Let’s face it: We often stay outside to hunt and fish when we should really go in. With that in mind, we truly believe you can stay out there all day in tough conditions and still have success with some of the included gear. Manufacturers such as Gill Fishing, Simms, and AFTCO–just to name a few–have made a living keeping hunters and anglers outside during bad weather, and they haven’t slowed down yet. Words such as waterproof and breathable–along with bibs, jackets, and foul-weather gear–are a part of our vocabulary now to stay. We may be considering hunting, fishing, or hiking, but when it’s our turn to have some time in the woods and the weather changes for the worse, we’re not backing down, and neither should our gear. Sudden downpours, sleet, and snow that flies sideways are no longer threats to our day outside, but rather something we’re able to tolerate and even thrive in. While we’re waiting for the sun to come back out, we’ll know that we’ve chosen the right jacket or bibs to protect us on the water with these selections.
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AFTCO Barricade Elite Jacket
AFTCO
Why We Selected It:
This is another in a long line of water-defeating gear from AFTCO that will keep regular anglers and tournament anglers alike dry and warm.
Favorite Features:
100 percent nylon four-layer construction along with the double dry cuffs.
Pros:
Built for both fresh and saltwater applications, YKK AquaGuard series zippers.
Cons:
High price point.
This jacket is built with nasty, wet weather in mind, and AFTCO didn’t cut any corners. Meant to keep you warm and dry even in the harshest conditions, the Barricade Elite Jacket uses a 30K waterproof, 7K breathable system for serious angling. It can be paired with the Barricade Bibs for a complete set, or bought on its own to have a great jacket with both hand and chest pockets. With plenty of waterproof zippers, you can feel good about your phone, key fob, or other gear that needs to stay dry.
Gill Winter Angler Jacket
Gill Fishing
Why We Selected It:
Gill Fishing is one of the premier names in cold-weather and foul-weather angling gear that not only keeps fishermen dry but also looks good doing it.
Favorite Features:
The XPLORE two-layer fabric system along with the extra insulation and Gill’s vaunted Vortex hood.
Pros:
Sizes from extra small all the way up to 4XL, two-way front zip storm flap, and the great fit.
Cons:
Price, since they have to be purchased separately from the bibs.
Gill Fishing not only makes storm gear that’s completely functional, but it looks great as well. With protection against wind and cold water, fully taped seams and and water-repellent finish work in concert with this incredibly warm and watertight jacket. We can recommend the Gill Winter Angler jacket for late-season bass, walleye, or northern pike wherever you can find them. For all-day comfort out on the ice or anywhere the fish are biting (and the wind is biting, too), Gill has thought of everything when it comes to keeping you warm while blocking the wind. Add to that the Vortex hood that will stay on–even on the snowmobile ride out and back–and you’ve got a great piece of gear.
Simms
Why We Selected It:
The new Guide Classic Collection has long since been released by Simms Fishing, and it’s significantly changing what we thought we knew about technical angling gear.
Favorite Features:
For wading fishermen especially, the waist-length hemline of the jacket is excellent. It allows anglers to fish well up to their chest and still feel safe.
Pros:
It is a dependable, breathable, and waterproof jacket that comes with a three-layer Gore-Tex lining for superior rain protection
Cons:
It is the most expensive foul-weather jacket on this list.
The G3 Guide Wading Jacket from Simms provides superior rain protection and gives such an amazing amount of coverage that the wearer has the feeling that they couldn’t get wet in the shower at home. With a center back D-ring for your landing net, two good-sized chest pockets for standard fly boxes, and an interior zippered chest pocket for those other essentials, you can expect this jacket to be as useful as it is comfortable. We recommend the G3 Guide Wading jacket for both late -season trout and salmon fishing, along with winter steelhead angling.
SITKA Hudson Jacket
SITKA
Why We Selected It:
Cold weather and hunting clothes go hand in hand–and when they are adorned with the SITKA name, you know you can trust it.
Favorite Features:
The waterfowl marsh and waterfowl timber camo patterns blend in like no other.
Pros:
Its durable, waterproof, breathable and three-layer Gore-Tex pro fabric.
Cons:
High price point, plus it’s uninsulated but doesn’t have the best packability.
While you’ll definitely want this jacket on your person for your favorite waterfowl hunting excursion, this jacket is just as good as a windbreaker for skiing, hiking, and of course out on the fishing boat in the worst type of weather. Let us reiterate that this jacket is not meant to be a safety floatation device, but instead just a foul-weather jacket with a purpose–and that purpose is to keep folks warm and dry in the type of weather that makes most folks crawl back under the bed covers. The magnet-closing pockets keeps gear at the ready, and water-sealing gasket cuffs keep the wet stuff out of your sleeves.
Gill Fishing Apex Pro-X Bib
Gill Fishing
Why We Selected It:
Eventually, you are going to have to protect the bottom half of your body, and the Apex Pro-X Bib was made with that in mind.
Favorite Features:
It is highly versatile, excelling in both wet summer conditions and on cold winter days.
Pros:
Fits like a glove and offers year-round foul-weather protection.
Cons:
Only comes in black, and the jury is still out on its durability because it is so new.
Gill has come up with another way to keep us out on the water when others are going home to dry off. Its lineup of dependably engineered bibs and jackets–with the included inner PU sleeve liner which blocks water from entering the sleeves while releasing fish or scooping bait from the live well–is well documented. We can recommend these bibs (and the Apex Pro-X Jacket) for late-fall or late-winter fishing where the conditions are rife with wind and water that usually keep most anglers at home.
Simms Challenger Fishing Bib
Simms
Why We Selected It:
Simms is the first name in fishing gear for the serious angler who wants to keep a line in the water later in the season.
Favorite Features:
Kill-switch attachment and the internal waist adjustment that makes them fit like a glove.
Pros:
Zippered cuffs that allow for easy on and off, two chest warmer hand pockets, great price point.
Cons:
Lower on the breathability scale; the liner makes them a bit on the heavy side.
We can always count on Simms to create a long line of comfortable gear that will both keep us warm and dry for a day out on the water in the worst conditions. These true-to-size Challenger Bibs can be adjusted to make them fit perfectly for each individual user and work great on both lakes and rivers. They perform well in every condition that most anglers will come across, and we can recommend them for use from Florida to Alaska and beyond, whether you are fishing for largemouth bass or halibut.
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READ MORE: GEAR REVIEW: GILL FISHING TOURNAMENT JACKET AND TROUSER
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