A Fiordland Odyssey

Leading up to my trip to Fiordland this roar, I had been talking with the guys at Hunters Element HQ regarding the Odyssey Range of outer shell, waterproof gear.  I had never been a huge wearer of pants when hunting, more from what I was brought up with rather than for any practical reason.  However, on a few recent hunts into the Southern Alps, I noticed that there was definitely a need for some windproof/waterproof trousers to keep me warm when things got cold and/or windy.  Sitting and glassing for hours in the cold is never much fun - and that's what I find myself doing a lot of now I've moved back to the Mainland.

The night before I was about to leave on the journey to Fiordland, the care package had not turned up, so a few quick calls and I managed to track it down in the depot, and arranged pickup for first thing in the morning on my way through. Looking at the forecast, I was very happy that I had managed to get the parcel in time as it looked like we were getting snow to 500m!

I think the trousers stayed on for the first half of the 10 day trip!  The snow came and went as forecast and the trousers provided a barrier to the ankle deep snow, while keeping my bottom half warm. I still used my gaiters underneath them, but probably could have got away without them - I just didn't want snow in my boots!  I also wore my Blizzard Leggings and shorts under them which worked well together.

I loved the braces that come with them as they would fall down without them - you've just got to remember to put them on at the right time, as braces over your jacket mean you can't cover your waist with your jacket, or you can't tuck your mid layers in - trick for young players!  I also loved the full length zip as it meant you could pull them on over the top of your boots. It also meant that if it was a bit warm, you can let the air out the zips on the side. And last but not least was the pockets. Just a little thing such as a microfleece type material lining the main pockets mean that they are super comfy to keep your hands warm. They also dried pretty quickly which was a bonus. I wouldn't wear them if I was trying to be super stealthy in the bush as they make a little bit of noise, but you're unlikely to need to wear pants when you're bush stalking, worrying about a little bit of noise. I'd still consider them reasonably quiet for a waterproof layer.