Robin Scott, former Sporting Gun editor-at-large

If we are talking essentials then I’d have to put up my dog, Sam, as the best thing of all. Without him to retrieve the stuff I shoot there’d be no point or justification in pulling a trigger. However, the lad doesn’t count as ‘kit’. He’s family.

Worst accessory? No – a cartridge belt. I’ve never bought one but had several given to me as presents. All have been rapidly ‘recycled’ – passed on to younger shooting friends.

I ‘get’ the thinking behind these belts. In theory, they’re a neat solution to carrying a supply of shells for the day, or as extras to those stuffed in pockets. But I find them a nuisance. They slow reloading speed, sit heavy on the waist and, if worn outside a shooting jacket, restrict my gun mount and swing. I find shooting hard enough as it is. So, thanks, but no thanks.

Best accessory? It used to be a Barbour Longshoreman waxed waterproof smock – the finest shooting coat ever made. The only downside was freezing solid in heavy frost. It’s no longer made, which is a great pity.

So the accolade passes to a heavy-duty pair of tweed plus fours from Charles Gale. They stop rain and winter wind yet deliver freedom of movement while walking, climbing fences or jumping ditches. They weren’t cheap when I bought them as part of a suit but 15 years later they’re still going strong and as comfortable as ever.

I might have lost shape but they certainly haven’t …