Diawa Mission Jacket

Different jackets have different purposes, and one that is suitable for one sport may not be entirely suitable for another. The Diawa Mission jacket is a “three in one”type jacket in Realtree Advantage Timber camouflage and is aimed at the angling market, although it’s of great use for those interested in shooting or birdwatching as well. I use it for fishing or those wet days out having a wander on the local hills, or for general rambling about. For fast walking it can be a bit sweaty, as it is a fairly heavy jacket at 1680g combined, or 1000g for the outer waterproof and 680g for the inner fleece. 

Diawa Mission Jacket. Stormflap open for zip detail

The outer jacket is fairly long and has a silent fabric which is ideal for those who don’t want the ‘swish-swish’ of a regular waterproof material, and a mesh lining to help keep any sweaty condensation away from your inner layers.

Jacket showing mesh inner

There are 4 outer pockets, all with chunky heavy duty zips and stormflaps, and one inner pocket with a key retaining fob hidden behind the main zips velcro stormflap. The cuffs are elasticated with velcro fastenings, and the skirt is elasticated. All of these features work well, the pockets seem to be accessible with a variety of rucksacks, and the jacket copes well with heavy rain. It has however, a weak point. On a jacket of such good quality and so well thought out I am surprised to find such a shambles of a hood. It’s of the rollaway design and can be stowed in the collar, and to be honest, it thould be left there. There are elastic adjusters on either side allowing it to be tightened in around the face, but with no volume adjustment at the back I find that the majority of the time the whole peak just flops over the eyes. The blurb for this jacket also claims it has a peaked hood, the peak being simply one layer of the outer waterproof material folded over. No wiring or additional stiffening is present. If you are staying still on a drizzly day with little or no wind then it affords some protection. On the move or in wind, forget it. 

I can’t see any problems with…I can’t see ANYTHING.

The fleece is attached to the main jacket by means of a zip which runs next to the main jacket zip, and has retention loops at the collar and cuffs,which are secured with pop studs and loops on the outer jacket. It is plain black with realtree patches at the collar and the two handwarmer pockets, and has a thin liner. The pockets cannot be secured, having neither velcro or zip fastenings. The skirt of the jacket can be adjusted. 

Fleece jacket

Leaving the hood aside (or indeed tucked away) I’ve found this to be a very good jacket for cold and wet weather. The outer is tough and fairly abrasion resistant, and I can happily work my way through dense woodland without fear of the jacket being torn or punctured. It is a bit on the heavy side and with the combined fleece in you can work up a sweat, but even so it will still keep the rain out. If you are confident in doing so you could tailor the hood, or forget it and wear a hat. Retailing at around £100, I’d say that even with the dire hood, it’s worth investing in, as it will give you years of use. It’s a jacket that’s built to last. 

Size Tested: XL

Weight: 1680g (combined)

Colours: Realtree Advantage Timber Cammo outer/ Black inner.