Rivers West Eider Jacket and Original Bib

Rivers West is one brand of clothing you just can’t get away from at the moment. Pretty much every magazine and shooting forum is awash with reviews and debate about their magical, H2P waterproof fleece. There’s barely a week goes by at the moment where I’m not pressed by the keepers and countrymen that frequent my local for confirmation that it’s as good as they say and are you sure that’s what it costs?

The Right Stuff!

Now I’m a great believer in finding what’s right for you. Technological advances have brought space age materials and high performance fabrics to the forefront of country sports, but also brings choices. Flexibility v support, strength v weight and price v features are usually at the top of the list. One of my favourites is waterproofing v breathability!  I’ve spent enough time sat on Scottish hills with rain hitting me sideways in the face at high speed to realise that sometimes that can be a difficult choice to make.

Do you go for more warmth and weather proofing when stationary for high seating or wildfowling, and thus putting up with the invariably hot and uncomfortable trek to the blind? Or do you give yourself a bit more comfort on the hill knowing that you’ll be shivering once you’re on the back of the Argocat on the way back to the lodge for what seems like an eternity? I’ve gone both ways, but never quite got the balance right.

So imagine my ‘delight’ when I received a call from Richard Lee, MD of Rivers West Europe, extolling the virtues of a new wonder fabric that provides an unparalleled level of performance in the field combined with rhino hide strength and is as silent as a leopard in long grass; hmm…  Righto was my initially jaded response, followed by something slightly more figurative when he told me the price points!

Three Years & $2,000,000

The claims put forward on the Rivers West website were even more bold; ‘We took 3 years and $2 million dollars to develop the award-winning H2P Waterproof System. It is warm, insulating, lightweight, durable, 100% water and windproof, ultra quiet, machine washable and dryer safe. Never before has there been a fabric with all of these properties rolled into one.’

So confident was Richard about these, he sent me one of each item from the Rivers West range available in the UK and said, “do your worst” with a wry smile. I’ve been getting quite a lot of use out of the lighter weight Ranger and Frontier Jackets, but the one that has really caught my attention is the Eider Jacket in Realtree Max-4.

Although marketed in the US for water fowling, the Eider’s features actually make it a great all-round, wing shooting jacket. I reckon it would make for a better pigeon shooting coat than anything else. Rivers West have also chosen to import the Original Bib and four different hat options in Realtree Max-4 to make up a complete set of extreme wing shooting gear. Why do I say that? It would need to be pretty cold and miserable for you to make full use of some of the Eiders best features.

Original H2P

Both the Eider Jacket and Original Bib are made from the heavyweight ‘Original H2P fabric, which are rated for extreme cold use, with a comfort zone of -15° to 10° C. This probably means it’s too warm for anything other than sitting in a hide in November, or on a salt marsh in the middle of the Medway. Luckily I’m a big fan of both!

Unlike other garments in the Rivers West range, neither the Eider nor Original Bib have zippered pit zips or vents that can be opened whilst on the move. Unfortunately this means that when you’re moving, you’re going to get hot. The problem then comes when we talk about the breathability v waterproofing trade-off. Although the fleece certainly wicks moisture away from the skin, I’m yet to be convinced that it’s truly breathable i.e. transports moisture through the fabric, whilst preventing water ingress.

This means that moisture will sit on the inside of the fabric, cool down and feel uncomfortable when it touches the skin. My advice is to wear a technical base layer such as Termoswed, and let this do the work of transporting moisture. This will mean that any retained moisture will stay close to the skin, and therefore body temperature, until it finds its way out.

But let’s not overlook the important fact here: this jacket is totally waterproof – and I mean you could sit in a fast flowing stream and it wouldn’t penetrate either the material or seams. I’d rather think carefully about base layers and know that the outer layer is impermeable. But that’s not the whole story. The Eider comes packed with some of the most innovative features I’ve seen on a jacket at this price.

Innovative Features

Starting from the bottom, the Original Bib sports long storm proof zips, which extend above the knee, along with a full-length zip at the front, and half-length zips at the side. Whatever your shape, you’ll find no problem getting it on or off. The elasticated waist and shoulder straps provided an incredibly comfortable, moulded fit.

The Jacket has a full-length zip with internal neoprene storm closure and high radial collar and hood to keep the elements at bay. Probably my favourite features are the neoprene storm cuffs with Velcro adjusters. Nothing is getting past those, meaning my elbows won’t end up floating in the brine!

There are also a huge number of pockets, both zippered and also cargos with magnetic closure. It also has a funky little cartridge pouch which clips to the front. This will hold 25-cartridges comfortably, but more than about a dozen and it starts to pull the jacket forward on your shoulders. It also sits a little too low for use with waders.

In summary, the Eider is an incredibly well thought out jacket with a huge number of useable features. When combined with the Original Bib, it probably offers the best extreme weather performance of any wing shooting gear on the market, although be prepared to use trial and error to find the right base layers.

For: Great pigeon shooting or wildfowling gear

Against: Can get a bit hot when walking

Verdict: Tough and efficient design with good performance

PRICES:
Eider Jacket £180.00
Original Bib £155.00