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Posts: 897
| 18 years ago I took a couple month long canoe trips. For those trips I bought a Patagonia rain coat that I had for 4 years, until I left it at a river access on my way home from college one spring. Anyway, that rain cost was by far the best rain coat I've ever owned. Never got wet in it, breathable, didn't soak through. Did exactly what a rain coat was supposed to do. Since then I've gone through many coats and a couple suits. First a scheels brand, then a frabil storm suit. All have been huge disappointments.
Anyone here use non-fishing brands of rain gear for musky fishing? Patagonia, North Face, Columbia, etc. Wondering how they'd hold up to our abuse? Pros/cons? |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | For muskie fishing, Impertech is great stuff. It's not breathable raingear, but there's times you need a rubber suit to stay dry. Impertech is light enough that you don't die sweating and it will keep you dry in a deluge. Grundens is too much for muskie fishing, but you'll stay dry in that too.
Of the brands you mentioned, the only one I'd recommend is Patagonia. |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | I went through rain gear about every season and a half until I got the Gill OS2 3 dot. Last year was the fourth season and it's still perfect after hundreds of hours and many times in the washing machine/dryer. It's made for offshore sailing and you can tell. |
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Posts: 72
| Because its hard to get good fishing rain gear here in europe I use mainly snowboard or sailing clothes. The high end products use Gore Tex Pro Shell which is a lot more breathable and durable than the normal Gore Tex Shell. |
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Posts: 13688
Location: minocqua, wi. | i think people overthink rain gear ... layers are for what you wear underneath weather dependent. rain gear is to stop the rain. buy logical rain jacket and pants and layer underneath = done. spending zillions of dollars on a branded "suit" that's overdone, takes up a ton of space in the boat and sewn together in Vietnam is a waste of $$. |
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Posts: 859
Location: MN | I have always used Marmot rain jackets and pants and always been really happy no leaks and I think the jackets close to 10 years old pants are 8. I will buy them from them again. |
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Posts: 897
| I agree with ya sled. Not sure why I got sucked into the "fishing" style rain gear. I'm going back to companies who know what the heck they're doing with this stuff. |
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Posts: 31
| I have a couple foul weather set ups;
Most of the time I wear a Patagonia River Salt wading jacket and Cabelas Guidewear bibs or Cabelas waders. Yes I fish in a boat in waders, I get some strange looks but what are waders designed for? This rig is fairly comfortable in most weather but the heat of the summer.
If I know it's going to rain most of the day I pull out the no messing around Grundens Brigg 44 commercial fishing rain gear. You will not get wet from the rain in these, but if it's above 60 degrees you're going to get wet from the inside cause they do not breath.
Whichever set I wear I always wear poly or wool layers underneath, never cotton. Cotton gets wet just from perspiration and gets cold. |
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Posts: 555
Location: Tennessee | I've just been using a cheap Columbia set I bought on sale and it does the job pretty well. There's been a time or two i've still gotten abit wet but its been when there's been continuous downpours alllll day long. |
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Posts: 897
| That's the thing, you don't have get wet in all day downpours. The fishing style suits almost all end up soaking thru. The Patagonia coat I had never did. Water always beaded and ran off it regardless of how long you were out in the rain. |
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | I really struggle with what to do about rain gear? I have had the expensive Gortex Stuff ant the problem I had with that is on warm days I would perspire and the lining would get wet and it took days to dry it out. My friends in Alaska put me on to Helly Hansen rain gear which is certainly waterproof, and if you do perspire the inside doesn't absorb moisture so it doesn't get overly wet.
When muskie fishing I have always had a hard time preventing the water from running down my hands/wrist/arms when I cast so my cloths underneath get wet. Same thing as it hits my face and runs down my neck getting my upper area of my body wet.
So if someone has a way to prevent what is happening to me please let me know, otherwise IMO it can be very difficult to stay dry muskie fishing with any of the rain gear I know of? |
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Posts: 31
| My Patagonia River Salt has neoprene cuffs that are Velcro adjustable and it does a good job of keeping water from running in, not perfect but pretty good. The Brigg 44 has neoprene cuffs that are as tight as dry suit gaskets and no water will run down those. |
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | Thanks for the Tip on the Briggs 44, not a bad price either. It looks heavy?
