BIRDWATCHERS come in all shapes and sizes (sadly, for many of us, we are far larger than when we started out with binoculars), but that fact is not always reflected in clothing ranges on sale in Blacks, Millets and other outdoors retailers.

However, Country Innovation is a company that has won a loyal following from birdwatchers by being responsive to their needs and has now launched new versions of its popular Venture waistcoat for both men and women.

As a more-than-satisfied user of the original Venture poly-cotton garment for the past decade, I was very interested to see what changes had been made. The new men’s waistcoat is a tad wider (someone else has noticed those ever-expanding waistlines!) and the four bellows pockets are all wider than on the original, making it easier to insert or extract fieldguides or other essential equipment.

The two large pockets contain zipped compartments to secure loose change or other valuables. You can secure your keys to a fob located inside the left-hand security pocket.

The new garment now boasts 13 pockets, two more than the original, as the modern birder needs somewhere to put his pager and mobile phone while actually looking at birds.

The most noticeable change is the discreet padding in the shoulder section to offset the impact of carrying a tripod and though this helps take the weight up to 444gms, the extra thickness did not make me feel too hot, even in humid summer conditions.

I’m pleased that the new design retains a collar to stop binocular straps chafing the neck, but the new version offers a further innovation – a tab on the back secured by Velcro to hold the strap more securely.

Another Velcro’d tab above the right breast pocket helps to keep telescope or camera straps from constantly slipping off the shoulder and should be a boon to anyone overburdened with equipment.

The front zip opens from top or bottom, which makes things more comfortable when driving or when scrunched into other confined spaces. The dense weave of the fabric helps deflect wind, but is breathable, feels soft to the touch and is quick drying if you get caught in a shower.

While the fabric does not rustle, you will need to keep the metal press-studs on pockets secured to avoid an irritating ‘chink-chink’ sound as you move around, but after several months of testing this is the only ‘fault’ I could find to criticize. The waistcoat was so useful and comfortable, I found I was using it for shopping just as much as in the field.