Time for a convo on 2016 rain gear

[Shockwave]

I have a trip coming up in a month or so up to northern Wisconsin.  This is an annual trip for some friends and I.  Last year, I made the trip without picking up sufficient rain gear and will NOT make that mistake again.  I've been looking at the latest and greatest rain gear and have been eyeing up the Frabill F3 bibs and jacket.  What are your opinions of this combo?   I've seen reviews on Amazon from people saying the suit leaks.  I don't wanna deal with a leaky suit if possible.  I'd love to see some suggestions on worthwhile rain gear.

[bigbasshunter]

Check out Stormr. Best suit I've bought. Neoprene 100% waterproof, will keep you warm and dry.

[Fishinthefish]

Huk, basspro 100 mph. Only brands that rock for me.

[Fishes in trees]

The first rule of thumb when purchasing rain gear is "don't be a cheap skate."    Apparently you've already found out that skimping on good rain gear isn't a great idea.   I have a Guide Wear suit from Cabela's that is at least a dozen years old, probably more.   I don't wear it every trip, but It is in the fishing truck and available every trip I take.   It still looks and works great. For chilly spring weather, it can't be beat.

Another word on rain gear is that I think it is a bad idea to buy it on-line,  Because good rain gear has to fit AND given the overall temps it has to function in you've got to allow for layering.    Go to a store that has rain gear and try it on.. 

[fishwizzard]

10 hours ago, bigbasshunter said:

Check out Stormr. Best suit I've bought. Neoprene 100% waterproof, will keep you warm and dry.

I bought a Stormr surf top to use while kayaking in the winter.  It is insane and almost too much insulation in anything above 20f.  During the little blizzard this winter I was able to wander around outside in just the surf top and a light poly undershirt comfortable for hours when the tem was in the high 20's with a ton of wind.  If you are standing still it might be a good choice but I have never gotten it to work when I am exerting myself at all without over heating. 

For more normal rain jackets, I find the Marmot Precip to be a great choice under $100.  My main hiking rain coat is a Marmot Artemis.  It is about twice as much as the Precip but is much more breathable and pack up super small. 

If you hate money but want something to last a lifetime, then look up the Arcteryx Beta AR. 

Precip:

https://www.rei.com/product/859278/marmot-precip-rain-jacket-mens

Artemis:

https://marmot.com/products/details/artemis-jacket]

Beta AR:

http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?language=EN&model=Beta-AR-Jacket

 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2016 by Bunnielab
Reworked links

[ChrisD46]

Frog Toggs

[ec1]

There's actually quite a bit of innovation coming out for raingear this past year. As always, Goretex can never go wrong, 100MPH, Cabelas Guidewear...

One that really stands out to me is the Columbia Outdry Extreme. No longer using Goretex (Where its flaw is that the teflon coating is on the inside of a DWR outer shell - meaning that eventually your jackets will eventually start soaking in water into the top fabric but not get into the bottom fabric) This one has the waterproofing on the outside, which should make for a better jacket over time. It's not currently designed for fishing, but when they make a fishing version, I will probably jump on that.

Columbia Outdry Extreme

 

[Shockwave]

9 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

The first rule of thumb when purchasing rain gear is "don't be a cheap skate."    Apparently you've already found out that skimping on good rain gear isn't a great idea.   I have a Guide Wear suit from Cabela's that is at least a dozen years old, probably more.   I don't wear it every trip, but It is in the fishing truck and available every trip I take.   It still looks and works great. For chilly spring weather, it can't be beat.

Another word on rain gear is that I think it is a bad idea to buy it on-line,  Because good rain gear has to fit AND given the overall temps it has to function in you've got to allow for layering.    Go to a store that has rain gear and try it on.. 

I've heard a lot of good things about Cabela's Guide Wear.  I have a Cabelas near me so I'll have to take a trip out there and check it out.  I agree with the not buying online thing.  Good rain gear needs to fit properly and you can't guarantee that fit buying online.  

[SwampLife]

Check out h20 express bibs and parka

[WIGuide]

BPS Pro Qualifier or 100 mph, Cabela's Guide Wear, Simms, Stormer, Under Armor, take your pick they're all good. I agree it's best to try on before you buy if possible. Personally I have the BPS 100 mph parka and I love it.

Not to hijack the thread, but where are you headed on your trip?

[strikefc34]

Simm's raingear is expensive, but in my opinion well worth it. Light enough to wear in summer and not sweat, yet can be layered to winter. Good warranty too.

[PitchinJigz]

Stormr, Simms, or Huk are probably some of the best. I have a Cabela's Guidewear suit that I really like.

[Airman4754]

I have the black & yellow Huk All-Weather bibs and jacket. I absolutely love it. It's light enough that you can wear it in warm rainy conditions and just a good base layer will work for winter conditions. 

The biggest thing is it doesn't restrict my movement in any way.

[Shockwave]

On March 16, 2016 at 0:43 PM, WIGuide said:

BPS Pro Qualifier or 100 mph, Cabela's Guide Wear, Simms, Stormer, Under Armor, take your pick they're all good. I agree it's best to try on before you buy if possible. Personally I have the BPS 100 mph parka and I love it.

Not to hijack the thread, but where are you headed on your trip?

I'll be heading up to Door County.  I went up with some buddies last year and SLAYED some ginormous pike and some tasty walleye.  

 

I dont mind mind dropping some extra coin on good rain gear as long as I won't have to drop more coin to replace it in a couple years because the quality wasn't up to par.  I'm leaning towards the Cabelas Guidewear.  Unfortunately I can't find any decent coupon codes right now so I may just ending paying full price.

