The Best Wading Jacket. Period.

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Fit:

True to size

Size Bought

Large

Height

5` 11"

Weight

200 lbs

I recently retired my previous wading jacket after nearly twenty years of service and went shopping for a new jacket for cold, windy and wet weather. I originally looked at other brands but drifted towards the Simms jackets because they have so many more features. I was especially drawn to this jacket because of the great cuff design and flat front profile. Most anglers carry a pack or a sling nowadays and large bellows pockets on the front of a jacket are no longer necessary or desirable. That said, the chest pockets will reasonably hold a pair of large C & F fly boxes and a tippet spool or two. There are plenty of other places to stash smaller items, like gloves and a hat, and the large game pocket in the back could carry lunch in a pinch. Fit is generous to permit reasonable layering but still feels trim. The jacket is longer than my previous jackets and superficially looks less like a wading jacket and more like a quality ski shell. You could wear it around town without feeling overly self-conscious that you were wearing your fishing jacket, if that matters to you. I spent last week fishing for steelhead in the Pacific Northwest. The weather was predictably snotty and this jacket kept me dry. I wore a heavy shirt and a puffy underneath and freedom of movement for spey casting was excellent. The hood is easily adjustable and provides both good coverage and good visibility. I wore a sling pack instead of loading up the front pockets and the pack did not snag or hang up on zippers when I rotated it around to access the contents. The sunglasses cleaner in the right chest pocket was much appreciated as the mist clouded up my glasses about every twenty minutes. This jacket is expensive and burly. It is not the jacket you toss into the back of your vest or pack just in case a thunder bumper rolls in for the afternoon. There are lighter and less expensive jackets geared towards hiking that will work just fine in those situations. But if you fish in cold, windy and wet weather where you expect to wear your jacket all day you will love this jacket. The best.

Darin G