Shield Protection
Read about how clothing became a decisive factor during a demanding hunt in Alaska.
There are pieces of clothing you buy because they’re comfortable or fit easily into your backpack. And there are those that – without you realizing it at first – can suddenly become essential gear on a trip. Something that, at best, help and, in the worst-case scenario, determines the outcome of a situation. The Blaser Shield jacket was a prime example of the latter.
Even before this trip, we knew that the mountains forgive no mistakes. I’d learned this lesson two years earlier in the Shimshal Valley in Pakistan. Back then, we were still testing the jacket’s prototype. We’d been hiking at altitudes over 5,000 meters, in sub-zero temperatures and extreme wind conditions. And yet Alaska is a whole different world. There, the cold isn’t just a number on the thermometer. It’s an ever-present force. It creeps into your hands, stiffens your boots, takes your breath away, and makes you realize just how far you are from any quick help.
The day began like many others in the mountains. Even inside our cabin, the temperature was already minus two degrees. The backpack was packed, the hunting rifle checked, the binoculars at the ready and in my mind, a mixture of anticipation and respect. The landscape was overwhelming: open mountain ranges, a frozen bay, endless slopes, old snow at higher elevations, a crosswind, and a cold, clear light that made everything seem both more beautiful and more menacing at the same time.
Our plan was to travel as light as possible. In the mountains, every gram counts. But it’s just as important to know what you can’t do without. That’s why I had the Shield jacket in my backpack. Packed small, it took up hardly any space. An insulated jacket for those moments when you come to a stop and your body, still damp from the climb, suddenly cools down rapidly.
The situation changed when the weather took a turn for the worse. In the mountains, that happens fast. A slope that seemed harmless just a moment ago suddenly becomes unpredictable. The wind picked up significantly, visibility worsened, and temperatures dropped abruptly – at times to about minus 30 degrees. It wasn’t a spectacular storm like something out of a movie. It was more dangerous: a creeping, steady deterioration that saps your reserves without you even noticing.
We stopped to assess the situation and to choose our route. At that very moment, I felt the first real warning. The warmth I’d built up while walking had vanished within a few minutes. My hands became stiff, my breathing shallower. Clothes that had previously been sufficient suddenly felt cold against my skin. In the mountains, this is a critical moment: when you go from moving to standing still, your body produces less heat, but moisture continues to work against you. I opened my backpack and pulled out the Shield jacket.
I pulled it over my existing layers. And I still remember exactly the feeling: it wasn’t that immediate, intense warmth you get in front of a fireplace. It was something more decisive. A barrier, a slow regaining of control. The fibers trapped the body’s residual heat, reducing heat loss. The shivering subsided.
In that moment, I realized the difference between a jacket you carry “just in case” and a jacket that’s truly made for harsh conditions.
Since that day, a jacket like the Shield has never been missing from my backpack. It doesn’t matter if the weather forecast looks stable. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t particularly cold at the start of the hike. And it doesn’t matter if I want to save weight. In the mountains, what you pack “just in case” has to be carefully selected. For me, a jacket like this is no longer an extra but it’s an integral part of my gear. Whether in Africa, while sitting in a blind, or on driven hunts in Spain.
I’m not telling this story to claim that a jacket alone saves lives. That would be too simple – and wrong. It made the difference in that moment because it was there, because it fit, because it was dry and within reach, and because I used it at the right moment. The jacket was only part of the decision. But a crucial one.
Text und photos: Ramón Garoz & Juanjo Garoz
Read about how clothing became a decisive factor during a demanding hunt in Alaska.
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