | 1 Aug – 30 Apr | Woodland smock, quiet trouser, reinforced knee |
| Red, Fallow, Sika | Hind / doe | 1 Nov – 31 Mar | Winter insulation, waterproof shell, merino base |
| Roe | Doe | 1 Nov – 31 Mar | As above |
| Muntjac & Chinese water deer | — | Year-round / 1 Nov – 31 Mar | All-season woodland kit |
Quiet, muted and
British in the hand
We will cut identical panels of your shortlisted fabrics and send them so you can hear the difference for yourself. A laminated softshell and a coated nylon can show near-identical waterproof figures and sound nothing alike. This costs almost nothing at the sampling stage and settles an argument that otherwise surfaces after bulk is cut.
Loden, moss, olive, grey-green, dark brown and tweed effect are what the British market buys. If you do want a pattern, a subtle broken woodland print in low contrast works; a high-contrast North American camo does not. We can develop a custom pattern to your artwork and print it to your own colourway.
Rubberised or corded zip pullers, hardware set behind a flap, a soft-touch cuff closure and a hem drawcord that does not tap. On the smock we route the sling line clear of pockets so nothing catches when the rifle comes off the shoulder.
Cordura or ripstop overlays at knee, seat, elbow and forearm. Double stitching and bar tacks at the stress points. A trouser that survives two seasons of crawling in bracken earns more repeat business than any marketing claim.
What stalking brands ask us
How do you test whether a fabric is quiet enough for stalking?
Can you make a smock rather than a full-zip jacket?
Do UK stalkers want camouflage?
What is the minimum order quantity?
Do you make ladies fits?
Can you match an existing garment we already sell?
Ready to build a stalking range?
Send the garment you want beaten, or a brief and a fabric direction. We reply within 24 working hours with pricing, a fabric proposal and a sampling date.