Getting technical

Last week I went to Leicestershire. I am discovering that while places in England are never quite as lovely as those in Scotland, some of them are nice. The sweet little town of Oakham is one such. I desperately wish I had been there to cast a fly on Rutland Water then lie by the fire in a pub somewhere all afternoon.

Regrettably, no angling was undertaken, no alcohol was drunk and no fires were lain by, but I still had a pretty inspiring time. I was visiting Corry Taylor, who designed the Schöffel jacket 25 years ago. Corry had a eureka moment one cold evening after spending a long day on a peg, shivering in a wax jacket. Why, he thought, should tradition be more important than comfort? Some weeks later, the first technical shooting jacket was rolling off the production line.

I know people who question whether “technical fabrics” should be welcome on grouse moors. They are usually the same blokes who spend their days hitting absolutely sod all with their great-grandfather’s rather-too-small side-by-sides.

Corry was a visionary; they are plonkers. Tradition is all well and good but things must change, in technical terms but also in terms of our culture. Some might tut but I say more technical fabrics, more over-and-unders, more accessibility and more diversity in the field. The world is constantly evolving and shooting must evolve with it.

Patrick Galbraith, Editor