Near perfect combo for serious shooters

Harkila’s Pro Hunter Move jacket and trousers have become a firm favourite of the editor Matt Clark over the past months and his first choice of outdoor clothing

First of all, let’s get the price out of the way. The Pro Hunter Move jacket and trousers cost a lot of money, but they are not “expensive”. Let me explain. If I called the suit “expensive” then it could imply that the cost is not based on the intrinsic worth of the product. The suit is worth the high price because it is superbly made, incorporates the latest technology and does everything it has been designed to do. As a shooting suit I would argue that it cannot be bettered and is designed for people who take their shooting seriously.

When I was introduced to the Pro Hunter Move suit at the British Shooting Show in February last year, I was excited to see innovations like the offset zip and Gore-tex lining. I have tested the suit over seven months and it has performed brilliantly.

The jacket

The jacket could be described as a hybrid between a smock and jacket in that it has the large pocket at the front like a smock, but it has a full-length zip of a jacket. It is closer fitting than a smock but retains the side vent pockets of a smock. You could say it offers the best of both worlds because the fulllength zip makes it easy to put on, but being offset means that it will keep the weather out (rather like a motorcycle jacket). And you still get to keep the binocular pocket at the front.

There are clever bits of design all over this jacket. The flap of the bino pocket is but one of them. It is slanted so that if you are a righthanded shooter the pocket does not catch on your rifle butt.

Pockets

While on the subject of pockets, the Pro Hunter Move has two fairly deep ones at the side of the garment and a small internal pocket near the main zip, for car keys, phone or some such. There is also a radio pocket on the left shoulder, which could be useful if you were running a beating or picking-up team.

JACKET Waterproof, windproof and breathable Offset zip to keep in warmth and keep out the weather Pit zips to help regulate body temperature • Gore-tex lining for breathability and water resistance • Large front pocket with slanted flap • Adjustable cuffs

TROUSERS Frogmouth pockets for ease of access • Belt loops and brace buttons • Reinforced adjustable cuffs • Back knee adjuster allows freedom of movement when needed Ventilation zips behind thigh pockets

Some might say that there aren’t enough pockets but I would argue that having too many could be a hindrance as you can never find anything. Also, the lack of bellows pockets give the jacket a sleeker outline, meaning the jacket doesn’t get caught on branches when stalking, or long nets if you are rabbiting. This jacket is designed more for the rifle shooter and as such you don’t need huge pockets to carry cartridges.

Another bit of attention to detail I liked was the drawstring at the hem of the jacket, which allows the wearer to cinch it tight in a strong wind. The two-way full-length zip also means you can loosen the zip at the hem to help you scale a fence, so full marks there.

There are pit zips to allow you to vent some hot air on warmer days and these are sealed so water won’t penetrate when you have them closed on cooler, wetter days.

The hood can be altered for capacity by cinching it in and the brim has a wire so that it can be shaped. I’m not a fan of hoods because they restrict my vision and hearing, so I usually remove them. But the hood on this jacket is permanent and tended to fill with water in the rain when unused. There was no way to wrap it up to stop this.

Breathability

Where the jacket came into its own was comfort. Harkila has used a lightweight Gore-tex Spyder liner membrane to help wick moisture from the body. There are many breathable lining materials but Gore-tex is acknowledged as the best and comes at a price, but it is a price worth paying. The jacket helped me regulate my body temperature and was extremely comfortable.

I’ve often said that the Holy Grail of any shooting jacket is to be both 100% waterproof and 100% breathable. Normally you either have one or the other, but Harkila has virtually achieved the perfect combination with the Pro Hunter Move. This is what you pay the extra bucks for.

The exterior is made of Airtech material that is a hardwearing heavy-duty polyamide canvas, which is water resistant. There are also Cordura elbow patches for durability. The membrane layers and the outer materials are free floating and move over each other for freedom of movement.

In the field

Although designed primarily for stalking, I decided to wear the jacket for most things. I strapped on a cartridge belt and did some walked-up shooting because I wanted to test how breathable the jacket was in the warm weather we had last October. It proved to be excellent. It shrugged off rain and even in a prolonged downpour, which washed the oil off the stock of my gun, it kept me dry. I also used the jacket for beating, largely because I found it so comfortable. Again, it performed very well. The only problem was that teasels got woven into the outer fabric, but then they tend to stick to any sort of clothing.

Trousers

The trousers are made from the same material as the jacket and performed equally as well. They have hardwearing Cordura panels on the cuffs of the trousers and have articulated legs to give freedom of movement. I liked the frogmouth pockets because I find that things in your pockets are less likely to fall out of those than of slant pockets.

I would say the trousers got more testing than the jacket because after each outing they were covered in mud and needed a wash. They were put through the machine countless times, yet they still retained their water resistance and breathability. The only downside was that because of all the membranes, they took some time to dry.

Verdict

This suit has become a firm favourite of mine. It is practical, weatherproof and gives great freedom of movement. At the price bracket these garments are in (and the word “Pro” is in the name) this jacket and trousers are obviously aimed at serious hunters, or, at the very least, people who spend a lot of time outdoors. With a five-year warranty, they are, however, good value.

Harkila obviously has great confidence in this suit and so it should.

“The silent fabric is a real asset in helping to avoid detection”