First impressions: 4/5
You would be forgiven for thinking that this was another high-end rain proof/wind resistant coat from a premium outdoors brand such as The North Face or Berghaus with only the colour and the cartridges pockets giving away its true designated function. It appears well tailored using high quality materials/fasteners and seems to continue the trend away from traditional tweed jackets towards ergonomic coats using high tech materials. My only initial reservation is the detachable hood due to bad experiences with similar designs.
Design, build and functionality 3/5
This jacket was introduced in 2017 after the success of the teal light jacket, it has a “coolmax” lining to help regulate your body temperature and a BWB waterproof, windproof and breathable membrane to keep you dry, warm and comfortable in most conditions. It has large expandable cartridge pockets with drainage holes, fleece lined hand warming pockets and pouch for gel recoil pad on each shoulder. It should be noted that Berretta sizes seem to be on the small side and I would therefore recommend either trying one on for size or selecting one size up.
Field Test: 3/5
I used this coat on and off throughout the shooting season from warm days on the Yorkshire grouse moors, crisp cold December Dorset days and incredibly wet Cumbrian days in January. In its basic function as a coat it performed pretty well, on the milder days with a light underlayer it was comfortable and you stayed cool, on a cold day with a fleece underneath the wind was shut out and you stayed warm with the fleece lined pockets and collar being especially welcome. Finally, in a deluge with the hood up and the lycra adjustable cuffs done firmly up I did stay dry. As a sporting coat there were areas that bothered me; firstly, the hood, in any form of wind it does flap around your face and this combined with the zips/buttons it can hamper your gun mounting. Secondly the expandable cartridge pockets often “expanded” under their own steam meaning that any sudden movement or brisk walking resulted in a trail of cartridges being left in your wake. The final niggle whilst minor actually became a real pain on cold says and that was the plastic toggles inside the “hand warming” pockets as they were really quite uncomfortable.
Value for Money 3/5
The Berretta Teal Superlight is aimed squarely at the premium sporting market with its price being comparable to similar offering from Le Chameau or Musto, however with limited research I did find this coat on a number of websites with very larges discounts (up to 30-40% off RRP). At the RRP it seems just about a fair price but verging on expensive however with the current discounts available this change completely to make it a solid offering for the price and good value.
Overall 3/5
I did like this coat and did enjoy wearing it, primarily for its versatility and comfort in most weathers. However, I did find myself checking the forecast and if looking dry removing the hood to save myself the annoyance and discomfort of the flapping. The cartridge pockets were frustrating but I solved the issue by either just putting less cartridges in them or wearing a cartridge belt. Overall, I think at full RRP I would potentially look elsewhere but if I could make use of one of the current discounts then this coat would feature heavily in my selection of a sporting jacket for all weathers. As a side note a very good shooting friend also bought this jacket at the same time as me and his was on EBay within 4 months due to the hood and cartridge pocket frustrations, however he is not the most tolerant of individuals!
Specification
- Type: Jacket
- Brand: Beretta
- Model: Teal Super Light
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