TYPES AND SPECIAL POSSIBILITIES OF CLOTHING FOR HUNTING, NUANCES OF CHOICE

Fishing and hunting are closely related to each other, but these types of hobbies are different. To go fishing, it is enough to purchase special boots and equipment. Hunting, on the other hand, requires preparedness from a person, because adventures await the hunter at every step.

In order not to make a mistake in the choice of products, it is necessary to consider the main distinctive features of clothing for hunters:

1. The material is the main feature of the fabric from which outfits for hunters are made – its noiselessness. When moving through the forest, a person should not be noticed by his prey. Due to the fact that hunting often takes place in difficult weather conditions, the material must be moisture-proof and windproof. Manufacturers often use membrane, cotton fabric, which fully protect the hunter from bad weather;
2. Style – tailoring factories use specially designed patterns. They are used to sew loose suits that do not hinder movement;
3. Coloring is the most popular color that allows you to hunt without problems – camouflage. In addition, olive or silver color is used. The brown variant is also trending. The color is chosen according to the region, as well as the area where the hunt will take place. If it is a green forest, then the shape will be olive, if it is a steppe zone, choose colors close to yellow;
4. Thermoregulation function – a high-quality suit will be able to adapt to any temperature conditions. In the warm season, clothes will cool the body, and in the cold season, they will provide warmth and comfort;
5. Details – In addition to the above criteria and features of the suits, manufacturers pay a lot of attention to details. They often equip jackets with Velcro pockets, handbags, pads, and other elements.

All these features allow you to divide clothing for hunters into several varieties, each of which differs in its own nuances.

What are the types?

Overalls for certain hobbies require special production conditions. It can be distinguished according to seasonality. The table shows the main features of each type of clothing for hunters depending on the weather and season.

Summer – this type of suit is able to protect a person from the penetration of dangerous insects, for example, ticks. The material for the summer version is breathable, allowing air to penetrate inside and moisture to escape.

Winter – equipped with a large number of pads and patch pockets for placing additional accessories. The top layer of clothing and footwear for hunting in winter is impregnated with a special substance that protects against wind, water and snow. All jackets are equipped with elastic cuffs, as well as elastic inserts at the waist.

Demi-season – demi-season suits for hunting contain the characteristics of summer and winter overalls. This is the presence of a small number of pockets with special mesh inserts for ventilation.

Of the additional elements, the jackets are equipped with hoods, and the pants are equipped with capacious pockets in the knee area. Equipment for hunting in winter is distinguished by the presence of warm lining fabric, and summer versions are produced lightweight.

Additional Elements

To get a positive result, it is important not only to use specialized hunting clothing, but also products additionally equipped with auxiliary elements. Exclusive types of accessories greatly facilitate the hunting process, making it as convenient and enjoyable as possible

Functional details are designed to ensure safety and bring comfort:

1. Waterproof zippers – such a detail can protect the body from hypothermia during rain or high humidity in the forest. They work equally well in sub-zero and plus temperatures. Zippers are located not only on jackets, but also in the armpits: such inserts allow ventilation in hot weather;
2. Pockets – folding or set-in options – are up to the hunter. The first option is convenient for placing a walkie-talkie, cartridges, a mobile phone, and gloves. Set-in pockets are used to store small flat-shaped items. Too many pockets are also not necessary – they will pile up clothes;
3. Hood – this piece of clothing saves the hunter from bad weather. It is convenient to put on your head when riding in an open car or on a snowmobile. Manufacturers of hunting jackets equip the collar with a special pocket that allows you to remove the hood if it is not necessary.

In addition to these elements, there are mesh ventilation inserts, additional zippers on the bottom of the trousers, reinforced elbow and knee pads, as well as ties and rubber ties to protect the body from wind and cold. If the chosen suit is equipped with all of the above elements, it will bring not only safety, but also comfort.

Norfolk

Where national motives did not take root, the British again came to the rescue. At the end of the century, the gamekeepers of one of the richest British aristocrats, the Duke of Norfolk, were dressed in special costumes

An important part of them was a hunting jacket of a special cut, which received the name norfolk.” It was always sewn from woolen tweed, which saved from the piercing wind, which could not be carried out, had large pockets in which it was convenient to put cartridges, and a belt sewn into the belt

Such a jacket was fastened with four buttons, pleats were made on the back, which allowed free movement.

The Norfolk jacket instantly gained such popularity that it turned into a real symbol of the gentleman-hunter. Even today, if a person wants to show himself as a keeper of the old traditions, he does not put on a banal semi-military spotted jacket and pants, but wears a tweed norfolk and the same trousers with heavy brogue boots. This is how the Russian emperors Alexander III and Nicholas II dressed for hunting. Only in Russia they did not like the open chest of the English style and therefore sewed norfolk more like a jacket buttoned to the top, and with a turn-down collar.

In the 20th century, the tweed jacket became an acceptable clothing option for a relaxed semi-sporty style and no longer required carrying a gun over the shoulder.

Apparently, the work of a private detective, which required not only intelligence, but also a fair amount of dexterity, seemed to them the most compatible with this tracksuit.

Back in the 19th century, Barbour hunting jackets made of a special waxed fabric began to be combined with Norfolk. Today, during country photo shoots, Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, her husband Prince Philip and the heir, Prince Charles of Wales, appear in such clothes.

