Rain jacket

[Andy82Hoyt]

I’m in the market for a new rain jacket and bibs for fishing. I’ll be Fishing from a boat. I’m thinking about a jacket with neoprene cuffs to help keep the water out. I’m not worried about the weight of the jacket. The function, fit, and durability are more important to me. What have you used that you liked and didn’t like and why?


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[kobuk]

I have a Grunden jacket and bibs. My jacket is probably 13-15 years old. My jacket was a longer style in case I wanted to wear it with hip boots. It got in the way so my wife and I cut it down and sewed it shorter. I love the thing, easy on and off and it is sized to go over layers. It has the neoprene cuffs and that is one thing that i could go either way. It does keep water out but when it gets wet, you get to enjoy a wet wrist for the rest of the trip. It has a heavy cotten liner which adds strength but the cotton is very slow to dry. I'm not sure what is the best setup, but if you are looking for a HD set of raingear out on a boat, it would be hard to beat. That being said, I won't take mine out for a hike!

 

[4merguide]

I still like my Helly Hanson Impertec, and know a lot of others that do too. Light and durable.

 

[Andy82Hoyt]

I have a Grunden jacket and bibs. My jacket is probably 13-15 years old. My jacket was a longer style in case I wanted to wear it with hip boots. It got in the way so my wife and I cut it down and sewed it shorter. I love the thing, easy on and off and it is sized to go over layers. It has the neoprene cuffs and that is one thing that i could go either way. It does keep water out but when it gets wet, you get to enjoy a wet wrist for the rest of the trip. It has a heavy cotten liner which adds strength but the cotton is very slow to dry. I'm not sure what is the best setup, but if you are looking for a HD set of raingear out on a boat, it would be hard to beat. That being said, I won't take mine out for a hike!

Good point about the wet neoprene. It wouldn’t be fun to keep getting clean clothes wet.


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[Andy82Hoyt]

I still like my Helly Hanson Impertec, and know a lot of others that do too. Light and durable.

That’s what I currently have. The bibs are just beat up and need to be replaced, too many holes. The jacket still keeps water out but the zipper stinks. I think it has just seen salt water too many times. I love the flexibility of the rain gear but it’s hard to dry the inside when it gets wet.


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[4merguide]

That’s what I currently have. The bibs are just beat up and need to be replaced, too many holes. The jacket still keeps water out but the zipper stinks. I think it has just seen salt water too many times. I love the flexibility of the rain gear but it’s hard to dry the inside when it gets wet.

As you very well know it's hard to keep them dry on the inside if you exert yourself much at all. If/when I do I try to, if it's not raining too hard, remember to unzip for awhile and let it breathe a bit more to let a little moisture out. Seems to help.

 

[kobuk]

I have a set of the Impertech as well. It is a deceint light weight rain gear. It doesn't seem to hold up very well for me but it is also fairly inexpensive. I added clamp on suspenders to my pants to keep them up and I do like that. They are a lot lighter than my grundens and my wife likes hers. It does dry faster than my grundens on the inside. They are my kick around general use raingear and work pretty good. For boat use they don't seem to work for me.

 

[4merguide]

….For boat use they don't seem to work for me.

What do you mean by that? Do you mean the Impertec doesn't keep you dry from heavy spray?

 

[kobuk]

No, I don't mean that at all. Like I said, I like the impertech but the few times I used it on my boat it would get damaged. They aren't very durable. I like how they don't weigh as much as the grundens but that is also their downfall. My wife uses hers on the boat all of the time with good luck but she isn't fileting the fish, pulling/setting anchor and whatnot. I've gone through multiple sets through the years. Besides tearing the biggest issue is they seem to just wear through where I can see a bunch of little light holes through the fabric when held up to a light. It happens in the shoulder area on the coat and the pants it's in the seat and knees. I will start getting wet. Probably why they started doubling up the seat and knee areas. They seem to be copied after the Peter Storm raingear which was amazing! I still have my original coat from late 80s early 90s and it has lived through years of hunting kodiak and summers of fishing. I love the thing but it seems to have shrunk up some over the years and doesn't fit over layers anymore! You really can't compare the quality and durability of the grunden vs the impertech. That being said, I don't want to wear my grundens in the field. I am not trying to knock the impertech, I still think it is a great value raingear, it just isn't the best for me on my boat.

