A Hunter's Tale

In September we received the following email from a Richard Kwapisz...

Dear Hunting & Fishing New Zealand,

On August 30 this year while rushing downhill to recover a deer I shot while hunting with a mate in the Southern Wairarapa, I slipped, breaking both bones in my right leg just above the ankle. It was a rainy windy day so helicopter rescue was not possible, and in the end it took around 7 hours until I was in the ambulance. During the hours I lay immobilised on the ground being lashed by wind and rain I had time to reflect on the performance of my gear. I was wearing a Hunting & Fishing Cyclone Technical hunting parka over a polar fleece shirt, with a Hunting & Fishing hunting cap and Hunting & Fishing (Mid-West) fingerless gloves with the fold-over mitts.

My gear performed very well. While not entirely waterproof the jacket reduced the water entry and effectively cut the wind so that with the fleece shirt the trunk of my body stayed warm. The cap under the hood of the parka kept my head warm and the gloves, with occasional squeezing kept my fingers warm. My only regret is that I choose at the last minute not to change from jeans into my Hunting & Fishing Moose camo fleece pants as I had originally intended. Wet jeans meant that the lower part of my legs below my Cyclone parka were cold. The Search and Rescue team arrived after 3 hours of lying on the hillside. Throughout the 4 hour carry on a stretcher down the hill to the ambulance, the lower part of my body was covered by a sleeping bag and tent fly. The protection on my head, shoulders, arms and hands remained my Hunting & Fishing gear. I was well pleased with the performance of my Hunting & Fishing clothing!

Richard Kwapisz

PS: I just remembered something else. Throughout the wait and subsequent rescue, while I lay on the hillside in the rain that never ceased, I had on me three electronic devices, namely a Garmin Etrex GPS, a Nokia cellphone and a compact Olympus digital camera with a lens that telescopes out when you switch it on. The GPS and cellphone were in the pockets of my Cyclone jacket and the camera was in the pocket of the shirt that I wore under the jacket. All three were just slipped into my pockets in the state that you use them, that is none had a case or cover or plastic bag protecting it. All three survived in perfect working order.

Editor's Note:

Thanks for sharing your experience Richard. Your Cyclone Hunting coat consists of three layers and it’s this insulation that kept your body warm as you lay on the wet ground. As you pointed out it is a 'fair to rough' weather garment which sheds 95% of rain but is not seam sealed.

Ideally you'd wear Cyclone gear on cold windy days, knowing that while it is comfortable and quiet to hunt in, it will more importantly cut the wind chill and shed off the odd shower. The Cyclone Technical is a favourite of many hunters and we keep listening to feedback and making further improvements. The latest is the addition of a full length Zip which makes it easier to get in and out of and also on warmer days with the zip down you can regulate temperature better.

Note: As a thank you to Richard for allowing us to share his story, his local (Hutt Valley) Hunting & Fishing New Zealand store presented him with the latest and most extreme in our clothing range, the 100% waterproof Shearwater Coat.