The small kit that finishes an outfit and usually decides whether the day is bearable - hats and caps, neck gaiters and beanies, socks, gloves, leg gaiters and wax leggings, across Härkila, Seeland, Deerhunter, SwedTeam, Meindl and Bisley.
Where to start
- Hats & Caps - beanies, caps, neck tubes and headbands, including the SwedTeam Ridge range in Desolve Veil camo and the Deerhunter Recon knitted beanie.
- Socks - from the Härkila Expedition and Expedition Long through to Meindl MT merino hunting socks.
- Gloves - shooting, stalking and liner gloves, including Bisley Thinsulate fingerless.
- Gaiters - waterproof leg gaiters such as the Seeland Buckthorn.
- Leggings - Bisley wax stud-up lined leggings and similar.
Worth knowing
- Socks are a fit component, not an afterthought. A boot that has been fitted over a thick merino sock will swim on a thin one, and a sock that bunches is what blisters. Fit boot and sock together.
- A neck tube is the cheapest temperature control you own. It is on and off in a second, it covers the gap a collar leaves, and pulled up it breaks the shape of a face better than most camo does.
- Merino over synthetic for long days. It holds warmth when damp and it does not stink after three days, which matters more than the price difference by the end of a week.
- Gaiters stop the boot, not the trouser. They keep grit, seed and water out of the boot top on the hill; they are not a substitute for waterproof trousers in sustained rain.
For jackets, trousers and midlayers see Clothing & Footwear and Outers & Midlayers. Base layers are under Next to Skin.
