Shooting Times & Country – 21 August 2019

Tried and tested

SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRY MAGAZINE • 21

with braces, they fi t perfectly like
a pair of salopettes, with moulded
knees and adjustable Velcro leg ends.
Both jacket and trousers are triple-
layer Gore-Tex under a noiseless
polyester brushed outer. This outer
layer is totally quiet and notably hard-
wearing. The Mehto’s material slipped
like an otter through blackthorn,
without a snag, when I wore it to build
a dead hedge around a plantation.
The cuff s of the jacket and
the lower leg of the trousers are
reinforced with material containing
Kevlar, used to make fl ak jackets.
Seams at the cuff s are off set from
the main seam, ensuring no
moisture seeps through. Pockets

are plentiful, generous of size and

placed in precisely the place you

need them. The zip seams for the

pockets are rubberised and entirely

weatherproof, and the pulls are large

enough so a gloved hand can operate

them with ease.

There are two sizeable zipped

vents on both the jacket and the

trousers. These enable you to get

some fresh air into the system when

you start to get warm. The shade of

green will blend into our landscape,

while the three-year-old jacket has

mellowed to a slightly lighter hue,

which is probably for the best.

Sleet and rain

I have worn this kit when hiking

the 68 miles of the Suff olk coastal

path in 72 hours, through sleet, rain

and north-easterly winds. It didn’t

just work, it excelled. I trialled the

jacket on my cousin’s trawler out of

Southwold — three miles out in the

middle of the North Sea and I was

still comfortable, bar the stomach-

ravaging seasickness.

Sitting in a high seat for hours

is no more of a trial than dozing in

your fi reside armchair. The Mehto

Pro has been designed with stalking

in mind but is smart enough for all

but the snootiest of driven days,

robust enough for the marsh and

weatherproof enough for anything

the British climate can throw at it.

For women reading this, don’t

think that Sasta is a preserve of

the males of the species. It has also

created a Hunting Women range,

designed and created by a woman

who shoots, for women who shoot.

She has not compromised on quality

and hasn’t added the infuriating

splash of pink that seems to adorn

most competitors’ women’s ranges.

I am accused by some of using

overly fl owery language in my

descriptions of a day’s shooting.

I take this criticism on board.

Therefore I sum up the Sasta Mehto

Pro 2.0 in a single word — sisu.

Layering up

So what to wear under this Sasta

top layer? Gore-Tex is a remarkable

material. When combined with the

clever tailoring of the Mehto Pro,

it is sublime. However, you need

an underlayer and Paul Marshall

has excelled himself in nailing

another winner.

Let us travel to the other side of

the world from Finland. Noble Wilde

hails from the southern wilds of New

Zealand. The Kiwi company has been

making woollen wear for more than

30 years. New Zealand is famed for its

sheep, which outnumber the human

inhabitants seven to one. Noble Wilde

combines a blend of New Zealand

The Noble Wilde Javelin zip-front jumper is

made from a blend of merino and possum fur