Napier Skeet Vest

Skeet vests of whatever make generally offer a means of carrying cartridges whilst allowing freedom of movement to the shooter.
Of course the choice of style, colour, materials, quality of manufacture and price all vary immensely - yet the basic concept has remained unchanged for years. However, if you have ever come into contact with any of Napier of London’s products, you will know that Steve Rowe, the man behind the name, has a knack of re-thinking many classic designs or taking a second look at a seemingly mundane item to realise its full potential. Bearing this in mind, when Napier announced the introduction of the Regent Skeet vest, we listened on with interest, and couldn’t wait to try one.

AWD (Active Weight Distribution)

The new Regent Skeet vest incorporates many useful and novel features and is made to their superb quality standard. Made of olive green, 100% washed cotton/canvas, the vest is completely washable. Most distinctive are the twin, brown, non-snag, PU leather panels on the shoulders and upper fronts. Lightly padded to give a degree of recoil comfort they also form the base of the new Active Weight Distribution (AWD) system. This remarkable elasticated yoke (concealed within the mesh collar) takes the weight of the cartridges and evenly distributes this load across the shoulders and front panels. The result - a vest that offers the shooter extreme comfort, vastly improves ease of movement and is less fatiguing when worn over long periods. Most importantly, by distributing the load more effectively, it causes less distraction to the shooter when concentration is at its most critical – when taking shots.

The AWD system is incorporated into the collar and front panel sections and is hardly noticeable, yet unbelievably effective. Inspection shows a padded lining strip in the collar circumference area that acts as a support strap or yoke to help distribute the weight. Two generous open bellows front pockets will hold around 50-shells each with slightly smaller pockets in front for score cards, keys and other items. When the two bellows pockets are loaded with ammo you can feel the weight distribution working.

Chest Expander

But it does not stop there as there are other innovative features. Closure is by a single, 2-way central zip. There are press stud waist adjusters on either side of the vest to ensure a snug fit. Napier have also incorporated a nifty ‘chest expander’ system. This consists of a 2” wide mesh section with a zip that pulls out from the right to engage with the zip in the left of the vest. So if you are of the larger persuasion or wearing more clothing underneath because of the weather, the Regent can still be adapted to fit you easily. This panel is retained by three Velcro straps inside the vest when not required.

The Little Things

Inside on the left is a small zipped pocket for a wallet and mobile phone or other valuables. Napier also includes a removable towelling section for wiping your hands. This has a female stud and a loop for attaching to the vest. There’s also a stud closed loop for attaching your ear defenders to the vest when not in use. In fact both the ear defender loop and the towel have female studs, while the vest has no less than ten male studs on the sides and pockets – so plenty of choices for positioning them, whether you are left or right handed. This attention to detail is typical of Napier’s design.

Taking The Strain

Overall Napier seem to have improved on the basic skeet vest. In use the Regent lived up to its promise, with the AWD system easing the strain on the shooter when the ammo pockets are fully loaded up. The PU leather panels are smooth and do make gun mounting easy and items like the chest expander are there if required.

The Napier Regent Skeet vest is available in sizes from Small to XXXL from all Napier Premier dealers and costs around £93.50. Look out for the distinctive AWD Symbol at your local retailer, or contact Napier of London, 01235-812993 for your nearest stockist.