National motives

In the second half of the 19th century, a new wave came to the hunting fashion. The fashion for romanticism gave rise to a desire to study folklore, customs and costumes. And the interest in national clothes led to the fact that folk motifs began to rapidly penetrate into the hunting costume.

Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary went hunting in a traditional Tyrolean costume: a special loose-fitting jacket with a standing velvet collar, leather short pants with suspenders and a hat with a feather.

Franz Joseph I in hunting costume

In Russia, they also tried to come up with hunting clothes in the national style. These were various caftans, reminiscent of those worn by coachmen, fur hats, high boots with many pleats. Some motifs of this style later entered the Russian military uniform under Alexander III, but this fashion did not become widespread: the landlords preferred to hunt in the usual frock coats, and the peasants did not have a special hunting costume at all.

Footwear

Forest conditions do not give the hunter the right to change hunting shoes at the time of enthusiasm for the process. That is why professional fans of this sport are forced to purchase reliable and durable shoes. Several characteristics of this part of the wardrobe will help you make the right choice:

• Season – depending on the terrain and weather conditions, the hunter decides what kind of shoes he needs: high boots are suitable for forest and swampy areas, and lightweight sneakers are relevant for dry terrain;
• Temperature regime – if hunting in sub-zero temperatures, preference is given to high boots, if the process takes place in summer in a dry pine forest – you can buy shoes with a low last;
• Material – the upper of the boots should be treated with a special water-repellent impregnation, which will allow the feet not to get wet;
• Sole – it should be soft, elastic and durable at the same time. Polyurethane provides these tasks best of all.

Hunting is a symbol of the power of the aristocracy

This fact has never been hidden. Hunting was considered the best way to remember how to hold a spear or musket in your hand. And for the youth of the nobility, it is also the course of a young fighter, which makes you get used to the sight of blood, and sometimes your own. After all, animals do not know how to play giveaway.

Therefore, hunting for the largest and most dangerous animals, such as bears or boars, has long been considered the most honorable. And in the 19th century, the “Big Five” appeared, the most desirable prey that brings honor to any hunter: elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, lion and leopard.

One of the main ways to demonstrate one’s wealth and power has always been clothing. Therefore, in the Middle Ages, noble hunters went to the forest or the field dressed as if for a royal reception: clothes decorated with fur and embroidered with gold and silver, rich weapons, expensive horses in luxurious headdresses.

Wolf and Fox Hunting”. The Artist — Peter Paul Rubens

This continued until the middle of the 18th century, when there was a turning point in the consciousness of Europeans. It was conditioned by two factors: the philosophers of the Enlightenment, who denounced the vices of civilization and spoke of blessed simplicity, and the English industrialists, who organized the most determined struggle against luxury: imported expensive fabrics (French), furs (Russian) and jewelry (Italian) hindered the development of British production.

First hunting costume: tailcoat or frock coat

So the English came up with a tailcoat that was much simpler than the French caftan, could be sewn from simple good English cloth and, most importantly, fully corresponded to the most fashionable ideas – a return to the classic simplicity of tastes.

After all, it is not for nothing that in English a gentleman hunter is an athlete, while a hunter who earns his living from this trade (for example, a huntsman) is a hunter.

The most famous European artists of the 18th century left paintings depicting hunters in the outfit that had just come into fashion: a tailcoat or frock coat, a short waistcoat, tight trousers and short boots of a military style with lapels. Against the background of the court costume of that time, it was devilishly utilitarian and ascetic clothing.

Tweed suit

At about the same time, the tweed three-piece came into fashion, what in England was called the suit of a country gentleman: a jacket, waistcoat and trousers made of thick warm cloth, in which you can safely go outside in the rain and the piercing British cold – from +5 to +10.

These clothes were considered suburban and it was bad to appear in them in London. But in the countryside, it became a real uniform for all classes, from the local lord to his tenants. And indeed, you won’t find more practical and reliable clothes.

On the same topic
Caught and Eaten”: What Is the Right “and Wrong” Hunt

Returning to Sherlock Holmes, it is worth saying that the tweed costume is the second most common for this literary character.

Gradually, the tweed trio came into use among hunters and is now considered as acceptable within the framework of conservative etiquette as the Norfolk.

Interestingly, both the Norfolk jacket and the regular tweed jacket are worn strictly with a classic shirt and tie. For a gentleman-hunter, only two indulgences are allowed: the shirt can be checked, and the tie is not silk, but woolen. A traditional tweed suit always has a high three-button fastener and is sewn from brownish or greenish cloth in a checkered or herringbone pattern. There is no other way.

Fox Hunter Livery

In the 19th century, hunting became an element of court and diplomatic etiquette. Kings invited their royal colleagues to the forest to get to know each other better, to talk face to face about who they were going to conquer and who they would have to be friends against. At the same time, this was accompanied by a further simplification of the hunting costume: hunters began to dress in frock coats made of durable dark cloth or in military uniforms.

Fox Hunting

Red jackets – the English call them liveries – and white trousers have since remained only in the traditional costume of English fox hunters, which has been carefully preserved for more than two centuries. Since then, one thing has changed – instead of the outdated black top hats, hunters wear black caps.

By the way, the fox hunter’s costume is a kind of uniform: the number of large gilded buttons on it determines the rank of the hunter. Five for the organizer, four for the gentleman, three for the gamekeeper.

Looking at the photos of modern hunters, many people ask the question: why are some of them dressed in black livery? The answer is simple – they are worn by those who are not members of the hunting community and are simply invited to take part in social entertainment.