[iabass8]

I'm a fan of Guidewear. I've spoken to a few people that have the Simms rain gear and others that are planning on buying it. They love it and want it. If I needed one, that's the one I'd look it but that price tag is hard to swallow.  I'm not sold on HuK yet. 

[JGBassinAL]

I have a Stormr Fusion suit and I love it. Call the guys at Bass Mafia Tackle, they are running a deal on Stormr gear right now.

[tbone1993]

Do you already have a good cold water setup for ice fishing? If not I would consider something that has the ability to add a liner. In northern WI last may we had what felt like 30 degree mornings that would warm up towards the end of the day. By noon I would shed the liner. I personally have two setups and they're both columbia. One is a Gale Warning/ Bibs and the other is their pack jacket/pants. The pack suit is perfect for late spring/mid summer. I have a columbia deal so it was an easy purchase for me.Never heard a bad thing about the BPS gortex though.

On 3/16/2016 at 9:45 PM, Shockwave said:

I have a trip coming up in a month or so up to northern Wisconsin.  This is an annual trip for some friends and I.  Last year, I made the trip without picking up sufficient rain gear and will NOT make that mistake again.  I've been looking at the latest and greatest rain gear and have been eyeing up the Frabill F3 bibs and jacket.  What are your opinions of this combo?   I've seen reviews on Amazon from people saying the suit leaks.  I don't wanna deal with a leaky suit if possible.  I'd love to see some suggestions on worthwhile rain gear.

 

[blckshirt98]

One of the magazines had a preview that Gill was getting into the fishing game, some of their stuff looks pretty sharp though I think it's just their normal sailing stuff being sold as fishing gear - 

http://www.gillfishing.com/home_fishing.aspx

[Shockwave]

20 hours ago, tbone1993 said:

Do you already have a good cold water setup for ice fishing? If not I would consider something that has the ability to add a liner. In northern WI last may we had what felt like 30 degree mornings that would warm up towards the end of the day. By noon I would shed the liner. I personally have two setups and they're both columbia. One is a Gale Warning/ Bibs and the other is their pack jacket/pants. The pack suit is perfect for late spring/mid summer. I have a columbia deal so it was an easy purchase for me.Never heard a bad thing about the BPS gortex though.

 

I don't ice fish so I never got any gear to prepare for that.  I've always associated fishing with flip flops and cut off t-shirts so ice fishing never really interested me.  I have some Columbia base layers that I wear for cold weather hunting so I'll take a look at their rain gear too!  Thanks for the heads up there!

[Peteythefisherman]

On 3/16/2016 at 5:03 PM, Mosster47 said:

I have the black & yellow Huk All-Weather bibs and jacket. I absolutely love it. It's light enough that you can wear it in warm rainy conditions and just a good base layer will work for winter conditions. 

The biggest thing is it doesn't restrict my movement in any way.

Does that gear have an internal neoprene gusset in the cuff or does it just have a neoprene lined cuff?  I see the Stormr suit has an internal neoprene gusset and I think that would be very good at keeping water from running down your sleeve.

[Airman4754]

23 minutes ago, Peteythefisherman said:

Does that gear have an internal neoprene gusset in the cuff or does it just have a neoprene lined cuff?  I see the Stormr suit has an internal neoprene gusset and I think that would be very good at keeping water from running down your sleeve.

I'm not sure if it's neoprene but there are internal cuffs (elastic banded) inside of the sleeve arms where your hands come out. It also has velcro adjusters on the outside to sinch the sleeves around your wrists. 

I've been fishing in the PNW in the rain my whole life and I've never had water go up my sleeve. I'm not sure how that would happen anyway unless you're sticking your arm in the water. 

[tbone1993]

2 hours ago, Peteythefisherman said:

Does that gear have an internal neoprene gusset in the cuff or does it just have a neoprene lined cuff?  I see the Stormr suit has an internal neoprene gusset and I think that would be very good at keeping water from running down your sleeve.

 

1 hour ago, Mosster47 said:

I'm not sure if it's neoprene but there are internal cuffs (elastic banded) inside of the sleeve arms where your hands come out. It also has velcro adjusters on the outside to sinch the sleeves around your wrists. 

I've been fishing in the PNW in the rain my whole life and I've never had water go up my sleeve. I'm not sure how that would happen anyway unless you're sticking your arm in the water. 

The only time I've had it happen was after 10 hours of straight rain from the time we were at the launch to the time we got off of the water.The internal cuffs add another layer of warmth more so that keeping water from rolling down. I like the internal cuffs because they keep my base layers from touching the end of the sleeve and getting wet. That being said the inside has saved me a few times when I've lipped fish on the side of the boat.

[Peteythefisherman]

On 3/19/2016 at 10:04 PM, Mosster47 said:

I'm not sure if it's neoprene but there are internal cuffs (elastic banded) inside of the sleeve arms where your hands come out. It also has velcro adjusters on the outside to sinch the sleeves around your wrists. 

I've been fishing in the PNW in the rain my whole life and I've never had water go up my sleeve. I'm not sure how that would happen anyway unless you're sticking your arm in the water. 

Well I fish on the Great Lakes a lot and if you have ever driven fast across a lake with big waves and a lot of rain, the water can sometimes go down your sleeve and get your arms wet.  Thanks for the info though.

[Jeff H]

Guidewear for me x2.  I have the Bass Angler suit for summer (it's a bit lighter) AND standard Gore Tex Guidewear suit for cooler spring and fall use.