The Härkila hybrid suits Tom Cackett
This new suit puts a spring in Tom Cackett’s step as it’s a thoroughly modern and effective combatant of the elements, be they hot or cold, dry or wet
Sometimes the arrival of spring catches me by surprise. I know it’s arrived when I find myself dragging a deer carcass back to the larder and have to remind myself to wear a thinner jacket or pair of trousers the next time because I’m soaked with sweat.
I’m a believer in having both a summer and winter set of hunting clothes, otherwise you’ll find yourself cold and wet in the winter or too warm in the summer. This spring I’ve found myself wearing the newest summer hunting offering from Härkila – the Mountain Hunter Hybrid (MHH) shooting suit. The MHH suit is a lightweight two-piece set-up designed to be tough and, according to its website, ideal for ‘changeable weather’, aka the British summer.
The first thing to say about the MHH is that it doesn’t look like a typical shooting suit. The jacket is shorter than other shooting coats and therefore has much more of a sporty, contemporary feel to it. The active cut means this is a shooting jacket that could be mistaken for a high-performance running jacket rather than an out-and-out hunting, shooting, fishing jacket. Not only does the jacket stop at the waistline, as opposed to mid-thigh, but it’s also much more tailored around the body.
Patchwork
The other thing that sets this shooting suit apart visually from any of others you’ll have seen before is the variety of materials used to make it, which gives it a slightly ‘patchwork’ appearance. As is to be expected with anything produced by Härkila, the patchwork appearance is driven by a relentless pursuit for unbeatable performance, rather than aesthetics.
On both the jacket and the trousers there are three different materials: a green softshell material that is water repellent; a green, thicker, fully waterproof material that looks a bit like moleskin; and, finally, a black, reinforced Kevlar-esque material. This final fabric is strategically placed on both garments in areas that are likely to get the most punishment, so the knees on the trousers, the lower back of the jacket and around the elbows.
The waterproof, moleskin-type material features on the garments where extreme waterproofing is required – the hood, the shoulders and upper arms on the jacket and almost all of the trousers. Everywhere else the garment is made up of the softshell, water-resistant material.
With the mix of three different materials, and the fact that one is said to be only water resistant, I was keen to see how the suit would hold up to a severe downpour. So, during a deluge in April I ventured outside and deliberately got soaked. I was pleasantly surprised by the result: the waterproof material stood up slightly better to the elements but the two other materials weren’t far behind. I certainly wouldn’t say they weren’t waterproof. While getting soaked I had to remind myself to take a few photos of the water droplets on the coat, which ran off it rather than soak through to the skin.
All three materials were good at holding the wind out, too. Even in a strong gust the suit fought off the elements, which was a concern wearing a lightweight set-up. While I appreciated the practical upside of three materials on the garments, I’m not so sure I particularly enjoyed the visual implication of it on the trousers. The reinforced knees made the trousers look too much like chainsaw safety trousers for me. The jacket, on the other hand, seemed to wear it perfectly well.
Good fit
With regard to fit, I always find Härkila sizing accurate and reliable, and this suit was no exception. What I mean by accurate is that I don’t find myself having to order a size bigger or smaller than usual. If you measure yourself and order the corresponding size I can guarantee it will fit. Like most Härkila trousers, and indeed a lot of stalking trousers, the MHH trousers are quite high waisted so do benefit from being worn with a good belt or a pair of braces.
As a hunting suit that’s designed to be worn when the weather could suddenly
change from rain to sunshine it has a few performance features to help you cope. For example, the hood on the jacket is detachable, so if you’re feeling brave you could detach it and head out hunting with one less bit of clothing that could get caught on a branch. The trousers feature unzippable air vents on each thigh, which really help to increase airflow around the body and are much appreciated when things start to get sweaty. When things do get hot and sweaty you won’t feel like you’re wearing a cheap, plastic waterproof thanks to the breathable and moisture-wicking materials built into both garments. These materials help pull sweat away from you and stop you feeling claustrophobic. I was impressed with the technology that allowed the MHH to both repel rainwater and at the same time allow sweat to escape. The thought struck me that this suit could cope with both winter and summer weather.
I’ve come to love Härkila stuff for the attention to detail that goes into its hunting clothing – you can tell that every item has been designed by a hunter and the MHH is no exception. The trousers have four big pockets, one of which has an elasticated section in which four rifle bullets can be stored. The jacket also has four big pockets and features a two-way zip so you can undo the jacket quickly from the bottom up if you want easy access to a knife hanging off your hip. You certainly aren’t going to find yourself wanting for more pockets or storage space when wearing this suit.
The MHH suit was a departure from the norm for me as I’m used to wearing full-length heavy coats in the winter and lightweight smocks in the summer, but it captured my heart and filled a gap I didn’t know I had in my stalking wardrobe. The contemporary fit and feel of the jacket especially has seen me wear it almost every day for the past two months, whether I’m out stalking or popping to the shops. It really is such a versatile bit of kit.
“With Härkila you can tell that every item has been designed by a hunter and the MHH is no exception”