Thanks |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | btfish - 2/14/2016 10:59 AM Same thing as it hits my face and runs down my neck getting my upper area of my body wet. So if someone has a way to prevent what is happening to me please let me know, otherwise IMO it can be very difficult to stay dry muskie fishing with any of the rain gear I know of? All really good rain gear has a double cuff, the inner seals out water. I've never had water up my sleeve in my Gill jacket, even when putting my hands under water. |
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Posts: 410
Location: With my son on the water | Thanks Will
It looks like I need to be a better shopper and look for the double cuff. I just checked 3 of the rain suits I could find easily my (Columbia Quad suit, Sterns Mad Dog, & Helly Hansen Impertech) They all have an outer cuff with a Velcro strap but none of them have an inner cuff too.
Time to shop.
Thanks |
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Posts: 31
| btfish - 2/14/2016 12:32 PM
Thanks for the Tip on the Briggs 44, not a bad price either. It looks heavy?
Thanks
You're welcome.
It's heavier than most nylon shelled jackets but lighter than a Cordura shelled jacket like the Cabelas Guidewear or BPS 100 MPH suits. It's a heavy duty working jacket made of poly (PVC?) coated canvas, think River raft material. If you've ever watched The Deadliest Catch it's what those guys wear. |
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | btfish - 2/14/2016 2:25 PM They all have an outer cuff with a Velcro strap but none of them have an inner cuff too. Time to shop. Thanks It depends on the design. I have two Simms jackets that don't have double cuffs, but their cuff does seal up, even under water. The best cuff I have is on my Stomr jacket. That thing is almost a pain to put on and take off! The Impertech cuff isn't that secure, but the gear itself is tough enough that it's what most professional hunting guides where here through brush and heavy cover, and it won't break the bank.
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Posts: 754
| IMHO...
The raw, materials, quality, technology, research and development that goes into the high end products made by Patagonia, Arcterx, The Northface is far beyond what Frabil or any of its peers put into there gear. Its not that the Frabil is bad its just manufactured to be sold at a different price point/quality standard.
When I guided trips to the BWCA/Quetico when I was in college you had to have the top of the line rain gear as getting wet for any period of time was not a safe option. I used (as most of my fellow guides did) Patagonia & TNF gear in those days. The beat down that our gear received on a weekly basis was far beyond what the vast majority of fisherman do to there rain gear and it held up great.
The only Company I have found that matches the quality of those elite manufactures is Simm's. Its like the best Patagonia Jacket buts its designed and cut for fishing. I use my Simm's Pro-Dry gear in the spring, Summer & early fall and move to my Stormr gear when the water and air are both below 50. The Stormr gear I use is the neoprene gear which is awesome but not friendly if its too warm out. The Simm's gear is not cheap but if you want the best and are willing to pay for it its very worth while...again IMHO>>> |
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Posts: 134
| I know its not a listed brand but I am using the Stormr Rain gear and by far the best I've used. |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I have some north face rain gear that I use in summer months and it has performed perfectly.. keeps me dry!  |
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Posts: 3157
| You might want to look at a high end bicycle shop or online catalog,,,there's some pretty good VERY lightweight raingear,,,I've held some in my hands it's nice,,it's pricy,it's well built,,you have to look though to find some not in high vis yellow. |
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Posts: 21
| Columbia PFG.. I've worn it for 2 years now. It has not ripped in portages carrying engines and boots over beaver #*^@s and hills in Canada. I wore them everyday for the 2 trips i had in Canada last summer just because they were comfortable. On my first trip we got rain almost everyday for about an hour or two, My jacket and pants were the only ones with water beading off of them the whole time, other guys just had damp jackets. My second trip we got rained on everyday all day and i was by far the driest out of all of us. they are light weight so i just threw on a sweatshirt underneath it and was perfect. During normal fishing at home i pack them up in the pockets they pack into.. about a 6 inch by 4 inch pocket on the chest of the jacket and the same size on pants pocket and throw them into the side of my tackle bag. Very comfy and very breathable.. will buy another set of PFG's when i need a new suit. they pack great |
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Posts: 309
| I've had the same set of Under Armour rain gear for about 8 years now. Lightweight, breathe-able, and has kept me perfectly dry. It may actually be a golf set, but whatever it is, it's been great. They pack great, too.
I prefer my rain gear to be an outer layer only as well, like some others said. |
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