Ridgeline Evolution Smock Heather Brown

I purchased this item in 2022 and was initially pleased with the performance.
However it has now started to let water in,especially on the arms which is very disappointing.
Unfortunately it also only carries a 12 month warranty.
I shall be returning to Harkilla, which has a longer guarantee and life span.

Having been a big fan of the Ridgeline Monsoon Classic Smock for wet/winter days on the hill or wet high seat days I decided to upgrade to an Evolution. The new smock is bombproof and overcomes almost all of the failings that come with smocks generally. The material is slightly lighter in weight but still seems strong (sure you’ll rip it on barbed wire but that’s the same with anything) and it defiantly holds less water which was a noticeable Ridgeline trait where you had to put a bucket under the Monsoon smock to collect all the drips after a proper soaking.

The new material is meant to be more breathable and it feels like you can work harder before sweating up which was one of my main gripes with the Monsoon as sweat would get trapped on the inside of the smock which isn’t as bad with the Evolution. The addition of pit zips also allows you to vent some body heat while working hard to help stop you becoming damp due to perspiration. However, Ridgeline have given the pit zips a double layer of protection in the form of an external flap secured by two Velcro tabs and this is a bit annoying since you have to mess around with them to open the zips only for the Velcro to naturally reattach itself meaning the vent doesn’t stay fully open. That being said, the pit zips still allow you to loose some excess body heat while keeping the worst of the weather out but I’ll probably carefully remove the Velcro in due course so the vents can open fully.

The addition of adjustable neoprene cuffs helps stop the issue of water slowly tracking up the sleeves on really wet days or while crawling and the zipped kangaroo pouch (which in general always seemed slightly pointless to me) provides a useful storage pocket for those inclined to use them. Otherwise all the other feature remain the same, including a decent adjustable/removable hood and a long back.

The overall fit is definitely more snug than the Monsoon and noticeably more restrictive across the top of your lower leg while walking although this is can be overcome by leaving the lower body zip on the side of the cost undone. Fully zipped however, you feel a little restricted but you don’t tend to notice it once your concentrating on work.

I know smocks are not for everyone but I like them for hill work/wet high seat days and as I said before, Ridgeline have always been bombproof in my eyes. As the title suggests, I know several professional stalkers who are issued Harkila smocks only for them to now go out and buy these. They all swear the Harkila smocks leak while these seem to be one of the few outer layers that can keep you dry and meet all the demands that comes with being on the hill. For me, I could never justify the cost of some of the other gear but I’ve got absolute confidence that this smock will keep me dry and even more comfortable than before.