# Air jacket out hunting



## Tory27 (31 October 2016)

Does anyone one hunt in an air jacket with no BP?
Would hunt riders/field masters' object to my wearing a air jacket over my black hunt coat?


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## Shay (31 October 2016)

Loads of people hunt with an air-jacket alone, or an air jacket over a BP. What you wear for your own health & safety is up to you.  As long as your jacket isn't fluorescent yellow or pink no-one will object.  Some air jackets do hunt specific ones - but any plain colour should be fine.  With us we have PC Kids in tweeds with dark blue or dark green air jackets to match the base, some wear black airjackets - although our ladies hunt coats are in fact blue. And some wear dark navy.  And many wear none at all.  But you certainly won't be alone in an airjacket.


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## spacefaer (31 October 2016)

there's a woman who hunts with an adjacent pack who wears one - it always amuses me as she frequently falls off, her air jacket inflates, she gets back on and carries on hunting.  She seems to deflate it in order to carry on (is that possible? I know nothing about them) but doesn't carry a spare canister, which seems to defeat the point of it.

Plenty of people wear them - some have them over their hunt coats, some have the specific hunt coats that expand when they go off. I haven't seen anyone wearing a back protector and an air jacket - it would be awfully bulky over a hunt coat as well.

I've seen tweed air jackets, which look very smart.

There was one girl I saw out last season with a air jacket on, but not done up, over her black show jumping jacket, also not done up, with a thin white shirt underneath, no hairnet, so lots of flowing blonde locks...... her cob was unclipped, unplaited and very sweaty. Not the smartest turnout I've ever seen!


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## Goldenstar (31 October 2016)

It's quite usual to see people riding to hounds in them now.
If you wish to use one do so.


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## Bernster (31 October 2016)

Yes I tend to if I think I'm going to be jumping. Plain black one. Although not been out much the last two seasons, but there were a fair few who wore em.


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## Equi (31 October 2016)

I would not care if they disagreed, they can only tell you to not go with them and if they did, then they are not worth going with. I have just attended the funeral on saturday of a wonderful lady who broke her spine and died instantly when hunting. I bought my first BP the same day.


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## ycbm (1 November 2016)

there's a woman who hunts with an adjacent pack who wears one - it always amuses me as she frequently falls off, her air jacket inflates, she gets back on and carries on hunting. She seems to deflate it in order to carry on (is that possible? I know nothing about them) but doesn't carry a spare canister, which seems to defeat the point of it.
		
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They go down by themselves. 

It's not that easy to carry a spare. It would be very awkward in a pocket, and hurt if you fell on it. I used to carry one in a  pocket I sewed to a saddle cloth, but some hunts won't let you use a saddle cloth, only a numnah.

I think the point was it protected her for at least one fall. When i fell off once and didn't have a spare, I rode differently for the rest of the day.


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## Tory27 (1 November 2016)

Tha'ts great info thanks. I've got a point two air jacket.  I normally wear it over my BP when eventing/xc. I have a wool black hunt coat and my airjacket is black to with the clips to fasten, (although I know the 'hunt' type ones mentioned).  I normally don't wear any body protection out hunting, but with a change in circumstance I think its its safer to do so. cheers.


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## Sealine (1 November 2016)

I've seen plenty of people young and old wearing air jackets and/or body protectors out hunting.  I have a friend who always wears her combined BP and air jacket when hunting. If you have a fall and it has inflated (and subsequently deflated) it continues to act as a normal body protector.


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## RunToEarth (1 November 2016)

ycbm said:



			They go down by themselves. 

It's not that easy to carry a spare. It would be very awkward in a pocket, and hurt if you fell on it. I used to carry one in a  pocket I sewed to a saddle cloth, but some hunts won't let you use a saddle cloth, only a numnah.

I think the point was it protected her for at least one fall. When i fell off once and didn't have a spare, I rode differently for the rest of the day.
		
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My friend carries one in her leather saddle flask case. Always an anti-climax when we're having a bevvy stop and hers is full of hot air, but I think it was a cracking idea if you wanted to carry a spare.


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## PorkChop (1 November 2016)

I have seen people hunting in black ones, it certainly wouldn't  have been commentated on.


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## ycbm (1 November 2016)

RunToEarth said:



			My friend carries one in her leather saddle flask case. Always an anti-climax when we're having a bevvy stop and hers is full of hot air, but I think it was a cracking idea if you wanted to carry a spare.
		
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I did think of that but I don't think I could have persuaded myself to remove the sloe gin and carry a bottle of CO2 in those lovely leather bottle carriers


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## RunToEarth (9 November 2016)

ycbm said:



			I did think of that but I don't think I could have persuaded myself to remove the sloe gin and carry a bottle of CO2 in those lovely leather bottle carriers 

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Oh I completely agree! I don't know how large the canisters are, would it fit in a leather sandwich box?


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## ycbm (9 November 2016)

RunToEarth said:



			Oh I completely agree! I don't know how large the canisters are, would it fit in a leather sandwich box?
		
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Roughly six inches long and a big inch across. I didn't know people has sandwich boxes!  What do you think, smoked salmon and cream cheese with sloe gin?


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## turnbuckle (9 November 2016)

Not bad. Or what about grouse and bacon? Or pate and peanut butter, that's quite good. Or cold KFC?


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## RunToEarth (21 November 2016)

ycbm said:



			Roughly six inches long and a big inch across. I didn't know people has sandwich boxes!  What do you think, smoked salmon and cream cheese with sloe gin?
		
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Well I bought it to keep my hip flask in when I was hunting with mono flap close contact and couldn't hold my saddle flask, but I know an old boy who used to come out with a Melton pork pie in his!


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## Isbister (6 December 2016)

I have seen plenty of people wearing air jackets - the OP should have no qualms at all about wearing one. I think over the coat is correct, although I have seen one worn beneath a loose-fitting coat whose buttons were on elastic.

I do like the idea that if a rider falls off, he might bounce. However, the only time I saw one 'in use', it malfunctioned. Possibly the air bottle had been incorrectly attached, but it went 'bang' without inflating the jacket. It seemed that a malfunctioning air jacket might almost be worse than not wearing one. My other concern would be dismounting, at the end of the day, and forgetting to 'untether' the jacket, causing to to go off and startle the horse while one was precariously placed, half-on half-off. It is axiomatic that that is what would happen if I wore one.


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## Meredith (6 December 2016)

Isbister said:



			I have seen plenty of people wearing air jackets - the OP should have no qualms at all about wearing one. I think over the coat is correct, although I have seen one worn beneath a loose-fitting coat whose buttons were on elastic.

I do like the idea that if a rider falls off, he might bounce. However, the only time I saw one 'in use', it malfunctioned. Possibly the air bottle had been incorrectly attached, but it went 'bang' without inflating the jacket. It seemed that a malfunctioning air jacket might almost be worse than not wearing one. My other concern would be dismounting, at the end of the day, and forgetting to 'untether' the jacket, causing to to go off and startle the horse while one was precariously placed, half-on half-off. It is axiomatic that that is what would happen if I wore one.
		
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I wear an air gilet over a black waterproof out hunting and several people have said 'What air jacket?' when I have said 'If I am about to get off to open a gate remind me to unclip my air jacket.'

I usually unclip mine when I undo the breastplate just before dismounting at the end of a ride.

I do know that wearing one regularly you become accustomed to unclipping ( well, most of the time!)


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## Violet (6 December 2016)

I wear my air jacket daily and bought an antique sandwich box which matches my saddle to carry the spare canister and allen key in. I have this attached to my saddle permanently except for showing or competition when my gear is nearby anyway.


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