Stoney Creek Huntlite Coat

Gary Johnson Stoney Creek Huntlite Coat

Coats have come a long, long way since the venerable Swanndri® was the Kiwi hunter’s prime outer layer of choice and personally I’m very happy about that.

Gone are the days where your Swanny swamp-donkey coat would soak up rivers of water and lay host to menacing maggot eggs that found the moist warmth offered by the cosy woollen garment pure luxury accommodation.

We are somewhat spoilt for choice for new-age water-proof breathable and relatively lightweight coats these days. Although Gore-Tex® is probably the most well known fabric brand that offer this waterproof/breathable capability, many others are out there now that do broadly the same job if not better, at usually a far cheaper price.

Since my early days predominantly hunting in a Swanny, I am absolute in my view that a NZ hunter should shell out good dosh on a quality waterproof outer layer garment and basically use this as their prime clothing item – everything else such as trousers, mid & body layers pale to insignificance if the outer layer is junk.

Stoney Creek’s latest “Huntlite” offering addresses the requirement for a quality outer layer with the added benefit of low weight. The low weight material used also means that the garment is less bulky and hence rolls up well meaning you’re more likely to include it in your regular hunting day-bag for “just-in case” situations such as an unplanned overnighter huddled under a weta infested punga log in some dark and dingy bush grotto.

I’ve successfully used the Huntlite in Fiordland where the 8m annual rainfall is a good test for outer layers and it worked a treat. So cool is the coat that my middle son seems to have adopted it as his own !

Key features:

• Signature Stoney Creek “Kitchen-Sink” breast pocket (always fascinates me how much stuff you can get in that cavernous fabric cavity. Also included is a tennie weenie pocket sewn on the main pocket zip flap that includes a equally microscopic emergency compass – this miniscule pocket could house 1 or 2 spare bullets for emergency situations or handy for those “Thompson Contender” folks out there with single shot rifles.

• Full length grunty YKK zip (I’m a bit of a fan for full length zips to aid getting the coat on & off plus help with cooling & leg articulation)

• Velcro and neoprene adjustable cuffs that allow quick shifting of sleeves up your arms to again help with cooling regulation – now I’ve got arms akin to 9-year old girls and even I have problems with some neoprene cuffed coats that make rolling up your sleeves a pain in the ar#e. Why sweat when you don’t have to.

• Fully adjustable hood design both in height off your face and size (albeit the hood does not include a fold away feature which exposes it to catching when grovelling through tight scrub).

Summary

If you enjoy the thrill of travelling to the distant corners and giddy heights of our magnificent country in search for NZ game, then the ability to add Stoney Creek’s Huntlite coat to your arsenal is a most welcome addition given its additional lightweight and low bulk attributes.

I’ve not used the coat enough to determine its longer term durability, especially in terms of pack abrasion (lower back & shoulders). However general material strength and typical Stoney Creek build quality (and excellent seam sealing) seem as good as a Kiwi hunter would want.
My only request to Mr Stoney Creek would be to offer a hood tie down and maybe the addition of another one of those magnificent “Kitchen sink” pockets on the other side of the coat – why not have two bottomless gear pits I say !