 

[AKBEE]

The Cabela's Guidewear Extreme fishing jacket is awesome (does have neoprene cuffs) when it is chilly and wet. Very comfortable and lots of pockets. I have grundens and impertech as well. If neoprene gets wet- just dry it with a cloth and strap it back down.

 

[4merguide]

No, I don't mean that at all. Like I said, I like the impertech but the few times I used it on my boat it would get damaged.

Oh, ok......yes they don't like kinda sharp pointy things at all. In fact I just snagged mine on a sharp rusty edge on a truck the other day. Mine are getting old(ish) now too, so I'll have to look for those light holes you mention.

 

[Andy82Hoyt]

The Cabela's Guidewear Extreme fishing jacket is awesome (does have neoprene cuffs) when it is chilly and wet. Very comfortable and lots of pockets. I have grundens and impertech as well. If neoprene gets wet- just dry it with a cloth and strap it back down.

I didn’t even think about the Cabelas gear. Another reason these forums are great! Thank you.


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[Cheeser]

The Cabela's Guidewear Extreme fishing jacket is awesome (does have neoprene cuffs) when it is chilly and wet. Very comfortable and lots of pockets. I have grundens and impertech as well. If neoprene gets wet- just dry it with a cloth and strap it back down.

I'll second the recommendation on Cabela's xtreme guidewear. It's kept me warm and dry in all conditions.

As a clarification, mine has rubber sleeve cuffs not neoprene. It's never let a drop of water through.

 

[kobuk]

I'm not familiar with the cabelas' gear but do have a story about my bro-in-law. He came up for a visit with his fancy new raingear. It looked real nice actually. The problem was that the fabric wasn't smooth and slick, more fabric-y feeling like some of the bass pro tounament raingear I have seen at stores like cabelas. Well after a week of cleaning fish and having a good time, you couldn't wash the stink out of that material. Never seen, or smelt, anything like it! He even stored it out when he got home and still stunk. The next trip up, the thing still smelled like an old bait cooler! haha I haven't seen that problem with any other raingear that has the smooth slick outer shell.

 

[Andy82Hoyt]

I'm not familiar with the cabelas' gear but do have a story about my bro-in-law. He came up for a visit with his fancy new raingear. It looked real nice actually. The problem was that the fabric wasn't smooth and slick, more fabric-y feeling like some of the bass pro tounament raingear I have seen at stores like cabelas. Well after a week of cleaning fish and having a good time, you couldn't wash the stink out of that material. Never seen, or smelt, anything like it! He even stored it out when he got home and still stunk. The next trip up, the thing still smelled like an old bait cooler! haha I haven't seen that problem with any other raingear that has the smooth slick outer shell.

I have seen that problem too. My wife loves the smell of old herring oil on my clothes!


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[Cheeser]

That's the nice thing about gore-tex. Just toss it into the washing machine to get it clean and restore its breathability after it gets clogged with dirt/guts. I've resembled the smell you're referring to after days of fishing and hours upon hours of cleaning fish. After running it through the wash it comes out clean and odor-free.

BTW, when washing gore-tex clothing I wash it a second time without any soap and using the double-rinse feature of the washing machine. Soap residue clogs the fabric pores and I've noticed it doesn't breathe as well.

 

[Andy82Hoyt]

Maybe I just wait too long after getting it nasty to clean it.


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[AKBEE]

With my Gore-Tex jackets, I wash them on cold and then spray them with Rivivex thoroughly and throw them in the dryer to refresh the repellency. Dirt plays heck with the breathable membrane rain-wear and cleaning it can really make a huge difference. Same with waders- seems like most people don't wash them.

 

[Ennis]

My Impertech began to "de-lam" after about 9 months of moderate use. About a year later the adhesive that held the pocket on, failed. I sweat a lot when active and the jacket felt too hot, even on a 40 degree day.

 

[shotgunner2012]

I’m in the market for a new rain jacket and bibs for fishing. I’ll be Fishing from a boat. I’m thinking about a jacket with neoprene cuffs to help keep the water out. I’m not worried about the weight of the jacket. The function, fit, and durability are more important to me. What have you used that you liked and didn’t like and why?


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I wear commercial grade Helly Hansen for boating.
I made a pair of shell mittens from an old pair of breathable waders...

after seam sealing I filled the mittens with water to make sure they were 100 percent waterproof.
I wear liner gloves, wool gloves, or 2 pair of polarfleece mittens under the shell mittens depending on the wind chill.