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Posts: 251
| I am looking to get a new rain suit and I am stuck between the Frabill F3 and the Cabelas Bass Angler Gortex Suit. I have always heard that gortex is the way to go but wanted to see what everyone else thought. I have done research on both but wanted to hear from people who have used them.
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Posts: 251
| No one? |
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Posts: 750
Location: Minneapolis, MN | either the F series is too new or people want to keep it a secret, I don't know which, but I asked for feedback on the F series about a month or so ago and never got any replies as well. |
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Posts: 164
Location: Twin Cities | I have the F4 and really like the new design. Only drawback is there is no fly in the bibs like the previous had. |
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Posts: 251
| Thank you for that. I am just wondering how it compares to gortex. |
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Posts: 164
Location: Twin Cities | Much cooler than my old guidewear. |
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Posts: 753
| Gortex is the gold standard IMHO... Due to the volume of raw materials BPS consumes they can offer great stuff and at comparatively low price. I had an FXE Jacket and Coat. The coat was great for a 2 years but started to leak in its third despite being properly stored and hung after each use. I still have the bibs and use them for fall fishing. A fishing buddy had his FXE suit swapped out for aF4 by Frabil for similar issue to mine but in a shorter period of time. He also misses the spillway as an earlier poster pointed out. It seems like a nice enough coat. As posted earlier there is not enough time for the general consumer to give thoughts most likely as the majority people that have been wearing them for any period of time are getting paid to or at minimum getting them through sponsorship. Frabil makes nice stuff but its not Gortex IMHO. Personally I use Simm's and thinks its the best out there these days but that is a large financial commitment compared to the two you are looking at.. |
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Posts: 38
Location: Central Illinois | In my 30+ years of duck hunting I have tried all the waterproof fabrics / membranes. IMHO a well built coat utilizing Gortex is the best choice on a windy rainy cold 30 degree day. That said I also have Helly Hansen rain grear which also works well and has held up quite well. |
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| This is not verified but read somewhere that the Bass Angler is made by Simms.
Might be worth checking into. |
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| Goretex is not considered the gold standard by any means. Peruse the reviews that specialize in outdoor clothing and you will find regular goretex is considered a mid level membrane at best. The new high tech fabrics offer far better breathing than standard goretex and superior waterproofing. The offerings to fisherman are 10 years behind in technology. Having said that, I do like the numerous pockets and loose fit of fishing apparel. I have a loose fitting Sage jacket that weighs next to nothing and I like that I can layer anything I want underneath according to the temp. From 80 to 32 F it works. |
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| Goretex IS the gold standard because it's proven over time at a reasonable price. NONE of the newer high tech/high end fabrics/membranes/fibers can say the same! |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | I just recieved a set of the Guidewear extreme from cabelas(uninsulated) to replaced the 11 year old Gander Guide Gore-Tex gear that I was extremely happy with(gander no longer offers goretex which is what I've been happy with). I wore the new guidewear the past few days on a trip to Green Bay and while it shed water like my old gore-tex gear, I roasted in it because it in fact came with alot of fleece insulation inside. I have the fully insulated guidewear for ice fishing/spring/fall/AK trips, and now a partially insulated set so will be getting rid of one of them. I went to the store yesterday and looked at the bass angler suit, and for my $ the material was too thin for my activities. It did look nice as a packable rainwear suit that would be worn in light duty fishing/camping/bird watching, but not extreme conditions. The one other thing that turned me off from the Bass angler jacket was the sleeves had no rubber or neoprene cuffs, which I appreciate while casting in rain/wind/cold. The price was nice at $450 for a set(reg $600) plus $50 in Cabelas bucks when purchased online with free shipping. I'm now looking at the Simms and the BPS 100MPH suits. |
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| Ben Olsen - 5/30/2015 11:48 AM
Goretex IS the gold standard because it's proven over time at a reasonable price. NONE of the newer high tech/high end fabrics/membranes/fibers can say the same!
All Im saying is do your research and put down the glass of brand name koolaid.
There are materials that equal the waterproofing properties but breath much better..
something standard goretex doesnt excel at. If it works for you great....but there are better which to me means it aint the "gold" standard. |
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| Notice they dont even mention the regular goretex used in the brands mentioned above. Only the higher end goretex technologies (pro/active/paclite) none of which are offered in the product lines mentioned above:
http://www.ellis-brigham.com/advice-inspiration/guides-and-advice/b...
with regard to eVent...I quote...
"Appeals to the clued-up customer who looks beyond GORE-TEX"
Its not that goretex is bad...quite the contrary, its just that it is no longer the gold standard. |
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Posts: 21
| i love my gortex |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | wall i - 5/31/2015 7:44 PM
Notice they dont even mention the regular goretex used in the brands mentioned above. Only the higher end goretex technologies (pro/active/paclite ) none of which are offered in the product lines mentioned above:
http://www.ellis-brigham.com/advice-inspiration/guides-and-advice/b...
with regard to eVent...I quote...
"Appeals to the clued-up customer who looks beyond GORE-TEX"
Its not that goretex is bad...quite the contrary, its just that it is no longer the gold standard.
Thanks for your contributions here, makes for interesting reading. However, I don't see where you are offering any advice as to rain gear that you'd recomend the OP. You see, I have been tirelessly searching for new raingear, even after purchasing a set of(too warm) cabelas guidewear. It is nearly impossible to find anything that appears to be tough/durable designed for boat/wader fishermen that is not Cabelas/BPS/Simms, all of which indicate standard GoreTex as the membrane. If you have advice to some raingear/outerwear built for folks like me that are in and out of a boat/glacial melt stream/ice shanty on a near daily basis, I'm all ears.
If anyone has any experience with the Simms G4 series, please give a review. It appears to be their most durable garment available. How is the length for boat fishing? Is it tougher than say the Bass angler series by Cabelas?
Thanks in advance |
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