RSPB AVOCET JACKET

£195

One of the selling points of this latest addition to the Country Innovation range is that for every one sold, CI will donate £10 to the RSPB. So, you can buy safe in the knowledge that you’re helping conservation, but what’s the jacket like for birding in? It’s made of a highly waterproof, breathable fabric with a soft ‘peach’ finish. For the most part, that reduces the noise that it makes as you walk, although there’s still some. With sizes from S to XXXL, there should be something to fit everyone, especially as there’s a bottom hem drawcord, an adjustable waist drawcord, a detachable hood with wired peak and drawcord, and an articulated underarm, and I did find it a very comfortable fit throughout a day’s birding. It’s not padded, so you’ll want to get one that has room for a fleece or two underneath, but then we all know that layers are the key to staying warm, right? There’s an internal zip, so you could actually zip a fleece in, if you wanted to. As always with CI, they’ve thought long and hard about what birders need in the way of pockets, and there are six large external pockets here, plus a zippered security pocket for maps and the like, and a large internal pocket. The lower bellows pockets, in particular, are great – you can get a Collins Guide or a pair of 8x32s in there easily. Useful in the field, or when travelling.