Well, it’s that time of year again; the nights are drawing in fast and the hour is about to push us headlong into another winter! For those, like me, who carry on fishing through the colder months regardless of the what the weather will doubtless throw at us, now’s the time to break out the winter clothing to ensure you’re warm and snug during those frosty (or worse!) sessions on the bank.
Thermal clothing is an absolute must for the winter angler, and it never fails to amaze me just how few actually use it – they will happily spend hundreds of pounds on fancy boots, winter jackets, bib & braces, fleeces and goodness knows what else, but it’s often the case that if you start off with a good thermal base layer, you don’t then need as much on top. The better you can insulate the immediate area over your skin, the less heat you lose and the warmer you’ll stay throughout – it’s not rocket science.
Again, you’ll find thermal clothing across all price ranges, but this is one area where you don’t need to spend a fortune. In the past I’ve owned thermals that have cost anything from a fiver up to thirty pounds, and to be honest the cheaper ones, by and large, have outperformed those at the higher end of the price band.
As such, when the wife was asking for a few gift ideas prior to last Christmas, I dropped a link to the thermals on offer from Mean & Green and sure enough, I was presented by a set of nice new thermals on Christmas morning … result… easily pleased I guess!
The leggings were the basic thermals offered by M&G priced at around £6.95 – you can view them by CLICKING HERE. They are fully brushed for extra comfort and warmth, and come in sizes from small to XXL. There’s not much to elaborate on when it comes to the thermals themselves, other than to say that they have performed perfectly well for the last year, and when used as part of a decent layering system, have never let me down once even with the big chill we had last winter. Despite wearing them most days for work outside, on the lake, and wherever else, they have remained stitch perfect and don’t show an ounce of the heavy wear they’ve had to endure.
I like to be aware of my surroundings whenever I fish, and have never been one to zip up the doors as soon as the temperatures drop, in fact every overnighter I fished last winter was done so without a front on my bivvy, without groundsheets, winter skins, and goodness knows what else. – I’d rather dress correctly for the conditions I’m faced with and leave half a ton of tackle at home!
Bottom line is that it does not cost a fortune to keep warm in the winter months – in or out of the house – just get yourself some thermals and you’ll be warm as toast.
Julian Grattidge
Northwestcarp.co.uk
October 2011
