We supply quality, practical clothing for those who shoot in it, not ponce in it!

Across the GGC Team, we pre-trial all of the clothing that gets sold in the shop, both from our premises and on-line. In the last year, in preparation for our new website and on-line shop, we have been hard at work! Here we give it to you – no holds barred!

Al has been working on a few items: Lowa Seeker stalking boots on his feet, Ridgeline jackets on his back and Fjallraven trousers covering the bottom half, topped off with a Woolpower pair of socks and a beanie. The feedback?

Lowa Footwear

‘I have been really chuffed with these Gore-Tex lined, German engineered boots. To be fair to them, I would call them a three-season – you may want to consider something a bit more hard-core in the deep of Winter, and Paul has been wearing the Hunter Extreme version, going in to his second stalking season with those as we speak. My Seekers have just been replaced by the Outlander model, with a slightly more aggressive tread, with better ability to shed mud and clay. I have worn them on hot, dry clay shoots, out pigeon shooting, and for lengthly cold, wet, stalking trips and still have the comfy feet I started with! Well recommended for the £125 purchase cost.’ GGC Rating? 8 out of 10 says Al – when its cold, and they saturate externally, even though the liner keeps you dry, sat in a cold high seat they do feel a bit cold. The cure? ‘Easy,’ says Al – ‘Woolpower merino socks, or move to the Lowa Hunter Extreme, with a more substantial thermal lining. Top toasty and yours for £169!’

Stalker Paul has been wearing the Extremes and has just started his second doe culling season at Withington. ‘I have the Seeker and they are a great all-round boot, but if you are up a seat at 4AM for a good few hours, the thinsulate thermal membrane and Gore-Tex lining just gives the Extremes the edge. And Al’s right – proper wool/merino blend socks EVERY time, regardless of the time of year. Natural wool shall keep you warm in the winter and help keep feet cool and dry in the summer as they assist any breathable membrane to transport moisture away from the foot.’

Ridgeline Clothing

Jake, Al and Paul have all been wearing Ridgeline clothing, originally designed for the rigours of wear in New Zealand, where hunters are regularly out in wet conditions. Joining the team a little later, John has managed to blag a gilet so far! He has plans for more…

The Monsoon smock style stalking jacket has been very popular as a lightweight, technical shell outer layer. Wear it with Woolpower base-layer and you have a great clothing system, enabling you to rapidly vent a build-up of heat, whilst keeping you dry. However – it is NOT the warmest garment – remember – NZ is mainly warm, but wet. This makes a great breathable shell, which stops the wind in its tracks, but for cold weather and recently on the hill on Scotland, Paul found that the Nomad technical fleece smocks were as waterproof, but much warmer in a biting 55 MPH wind! Again, for three-season stalking, seriously consider the Monsoon at £139. Moving in to Winter? Look at Nomad…

Nomad Clothing

Quite the ultimate for the stalker, keeper and even the game shot, now that Phillip of Nomad UK manufactures a ‘tweed’ pattern garment. We have done really well with this brand. Al picks up the conversation; ‘We have guys coming in to the shop with 10-year old Nomads – they look ruined. However, they are only there to complain about the fact that they smell of dog, or deer, or goat and that they are still as waterproof as the day they bought them! They buy a replacement, give their old one to their girlfriend (such romanance!)or wife, and trot back off again, warm and dry as toast. Mix them with breeks in the same material, and you have a winning combination!’ Priced from £235 for the shorter Quadrider jacket and £285 for the longer stalkers smock, this amazing clothing is even tick proof, a growing requirement in todays stalking world.

Fjallraven Clothing

Paul and Al have both been seen out in Fjallraven, both over summer and autumn. Paul wears Brenner trousers, lined with Hydrastatic waterproof, breatable membrane and the super robust G-1000 canvas based outer, double stitched for strength. Al has been wearing Rieper high-tec soft-shell trousers, with the same Hydrastatic liner, but a more flexible, silent outer, with ‘stretchable’ panels on the knees – easier stalking and kneeling! ‘These also look great when game shooting,’ Al says, ‘Far too often the look of a pair of waterproof trousers does not suit the formality of a driven shoot, however, these are great with a shirt and tie worn over them and soo much warmer and wind proof than breeks on a really wet day!’ Not cheap of £200 a pair, but well worth it. Pauls Brenner are that bit more ‘hard-core’ with the G-1000 canvas outer – ‘Really warm, very breathable and keeps all the stinging nettles and thistles at bay. Impressed, definately! However, rubbing the wax on the outer can be a chore, but with a hair dryer it becomes much more convenient, quicker and the results have to be seen to be believed!’

Woolpower by Ullfrotte

Keeping warm begins with base-layer – possibly the most important part of your wardrobe. The reason why the Swedish Army, and many other serving troops wear Ullfrotte is its resilience to wear – even the harshest squaddie can put this kit through the machine and it can survive. 60 degree wash? No problem! It’s blend of merino wool and a touch of poly keeps these garments toasty warm, scent free and they hold their shape without issue.
The whole team wear Woolpower and all rate it highly, from 200 gsm ‘next to skin’ all the way through 400 and 600 gsm, when worn as part of a ‘system’. During the summer, mix and match to build your base combination to your activity. Jakes takes over; ‘The great thing with this stuff is A) its super warm, but highly breathable. You never get damp (should that be moist Jake?) and even in the summer, you can wear just one layer and be totally comfortable – as the year rolls on, just keep adding layers as the temperature drops. And, B) as a student, you can wear it a few times before it needs to go in the wash, as bacteria cannot build on on merino fibres – excellent for reducing my carbon footprint!’

We offer beanies and socks, as well as gloves and scarves in this excellent fabric from this brilliant manufacturer. Come and have a look – you shall see the light!