VH,
like someone posted earlier theses speical maerials take speical care in washing and treating the coats.NIKWAX co. make a nice line of products to wash/treat breathable wader/coats.

Ditto on the SIMMS, although I have the older SIMMS Guide Jacket. Thing still is freakin' amazing.

Expensive, but well worth it....IMO.

Just make sure you keep the pockets zipped up. Otherwise, your phone might get wet.

Would any of you guys wear a gortex condom? Wear rubber, dudes!

Mingo--- some egg goo goes a long ways to not be a twin to the feather chucker next to you.

I've heard that rubbing your body in hog fat will work even better than a Simms and makes it harder for bears to grab ya. Haven't tried it though.

the next time you wash a goretex garment, run a WARM iron over it.
Something to do with laying down the fibers in the outer layer.
All I know is, it works.
PS...NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WARM AND HOT!

Can anybody give me an idea what the RiversWest jackets run? They look pretty nice, but given the number of commercials they have on the Outdoor Channel, they could cost a fortune.

Phone works, but only when plugged in Tim ... gonna try a new battery and see if I got lucky

Simm's is spendy, but as I remember explaining to fellas years ago in the golf shop (relating to shoes) work it for $$ per use and you're usually way ahead of the low-end stuff

My Orvis Tailwater jacket wasn't working too well in Forks this weekend, but then I doubt anything (waterproof) was. My back and shoulders got a bit wet after 6 hours in the pouring rain....I'm gonna wash it and recoat it with Nikwax TX.Direct its a spray on waterproofer that works well on gore-tex gear....C/22

That Nikwax product is called "Techwash." I wonder if the Scotchguard ruined the jacket by clogging up all the pores. The pores get dirty and then water saturates the fabric leading to eventual water in the garment.

I have had two SST jackets. The original ones used to be Sealcoat and were 100% waterproof but not breathable. They were awesome jackets but cut real high. Mine was stolen and I do miss that jacket. My current jacket is an SST and it never gets wet. Just need to clean it regularly.

Do you have the cheaper Deep Wading Jacket?

Another thing to consider is that Patagonia has a lifetime warranty on their products. Might want to ask them why its leaking and I'll bet they will remedy the problem. Gotta love Patagonia and their customer service!

CF

Maybe i missed a posted reply from current owners of patagonia sst and other patagonia products. But I can't believe you did not get a post about what you bought when you bought a patagonia sst jacket. The guarante! Take the sucker back. If indeed it does leak all the way through and your body is getting wet, the jackets ruined and it should be covered. MIne is 5 years old and I thought it was leaking all the way to my body. I was wrong, it was just the damp feeling but i was not actually wet. I got the nikwax (sp) product at GIjoes and used it just as the directions say. It works. Follow the directions exactly.If that fails, take it to Patagonia and see what their reply is.

CutthroatFan, sorry I missed your reply

Ive owned a pategonia and a redington, both top of the lines for these brands....been through some nasty stuff and they have been okay, however they both now leak and I am going to get my G3 here in a week!...good luck to ya

i bought the ambush jacket for $200. it's a bit long for wading, though. the back country is shorter and goes for around $100 at sportco and cabela's. they have non-camo stuff for fishing, essentially the same jackets. if you go to the website, you can order the catalog and price list.
http://www.riverswest.com/
it was great when it snowed on us during elk season, never got wet. it's stretchy, too, so it's not confining.


willy

or some shrimp guts or half a nightcrawler?

There you go Mingo!! I can't wait for the Christmas avatar

You should do one too, pop a Santa hat on your noggin and snap us a new photo

If you are on a budget say under 75.00, check out the Columbia Fraser River Deep Wading Jacket. Now this sucker is 110% water proof and pretty handsome to match for the price. Not breathable but plenty of ventilation and super durable. Perfect for winter fishing due to nylon holds in body heat better than breathables and its only 29.99 at Sportco!

This is my take along jacket for those I take fishing that do not come prepared, which somehow always happens!

This one works really well for me. It is part blue and part see through. This rainstopper is made by ARIMA and will run you about $30K



For those times when I don't have the Arima handy I wear Grundens. Having done some hiking with my 5mm neoprene's and Grundens raincoat I can tell you that a breathable option would be much better for activities requiring you to exert yourself physically. If you are mostly just sitting or standing then Grundens are hard to beat. The neoprene inside the cuffs keep water from running up the sleeve when your arm is horizontal.

Dutch harbor gear! I hate fishing with a coat on but at the same time, it keeps me dry as can be! Mine even has holes in it now from use and hooks and such and somehow I'm still dry at the end of the day! Hell, I stayed completely dry after doing the hatchery run on the sol duc at 9 boards in a small pontoon boat and I went through the worst of the rapids just for fun! It's kinda bulky as is grundens but I can assure you will stay dry... Anything with a a name referring to DH has got to be tried... hehe...

Filson wading jacket, if you spend a lot time wading you cant beat it.