Swazi/Ray Mears AEGIS Tahr XP Anorak

  1 of 42

  Excellent jacket. Absolutely perfect for canoeing (with the neoprene cuffs) and fishing. I am often outdoors in really wet and windy weather when no jacket is completely waterproof, but I believe this will be as good or more likely better than any other jacket I own. Not had it long enough to wear on a stormy day, but I have every confidence in it. Sizing is accurate too. I love this jacket.  

  Graham

  2 of 42

  My passion is hiking in the wilderness and I have completed quite a few long distance trails in the national parks in Norway and in Finland, staying over night in a mixture of wild camping and wilderness huts. The clothing I normally wear while hiking there is Fjällräven which I have always been very pleased with, in the performance, quality and durability of the clothing. I particularly like the outer jacket which has given me excellent protection against the worst of the wind and rain. As I am planning a long distance trip to Kuusamo in Finland later in the year, it was a good opportunity to replace my jacket. I was tempted just to purchase the same jacket but after reading several reviews I decided to purchase the Swazi AEGIS Tahr XP Anorak. The service from Woodlore was excellent and I received the anorak in just two days after placing the order. I have now been using the anorak for just over a month, on my 10 to 15 mile training hikes around my home in Suffolk. The weather has been mainly cloudy with sunny periods but with a mixture of strong cold winds and ambient temperature has been between 2 c and 10 c, but with the wind chill the temperature has been more like -2 c to -5 c. The weather has been quite dry for this time of year but I had the opportunity to try the the jacket out on a 10 mile training hike during the resent uk storms. Unfortunately I have mixed reviews as a result of the hike. Positive: The wind protection was excellent. I particularly liked the high neck line, which on occasions has been used to protect my chin from the wind and cold. The hood is very good and can be adjusted to protect you from the worst of the elements. I also like the long length of the jacket which on me covers my upper legs to just above the knee. The two deeps pockets are very good and are used to carry my gloves, hats, head torch and I have carried binoculars in them. I have also used the pockets to warm the hands on cold mornings. Negatives: One of my criteria I considered before buying the jacket was the jacket needed to be waterproof. After reading several reviews claiming the AEGIS Tahr XP Anorak to be 100% waterproof this was one of the major points that swayed me in buying this anorak. Unfortunately the performance of the anorak in the rain was poor. After just 5 miles of my hike I felt the water starting to penetrate through the anorak and after 10 miles my mid layer clothing was wet, particularly my arms and shoulders. I know this may have been extreme weather but I would have expected this anorak to cope with the conditions, especially a jacket of this quality and high price tag. I now have purchased a larger bottle of Nikwax, hopefully this will help to waterproof the anorak. If not I may need to bring my old Fjällräven jacket out of retirement for my trip later in the year and use the Swazi for day winter hikes in Suffolk. One minor point, the anorak is quite bulky when rolled up for a day pack.  

  Kevin O''brien

  3 of 42

  Immense anorak that just feels right. I’ve used it for canoeing, out in the field & around camp. It simply keeps the elements out.  

  Steven King

  4 of 42

  Excellent. It is so warm and dry. Very impressed.  

  Dion Howells

  5 of 42

  Fantastic jacket and superb quality. Just used it in what seemed a monsoon and still managed to stay dry. I like the fact that you can open the front of the jacket if you get a tad hot and want to cool down. I highly recommend the jacket whatever you want to use it for!!.  

  Nicholas John Bell

  6 of 42

  Great service from Woodlore Ltd - experienced, helpful & knowledgeable staff helped with my product selection & sizing. Having worn the Swazi Aegis Tahr XP anorak everyday since purchase, including the ‘Beast from the East 2’, with temperatures down to -6c, the smock lives up to the reputation. Very well made, the smock is watertight, windproof, and comfortable. After several miles hard walking over difficult terrain I remained dry & didn’t overheat. Moreover the hood allows good movement and doesn’t restrict visibility in rain and snow. Bite the bullet, the cost is worth it - recommended.  

  Chris Bishop

  7 of 42

  Fantastic coat, 100% wind and waterproof. Use it all the time in my work as a deerstalker, would recommend the Swazi coat to everyone.  

  Paul Foggin

  8 of 42

  Comfortable, well made and roomy. Excellent quality item.  

  K Curtis

  9 of 42

  I got the Swazi Jacket for my husband late August mainly for dog walking in the Sussex countryside. With the constant rain that we have had since October the jacket has been worn nearly everyday. It has lived up to its reputation keeping him dry and warm even in the heaviest rain that we experienced at the end of December. The material is very quiet, and tough enough to cope with thorniest of gorse bushes. The fit is great with plenty of room for layers, (size L and he's 6 ft 3 inches and 42/43 inch chest. The hood and high collar are perfect for keeping icy winds and rain away. After 5 months of wear and taking a few tumbles in the mud, it still looks new. Worth every penny.  

  Carolyn Hammond

  10 of 42

  I’ve had this anorak a couple of months now and I’ve purposely held back from writing this review, until I had put it through its paces so to speak. It's surprisingly light but still very warm and comfortable. I was able to stay comfortable just wearing a 200gm base layer and a thin unbranded fleece. Being an avid target shooter, I often visit Bisley shooting ground, where it always seems to rain. Last week was no exception as we started the afternoon shoot, the heavens opened and we were subjected to some pretty nasty weather, with driving rain and freezing temperatures. I must say I was really impressed, I was kept warm and dry the whole afternoon, the pockets are a nice size, I was able to keep my ammunition to hand, whilst still having room to keep my hands warm. The neoprene cuffs are comfortable, and secure enough to keep the heat in and drafts out so you can move around and work with your hands. The hood is great for protecting your face from the rain, keeping the warmth in and still leaving me with good peripheral vision. So being disabled I often shoot from a seated position on a bench. This has its downfalls in bad weather, as I’m often sitting in a puddle with water running down the backs of my legs. The length of this anorak is perfect, I can sit down without getting wet through whilst protecting the front of my legs from water running off the bench. When I first started looking at this anorak I really couldn’t justify purchasing it, but those couple of days in the bad weather it now has to be one of the best purchases I’ve made so far. The only thing I don’t understand: which isn’t necessarily bad, it was more of an annoyance really, was the extra extra long draw cord. I’m not exactly sure why it’s like that but it has the tendency to catch on things if you don’t secure it properly, by which I mean tying in consecutive bows. Otherwise it’s just fantastic.  

  Anthony Bool