I met the Prois ladies in Las Vegas at Shot Show 2015 and again in Salt Lake City at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo.  I was taken with these ladies and what they were doing for women in the hunting industry for many reasons.

First, the quality of their hunting apparel line was evident.   There was attention to the finest details and the constant tweaking of their offerings with new lines of hunting apparel.

Second, their passion for the industry was evident by their enthusiasm and their own personal pursuits outside of work.  They weren’t just talking the talk, they were walking the walk.

Third, they had free wine in their booth.

And last but certainly not least, they are BADASS women!

After consuming some of this free wine and helping women pick out some AWESOME new gear for themselves; I somehow convinced them to take me on as one of their ‘hunt staffers’.  I had to break up with Mossy Oak for them and that was hard BUT, I felt strongly about joining the growing demographic of women in the hunting industry and doing what I could to support all of us.

The first step as a hunt staffer was to get some gear and try it out.  The problem was that I had spent so much time boozing and schmoozing in the Prois booth that I hadn’t tried any gear on for myself.  I was busy helping others try on gear and offering advice on layering…and I was busy drinking free wine.  So, I had to order a bit blindly once I was back home and getting ready for snowshoe hare hunting.

I opted for the Prois Pro-Edition line in a size medium.  I am 5 ft 8 inches (errrr…..seven….damn you gravity!) and 135 pounds.  I have the figure of a 12 year old boy (no hips to speak of and a longer than average torso) and perhaps the longest ass in the world (this becomes important when reviewing the pants).  After waiting with bated breath for my gear to arrive (thank goodness Prois ships so quickly!) I opened my packages like a kid at Christmas.

My initial thoughts on all of the items was to notice and appreciate the quality of the product.  Yes, hunting apparel can be found at Walmart and if this is all one can budget for there is absolutely no judgement, but “you get what you pay for” in design and materials used.  The stitching, the zippers, the snaps, the materials used in the Prois products were of a very high quality.

The pants seemed a little bit long at first but with the cinch cord at the bottom they were easy to adjust to my length.  I also realize that in some areas and hunting situations the need to hunt from a stand in a seated position would require some extra length to be sure the legs would be covered all the way to the ankle.  I also remembered, I am shrinking.  I loved all of the pockets on the pants.  I had grown so tired of hunting pants with only one back pocket or none.  Really?  I want as many pockets as possible on my pants, if only so I can hunt around in six places for my chapstick (where the bleep did I put it!?).  Looking at these pants I LOVE them.  Here, though, is where the long ass comes in to play.  I knew one day it would prove to be a problem for me.  I loved these pants; the fit, the quality, the look…as long as I stood up.  When I sat or crawled these pants proved to be just a little too short in the crotch for my body type.  This is the case with almost all of my casual jeans because of my really long ass ,but I don’t typically crawl on all fours in my other everyday pursuits (if I did I probably would have gotten out of debt a lot quicker!).  My final review of the Prois Pro-Edition pants is that if one has an average sized torso and length of derriere than these pants will probably love your body as much as you love them!  For myself, I am awaiting the “Mom Jeans” line of pants from Prois.

The vest.  This will be easy.  It is awesome.  I love it.  I wear it all the time.  Enough said.  It has this awesome lumbar pocket that I haven’t used yet but could probably hold AT LEAST four grouse….or your lunch…..or your pet rabbit….

The jacket, like the pants, is of awesome quality and covered in pockets.  There are zip up pockets at the waist, a lumbar pocket on the back for four more grouse and your other pet rabbit, pockets inside (even a little pocket up against the back of the neck that I have NO IDEA what to put inside….a pet lizard?  A lavender infused neck warmer?…It’s a pocket.  What is not to love?), and pockets on the shoulders.  To be honest, I saw all of those pockets and thought to myself, “Self, I will never use all of those pockets.”  That was before I proved my “self” wrong.

I had the pleasure of finally field testing this jacket yesterday on a four hour hike up a mountain in the rain.  I realized very quickly how valuable the shoulder pockets were because I was hiking with a pack on and this made it hard to access the hip pockets on the jacket.  Seeing as all of my other pockets on my pants and on my pack were full with all of the chapstick I had forgotten and kept replacing, those shoulder pockets came in handy for my elk call and my bow release.  They were very easy to get things in and out of and I said, “Self, you were wrong, we really did need these pockets.” (I hunt alone so I get to talk to my “self” a lot and never be judged for it).  My final review of the jacket is that it is AWESOME!  It is warm, the satin-like lining made taking it off and on easy out in the field, and the pockets….let’s just say that James Earl Jones had it right in Field of Dreams, “If you build it they will come.” Yes, if you put a pocket there, I will fill it.  The only thing about the Prois Pro-Edition jacket that isn’t perfect for MY body is the room in the waist.  I find it to be a little bit on the baggier side BUT remember, I have the body of a 12 year old boy.  I DO NOT HAVE HIPS.  So, if you are the average woman with beautiful curves you will love the extra room.  And if you are like me, sorely lacking in curves, it will be okay anyway because it will allow easy access for more grouse to be shoved under the jacket into the vest’s lumbar pockets too.  What’s better than luscious lady hips when you weren’t blessed with them?  More grouse, of course!

That concludes my review of the Prois Pro-Edition line of ladies hunting apparel.