Just the thing for a hard day’s Nightjar

At New Forest Clothing, we take pride in crafting outdoor gear that stands up to the elements — and to scrutiny. That’s why we were thrilled when Shooting Times magazine put our Nightjar range to the test. In this exclusive post from the publication, seasoned country sportsman Keith Edmunds puts our latest outerwear through its paces in real-world field conditions. Read on to discover his expert take on the performance, comfort, and durability of the Nightjar collection.

New Forest Clothing’s Nightjar outfit impresses Keith Edmunds with its comfort, practicality and durability in a reasonably priced package

New Forest Clothing (NFC) is a family-run firm that has been supplying country gear since 1978. Starting with stalls at farmers’ markets and country fairs, the company soon expanded with the acquisition of two shops in the New Forest town of Ringwood. Now, almost half a century later, NFC sells its own branded clothing alongside other well-known country favourites, and I was delighted to trial its most recent product – the Nightjar smock and trousers.

Upon receiving the garments, the first thing that struck me was that, despite this being a sold as a matching outfit, the materials used for the top and bottom are not identical. The darker contrast material on the smock is a robust looking, mid-weight, ripstop-type fabric, whereas the matching panel on the trousers is far softer.

Initially this raised concerns that the trousers would be less durable than the smock, especially on the knee areas. Why hadn’t NFC used the same material for both? It wasn’t until I actually started wearing the garments that the reasoning behind the difference became clear.

We experienced a dry and bright early spring – not great for field-testing waterproof clothing. However, many of my morning stalking sessions started off at around 0°C with a sharp ground frost, yet quickly climbed to double figures as the sun rose. When stalking on foot in this sort of weather, if you have dressed correctly for that first chilly hour you could find yourself overheating by the end of the outing.

Breathable

Here’s where the Nightjar trousers excelled. As well as exceptionally comfortable but they are also very breathable — the most breathable waterproof trousers I have ever worn.

New Forest markets the trousers as being made from a silent fabric – and it is pretty quiet. When you put them on in the house you do detect a slight rustling from the waterproof liner, but this isn’t noticeable in the field and I think it has softened after a few washes. I don’t know precisely what the outer material is, but it has a lovely brushed feel to it. In addition to their soft feel, the trousers have a good degree of elasticity about them and are an absolute pleasure to wear. But what of their durability?

While I am moving more towards suspended grallochs, I still do most of my gralloching on my knees and this is a tough gig for trousers. Here in Suffolk you don’t have to look far to find flints poking through the ground. Throw in some brambles and sharp sticks and you have an unforgiving surface for any fabric. Yes, ripstop knee-panels are up to the challenge but they do nothing in the comfort stakes, so New Forest Clothing made a conscious decision to stick with the soft, brushed material throughout the entire trouser leg and it seems to be a smart move.

When I first started wearing the trousers I inspected the knees after each gralloch, half expecting to see the first signs of wear. And every time I was pleasantly surprised to find none at all. At the time of writing I have had them for eight weeks and they have probably endured 20 stalking sessions, with the knees remaining blemish-free.

Combine the comfort and breathability with the utility of two very deep hip pockets and another couple of handy zipped thigh pockets, and you have an excellent pair of trousers suitable for many outdoor activities.

Tough

As mentioned, the darker contrast panels on the smock are made from a mid-weight, ripstop material and it feels very tough. Unlike other tops, these panels don’t only cover the elbow but also a good 75% of the arms and about the same proportion of the front of the garment. The remaining material is the same brushed, delightfully soft fabric as the trousers.

If I overused the word “comfortable” for the description of the trousers, then I run the risk of doing the same, with the word “capacious”, when describing the pockets of the smock. Just below the front zip is a marsupial pouch that is perfectly positioned for compact binoculars and a thermal – almost doing away with the need for a harness system. Below that is a huge, hoodie-style, single front pocket that is accessible from a zipped opening on either side.

In the zip department, both the smock and the trousers sport fully waterproof YKK zips with looped pullers, tipped with the NFC stag logo. As you would expect from YKK, they work flawlessly and I was amazed to find such quality on these very reasonably priced garments. On the left-hand side, the smock boasts a two-way side zip. While the stated purpose of this zip is to ease getting it on and off over your head, it also works brilliantly to aid ventilation, perhaps when dragging a fallen beast or carrying a full roe sack. As such, I would have loved to have seen one of these zips on each side and would be happy to pay extra for that feature.

CONCLUSION

All in all, the smock and trousers outfit is a cracking piece of kit, being extremely well made and seeming to defy its recommended retail price. During this initial review period the British weather let me down by being unseasonably dry and I only experienced one day of heavy rain on which I donned the outfit for a three-hour dog walk. Perhaps not a hardcore test, but I did stay completely dry.

However, I will continue to use the NFC Nightjar clothing throughout the year and I have every confidence that it will be perfect for 0-15°C stalking sessions and will handle most of what the elements can throw at it.

The Nightjar range is designed to provide robust protection and comfort for outdoor enthusiasts. It includes:

Nightjar Smock: A waterproof and breathable smock featuring a 10,000mm waterproof rating and a 5,000g/m²/24hrs breathability rating. It includes practical features like a zipped kangaroo pouch with magnetic closure, two zipped lower pockets, a 40cm side zip for easy on and off, a 3-point adjustable hood with wire peak, and Velcro-adjusting cuffs.

Nightjar Trousers: These trousers offer the same level of waterproofing and breathability as the smock. They are designed with a high-rise back for added coverage, part-elasticated waist for comfort, and multiple pockets including two slant front pockets and two cargo pockets with waterproof YKK zippers.

Both the smock and trousers are available in three excellent country inspired colour ways, in both men's and women's sizes, ensuring a comfortable fit for all outdoor adventurers.