Shooting vests, waistcoats and gilets from Deerhunter, ShooterKing, Swanndri and Game Technical Apparel — padded, wax, fleece, mesh and heated.
Choosing by discipline
Clays and driven. A mesh or lightweight shooting vest is about cartridge capacity and a clean mount. What matters is that the shoulder panel is smooth and the pockets sit low enough that the stock does not catch on the way up. Deep bellows pockets that ride high will foul your mount every time.
Rough shooting and keepering. A quilted or bonded fleece waistcoat under a shell is the layer that lets you leave the heavy coat in the truck. Core warmth with free arms is exactly what you want when you are walking hedges or working dogs.
Standing about in the cold. High seats, flight ponds and long waits are where a heated vest such as ShooterKing's i-Heat makes a genuine difference, because you are generating no heat of your own.
Traditional. Wax gilets and wool-lined vests still have a place — quiet in cover, hard-wearing, and they do not rustle when a bird is coming in.
Sizing
Buy a waistcoat to go over a mid-layer, not next to the skin. If you size it to fit a shirt it will pull across the back as soon as you put a fleece under it, and a tight back panel is the fastest way to a bad mount. Check the armhole is cut high enough that it does not chafe when you swing.
Related: Hunting jackets · Waterproof jackets · Cartridge bags
