Swampy 16 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 53 minutes ago, sidelock said: FWIW the previous Upland Soft Shell Jacket item # 2CS54252 which is 100% Balze Orange but otherwise similar to the current newly designed version and made of the same material can be had for 1/2 price at certain Orvis Outlet locations. I own this jacket and absolutely love it. It’s very comfortable and well made. And I love the arm pit vents. I’m a big fan of Orvis products but the best upland pants I’ve owned are the Beretta waterproof Briar Resistant they came out with recently. I’ve never worn a more comfortable pair of pants in the woods. The only complaint I would have is that they can be noisy when pushing through cover but when it’s wet the are awesome. I will likely but a pair of the Orvis Missouri Breaks this year. The Scheels premium upland pants are great also. Link to post Share on other sites
DennisMcFeely Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 The softshell jacket is great. I just ordered the sporting clays jacket which has lots of good reviews so I'm looking forward to trying it out. Link to post Share on other sites
E.Young Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 I think they've struggled with sizing a lot. They used to have a lot of vanity sizing to make the big bellied old men feel less fat, I'm a big guy and I have some mediums! Then they kinda swung way out the other direction on a few things with their overall rebranding effort to bring in tech gear for the younger crowd, but some legacy items stayed vanity sized. One of the groomsmen in my wedding was their menswear merchant and I bitch about this all the time to him. They know it's a problem and are actively working to fix it. FWIW, I had the same issue with Brooks Brothers when they got rid of their old shirt sizing (traditional, regular, tailored) and renamed all the fits to non-descriptive things ("Fitzgerald"). So it's not unique to orvis by any means. Link to post Share on other sites
chilly460 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 How briar proof is the softshell jacket? I hate stiff canvas jackets, I've looked at the softshells but to be honest I don't see how they'd hold up in briars at all. In the areas I hunt grouse, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be plowing through 6' greenbriar at some point and don't want to shred a jacket. I liked how it fit and moved but was apprehensive to pull the trigger. Link to post Share on other sites
sidelock Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 3 hours ago, Swampy 16 said: I own this jacket and absolutely love it. It’s very comfortable and well made. And I love the arm pit vents. I’m a big fan of Orvis products but the best upland pants I’ve owned are the Beretta waterproof Briar Resistant they came out with recently. I’ve never worn a more comfortable pair of pants in the woods. The only complaint I would have is that they can be noisy when pushing through cover but when it’s wet the are awesome. I will likely but a pair of the Orvis Missouri Breaks this year. The Scheels premium upland pants are great also. I concur, I have both and although I like the twin chest pockets on the newer version compared to the single on the older, I much prefer the solid blaze orange of the older version over the new two tone. I'm still on a mission to find the ideal if not perfect upland pants. Link to post Share on other sites
sidelock Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 3 minutes ago, chilly460 said: How briar proof is the softshell jacket? I hate stiff canvas jackets, I've looked at the softshells but to be honest I don't see how they'd hold up in briars at all. In the areas I hunt grouse, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be plowing through 6' greenbriar at some point and don't want to shred a jacket. I liked how it fit and moved but was apprehensive to pull the trigger. Briar is pretty tough on any garment, it's always a compromise. The most briar proof material such as Cordura or Filson cotton/canvas is stiff, noisy and overall not the most pleasant to wear and the stuff that is comfortable is not 100 % briar proof. Link to post Share on other sites
Swampy 16 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 1 hour ago, sidelock said: I concur, I have both and although I like the twin chest pockets on the newer version compared to the single on the older, I much prefer the solid blaze orange of the older version over the new two tone. I'm still on a mission to find the ideal if not perfect upland pants. Take a serious look at the Berettas . They’re amazing pants. Link to post Share on other sites
Swampy 16 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 1 hour ago, chilly460 said: How briar proof is the softshell jacket? I hate stiff canvas jackets, I've looked at the softshells but to be honest I don't see how they'd hold up in briars at all. In the areas I hunt grouse, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be plowing through 6' greenbriar at some point and don't want to shred a jacket. I liked how it fit and moved but was apprehensive to pull the trigger. X2 on what Sidelock said. I was also skeptical of the durability of the soft shell but I’m very impressed with it. Greenbriers are brutal but as far as comfort and function and toughness I don’t think you’ll beat this. I also have the Orvis Heritage Field coat and that’s another great offering. It’s not quite the same as the soft shell (dry waxed cotton) but just as, or more durable. I think the water repellent coating on the soft shell may be a bit better though. Link to post Share on other sites
sidelock Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 2 hours ago, Swampy 16 said: X2 on what Sidelock said. I was also skeptical of the durability of the soft shell but I’m very impressed with it. Greenbriers are brutal but as far as comfort and function and toughness I don’t think you’ll beat this. I also have the Orvis Heritage Field coat and that’s another great offering. It’s not quite the same as the soft shell (dry waxed cotton) but just as, or more durable. I think the water repellent coating on the soft shell may be a bit better though. I have a Heritage Field Coat too but unfortunately mine is the older version that has only buttons without the zipper closure. It's a nice jacket but I have the Kaki and I wouldn't dare wear it in the woods and get mistaken for a whitetail deer LOL. It's a nice coat for wearing around town but wish it had a zipper. I've been looking at some of the pants offered across the pond such as Sherwood, Percussion, Seeland etc . but don't know how they would hold up in our cover. I think generally speaking we are a little behind them here when it comes to variety of hunting clothing, some interesting stuff coming from the UK, Germany, France etc. these days. Link to post Share on other sites
Swampy 16 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 3 minutes ago, sidelock said: I have a Heritage Field Coat too but unfortunately mine is the older version that has only buttons without the zipper closure. It's a nice jacket but I have the Kaki and I wouldn't dare wear it in the woods and get mistaken for a whitetail deer LOL. It's a nice coat for wearing around town by wish it had a zipper. I've been looking at some of the pants offered across the pond such as Sherwood, Percussion, Seeland etc . but don't know how they would hold up in our cover. I can’t imagine my Heritage without the zipper ! Link to post Share on other sites
sidelock Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 6 minutes ago, Swampy 16 said: I can’t imagine my Heritage without the zipper ! I know but that's how they were originally when they first came out. I've contemplated many times of taking it to a seamster and inquire about having a zipper added, just never pursued the thought. Link to post Share on other sites
Tom Avent Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 17 hours ago, sidelock said: Briar is pretty tough on any garment, it's always a compromise. The most briar proof material such as Cordura or Filson cotton/canvas is stiff, noisy and overall not the most pleasant to wear and the stuff that is comfortable is not 100 % briar proof. Late last season I found one of the all blaze orange softshell jackets for sale. I would have preferred the combo khaki/blaze, but the price was too good to pass up. After 1 season, it seems to be able to hold up to the cover. I am very hard on clothing and it looks like they have that part right. Time will tell. the jacket is extremely comfortable and versatile in different temperatures. My only complaint would be its ability to really turn briars in the thickest covers. A couple times this season, due to heat, I had to go down to only a long sleeved t-shirt underneath and I did get scratched up a bit. However, with some of the places I get into, I'm not sure it can be helped without wearing something that would make you sweat your ass off. Perhaps one of the Dan's Hunting Gear briar shirts. Link to post Share on other sites
brushbuster Posted January 30, 2019 Share Posted January 30, 2019 I have 2 of the old style soft shells and they are still going strong. They are in my top 3 of must have upland gear. Im glad to see Orvis is still supporting upland hunters. Link to post Share on other sites
Doubles in Oregon Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 I bought my son the Orvis hunting chaps for Christmas. They makes a quality product. It's nice to see their support. Link to post Share on other sites
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