Are these equal in the waterproof dept? dont care about pockets or anything just want 100% dry

100% dry? No such thing. Breathable or non, you'll get wet either way.

As for the Simms jackets, very happy with my G3 and I would highly recommend it. Dry as any I have worn.

Not sure what you're talking about, anything not exposed by my rain jacket gets wet (hands, face) but everything else stays 100% dry.....

The new Guide Jacket is made of the same material as the G3, which is three layers of the Gore Tex Performance Shell fabric. I believe the difference in price is for the added ergonomics (more pockets) of the G3. That having been said, the G4 uses the Gore Tex Pro Shell fabric, which is the next level above the Performance Shell. The G4 also has an extra pocket on the front and zippers on the hand warmer pockets. Besides those differences, it is very similar to the G3 (same cut, fit and overall design).

While I have never used the G3, my G4 still performs flawlessly after two years of hard use. My friends who have G3s have nothing but great things to say about them and I don't think you can go wrong with any of the upper end Simms jackets.

I have owned a G-4 since there inception and would not buy anything else except a Simms G-4 spend the extra $$ you will be very happy. Where I fish I deal with constant rain all day long alot of times and am nice and dry and toasty warm even at the end of a long day !

Peace
Fly

A $25 rubber Helley Hanson coat will keep you 100% dry if you are not worried about pockets or anything.

You have money... Spend it.. G3 or G4 all the way...

Keith

Classic--- toasty at the end of the day.

In a word, yes.

I use G3 and am quite satisfied as I prefer the extra pockets. If you don't need the pockets than Guide is fine. All GoreTex products will keep you equally dry. However claminess, or feeling wet, can still occur with any GoreTex material if outer fabric "wets out". Wet out occurs when the outer material saturates and causes the GoreTex to not breathe efficiently, thus becoming impermeable and trapping condensation much like a "$25 rubber Helly Hansen coat" does. I believe G4 has a somewhat different outer material than either the G3 or Guide in parts, but basically "wet out" on any of these jackets can easily be avoided by keeping coat clean, drying it WITH some heat and occasionally retreating with a shedding product like Rivevex.

Most folks know that Simms products are tough, but what most people don't realize (wanting to baby them after spending so much money on them) is how well they respond to both washing and drying. For years I would wash my G3 but then air dry. Wrong! Come to find out that drying in the dryer actually revives the outer layer improving it's ability to shed. Basicallly you can treat them much like you would jeans. The cleaner and more refreshed by drying, the better Goretex jackets perform. BTW, this does NOT work with waders, only because neoprene boots will break down under heat. With waders try using a gentle hair dryer and some Rivevex on the outside if they are wetting out too early.

In any case, the Guide, G3 or G4 series jackets will provide equally high performance over many years. Frankly, this also applies to many other Gore type jackets on the market, but once you've used Simms you generally don't go back.
As far as I'm concerned their quality is matched by few and second to none.