I just received Pa'tridge Vest II in waxed cotton. My first impression is very positive. Lots of great features, well constructed and useful for a variety of hunting situations. For some reason the Bean description does not list all of the features and doesn't show the vest back. Features include (as of 12/01/12) - Front bellows pockets are fastened at the corner with one button each (no velcro) and include 4 elastic shell loops each (not very snug); interior left has an angled glasses pocket with velcro closure (a snap could be easily added); interior right has a 7"x7" pocket w/zipper (nice for a wallet); front access game pockets on both sides that exit to rear game bag area with black nylon lining; just inside the front game load area on both sides is an "electronics" pocket with velcro closures (~3" wide); Back of vest has generous game bag access openings on both sides and zippers on each side plus the top to lay open and wash out; outside center of game bag is a large covered pocket (10"w x12"h) with small velcro closure plus 2 snaps; next to that pocket on each side are water bottle pockets with elastic closures; blaze orange on back has 2 layers, the outside layer is a loose grid (1/8" octagons) of mesh nylon and the inside layer is very fine mesh material, plus there is an exterior 3.5" wide loop for a back license holder; the front blaze orange areas have those 2 layers plus an additional layer of light 'ten-mile' cloth. Hope that description is helpful. Overall very nice vest that I expect will last a long time. My only concern is the mesh part, but I think the breathability will be nice during warmer weather. I gave it 4 stars because I think it would be durable with heavier 'ten-mile' cloth in place of the dual layer nylon mesh (I may be pleasantly surprised by the mesh). Bottom line - great vest for the money.
I bought this for my husband for his birthday. He's had it for about a year now and really likes it. He's tried cheaper alternatives & they never turn out. The bargain vests don't hold up like L.L. Bean does & they don't haul enough birds. The orange coloring is balanced well. It has good visibility without looking overwhelming. The only drawback is it is a little warm for early-season hunts. The waxed cotton is a plus. It repels water, blood stains, and wind on dewy & cool mornings.
Best vest I've ever owned. Well worth the money. 55 degrees today and misting rain. Didn't even need a raincoat with this vest. Cool weather only because it's substantial. I'd recommend one of these for any bird hunter.
I really wanted a waxed cotton hunting vest due to my experience in the past of getting everything under the sun stuck to the fabric when walked through the field.
This vest is really great, I was a little leery about purchasing it at first because it did not have a lot of the "tech" features a lot of the new vests had but after receiving the vest it makes up for what it doesn't have.
It is not mentioned in the description but this vest includes an inside zipper pocket on the right side of the vest, it also has a sunglasses angled pocket on the inside on the left (great feature BTW). It has two electronics pockets that are a velcro close on the inside of the front game loading pocket. The bellows pockets in the front can handle two boxes of shells each.
Here are a few things I would like changed. I would love for an outside loop on either the top left shoulder or chest to hang electronics on. Also the rear area that unzips to allow for easy game extraction MUST be buttoned up again or else the zipper will let go and you will drop everything in the bag (found out the hard way).
Overall this is an awesome vest and I would recommend it to anyone.
