My last jacket is a Patagonia. I'm scotchguarding it weekly now and it still doesn't stand up to a prolonged rain. I don't care if I'm a little wet. It bothers me though when I get so cold I can't tie knots. I get little wooden fingers that aren't good for anything but slamming the car door on.

I layer underneath with poly, and polarfleece but I still expect better out of a rainjacket.


Any recommendations? Anybody here own a Simms? Is it worth the $350? I need something before I truly suffer come end of November.


Vince

helly hanson!

vhawk, You shoud check out Orvis. I have there top of line jacket it was $200 and worth every penny.It has neo cuffs with velcro straps that keep water out.I've droped pliers in the river reached in and got them without getting wet.Its also breathable Ther are alot of fine jacket on the market but this one works for me Dan O'

dude go with hefty...

I've found the ones with the draw strings sinch up real nice around the waist...

cabals

ive got a simms goretek one and it is sweet, they have the little cuffs so the sleves stay tight, and have some pockets that are high enough you can get your hands in above your waders

I have never got wet wearing my Columbia sportsware Titanium Ballistic parka.And I like the removable liner so you dont cook on the warmer days.

Hands down and bow to Simms!!!!they are bucks, but what price can you put on a day (10+ hours)in a near constant torrential downpour and staying dry AND comfortable???

I've got the breathable gortex, or whatever, Helly Hansen...hood with hood pocket, big pockets, drawstring at waist, neoprene wrist cuffs to keep the water out...but it's about $350 retail, and if I didn't get it as a gift, I probably wouldn't have spend the cash myself.

That being said, it's a pretty fantastic jacket...but I hate wearing jackets when I fish, so unless it is *really* raining, it's usually keeping the seat in my van dry, rather than me!

Fish on...

Todd

I second the Helley Hansen. I use their breathable stuff for backpacking, fishing, and everyday wear it's survived brush rocks and more and has never let me down for waterproofness or breathability. Also their customer service is great I had one component (that wasn't imortant)on a ski jacket start to fail and they replaced without any problems. They have an outlet in centralia that has great prices.

Try Cabelas.
I've got their goretex wading jacket and it's got bells and whistles out the yang.
Works great.
Great quality and they'll take it back with no BS if you don't like it.
I buy more and more Cabelas stuff and it's all been great.
My best boots have been Cabelas.
Good luck

okay, here's my dissertation on waterproof gear. the concept of the goretex, ultrex, type membrane-breathable gear is great. water vapor droplets (sweat) are smaller than water droplets in the liquid state, there fore some super-engineers are able to make a membrane which allow the sweaty bits to exit, while keeping the rain out. these garments work very well at altitude where the air pressure is far less on the exterior than on the warm interior. however, it has been my experience that they don't work all that well at higher external pressure, and work even less well (at breathing) when it is raining. the pressure of the water on the outside of the fabric prevents a lot of the water vapor from being able to escape. it seems to work ok when the garment is new, and the water beads up on the exterior during rainfall, but seems to fade as the factory coating wears off. if you scotchgard, or treat the fabric with silicone or something, forget about breathability, 'cause the pores will clog. unless you're hiking, or running and building pressure inside the garment to force the pressure out, it aint gonna breathe. so, my opinion is that for fairly sedate activity (like fishing) you could probably save a little dough and go with a urethane coated fabric with pit-zips. it will allow you to ventilate when you're hiking in, and zip 'em up if you get cold. also, if you're wearing a fishing vest over your jacket, you're blocking about 80% of the surface area which is supposed to breathe anyway. i've been using a $35 nylon waterproof for a few years now, and now it's starting to leak, so i'm gonna chuck it and get another. if i bought a $350 simms or patagucci, i'd be stuck getting wet for the next couple of years, trying to get that one by the wife! i did spent some money this year on a set of river's west waterproofs this year for bow hunting. it's a water proof fleece material which is very quiet. for winter fishing, that'll be my main outerwear. they also make non-camo fishing stuff too. it's pretty warm, though. i think that the design of the more expensive stuff is stellar--that simms makes me drool--but i think i'll put my big bucks into rods and reels for now.


willy

Patagonia SST jackets. The last 2 models are awesome and they perform flawless and has been prooven. Simms guide and G3 jackets are nice, but be prepared to pay the price. I got my new SST on Ebay for only 200.00. You could probably find a G3 on Ebay for 250.00 if your lucky!


http://cgi.ebay.com/SIMMS-G3-GUIDE-GORE-...1QQcmdZViewItem

Sometimes when in a downpour in 50 deg weather, sweat is sometimes mistaken for leakage. Trust me, you would know if your jacket was leaking. A little dampness is normal, just like fleece under breathable waders, your gonna be a little soaked from sweat.

lcw,

The stuff to use to clean breathable material, whether it be jackets or waders, is called Nikwax...

Fish on...

Todd

Try the Redington jacket. They are like a Simms only half the price!
Neal

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Peter:
[QB] Patagonia SST jacket, doesn't matter when it was made, they perform flawless and has been prooven."

I agree 100%

hodgeman 100 bucks a little on the warm side but you won't get wet.redington jackets are very nice also

I second the Hodgman jacket. I've only had it a couple of years, but so far, I've been dry.

FILSON, enough said....

Rivers west makes a very tough waterproof jacket. I bought my wife one and she loves it. When I emailed for a catalog they sent me a piece of the fabric they make their coats with. I held it under the faucet for 5 minutes. The water never soaked through. Guarranteed unbreakable. They say you can't rip it. If you do you probably got into a bad accident. Sportco has the best prices on their jackets.

Kris