Best in the Field - Ed Solomons Selects His Favourite Fieldwear

Farlows shooting and fieldwear brand ambassador, Ed Solomons, selects his top three 'must have' items from the Farlows fieldwear collection.

Farlows Litchfield Field Coat

The first of my picks is the Farlows Litchfield tweed field coat.

For me, this ticks all the boxes that a shooting coat should. It has two large cartridge pockets, which can comfortably fit 50 cartridges on each side making it ideal for a busy drive to save you feeding out of your cartridge bag, which can slow you down. Also, the openings are nice and wide allowing you to get in and out in a hurry! Two deep hand warmer pockets are vital later in the season when the temperature drops and you are waiting for the drive to start - once your hands get cold in a day out it can be hard work bringing them back to life again.

The tweed is a high twist, compact fabric which naturally repels moisture, as well as being extremely hard wearing, and it also has a waterproof lining to keep you dry in the worst of the weather. An action back doesn’t restrict your movement when reaching for those high birds and the cut of the collar doesn’t get in the way of your gun mount, which is a very important feature for me.

Farlows Moleskin Breeks

If you have just one set of breeks, make it moleskin!

For me this is a pretty simple call; they are hard-wearing, look better with age and come in a neutral colour - I prefer olive green. They work with almost any combination of shirt/vest/jacket you choose to go for but if you want a bit more colour pick a nice bright pair of socks and a tie to help make you stand out in the line.

Farlows Classic Tweed Flat Cap

I’m normally not a big hat wearer but will always have one to hand.

Earlier in the season for driven grouse they help break up the colour and outline of your head and face when in the butts, which can make the birds veer off, although your neighbouring guns may thank you for it!

Later in the season they serve another function by keeping me warm; I tend to feel the cold so the thick tweed does a good job insulating me until I get back in the car. If you are a glasses wearer like me, they can be quite helpful to keep your lenses dry as there is nothing more frustrating than having birds over you that you can’t see for raindrops!

About Ed Solomons Ed learned to shoot at the age of 13 and gained twelve England caps, culminating in captaining the England Sporting Team to a team gold medal and individual bronze medal in 2012. Ed is also a winner of the Clay Shooting Classic British Sportrap Championship, of multiple domestic titles and he was the 2014 World FITASC Championship.

Transferring his talent into clay and game coaching, Ed has seen his students win championships and national team placings and he has an international client portfolio.