Rain Gear for Warm Months

[Greg64]

I'm looking for rain gear to wear during warmer months. I fish entirely in the Southeast; so, I deal with hot temperatures during the late Spring and Summer months. I have Cabela's Guidewear for the cooler months; however, it's really too heavy when it's warms. So, I'm looking for suggestions for rain gear for warm months. I know Frogg Toggs are popular; however, I've seen many posts questioning their durability.

Suggestions? Cost really isn't a factor.

Thanks!

[Jeffbro999]

Ive been using a Columbia Watertight rain jacket for a few years now and it has performed great. Worn it through some heavy rains and it keeps me very dry. I live in Florida and fish through a lot of pop up storms so it gets used a lot. Even wore it fishing in a tropical storm a few years ago and kept me dry. I would think the new model would be even better.

[Greg64]

Thanks for the reply. I'll give it a look.

[Farnorth]

I think with warm weather it's a bit of a trade off. I have a Simms Pro Dry jacket and bibs that I love because they really do keep me dry. They are Gore tex pro shell items so they are very waterproof but might be too similar to your guide wear and a bit warm. They are uninsulated but the fabric is not really light. Tackle Tour has a review for these.

Maybe try something like this:

http://arcteryx.com/product.aspx?langua ... -SL-Jacket

Arcteryx makes great stuff just make sure you order from somewhere that does free returns to ensure that you can get a proper fit. There items tend to fit small.

Best of luck.

[Toadslayer72]

If price isn't a factor then look at all of the top of the line outdoor apparel brands at places like Backcountry.com, REI.com, Mountaingear.com, and Altrec.com to name a few. You'll be looking for basic shell jacket and pants. If you buy a little looser fit, you'll be able to layer later on making it a nice versatile system. Highly breathable and things like pit zips are preferable. Also with the pants, if you can get full leg zippers, it's the way to go as it makes getting in and out of your pants a simple affair, especially if you have boots on.

[Gone Phishin]

The bass angler Guidewear from Cabela's fits the bill. I really like mine.

[fishballer06]

I personally use the Frabill F3 series suit and it works great. I believe it was $150 each piece (jacket and bibs). They have a few different lineups in that series depending on your budget. The top of the line is the F4, which I believe runs $200 for each piece.

[BucketHunter]

You might look at the Frabill F1 Jacket and Pants. No experience with them, but Frabill is a good name and I believe they are specifically designed for warm weather fishing.
Fairly cost effective too, but actually more expensive than the F2 series. I would think the cost in a lot of gear goes up with insulation factor, so the dollars in this suit seem to be sunk in to the breathability factor, which I would think is exactly what you want.

[iliketofishman]

Columbia Titanium gear. I live in Oregon and we get rain ALL THE TIME. I usually have a thin set just for summer. My jacket I've had for 6-7 years and I've even worn in heavy rain. No issues so far. The jacket was definitely worth the $100.

[Greg64]

Thanks to everyone for their responses. They are appreciated.

[jeff h]

The bass angler Guidewear from Cabela's fits the bill. I really like mine.

I have the same. And regular Guide Wear suit for early and late season use.

[FrankTheRabbit]

I've found that Goretex and eVent are the two fabrics that I trust when it comes to breathabilty and water resistance. The trick to getting them to perform their best is to keep them clean and apply DWR to bead water off of the fabric surface.

Personally, I wear Arcteryx (as mentioned above) for their consistent quality and warranty. The benefit of purchasing a Goretex shell is that you'll get two warranties: 1) From the clothing manufacturer and 2) From the Gore company (their guarantee to keep you dry).

Columbia and The North Face are ok, but I often found their QC to be inconsistent.

Another manufacturer is Montbell. They have some good quality shells for good prices as well.

Yes, I've purposely mentioned all mountain climbing companies, because it can also double as casual gear, which allows you to wear them for more then just fishing. SIMMs always makes good quality clothing options, but you wear them for fishing only...well, what about the other times when you're not fishing? My logic is if I'm gonna drop $550 on a jacket, I better be able to wear it as much as possible.

There are lots of options out there and I'm sure you'll find something that suits your taste.

[BigG]

You need to move to Alabama, we don't wear rain gear when it's 95 and above. Just appreciate every single drop of rain.

[Toadslayer72]

I've found that Goretex and eVent are the two fabrics that I trust when it comes to breathabilty and water resistance. The trick to getting them to perform their best is to keep them clean and apply DWR to bead water off of the fabric surface.

Personally, I wear Arcteryx (as mentioned above) for their consistent quality and warranty. The benefit of purchasing a Goretex shell is that you'll get two warranties: 1) From the clothing manufacturer and 2) From the Gore company (their guarantee to keep you dry).

Columbia and The North Face are ok, but I often found their QC to be inconsistent.

Another manufacturer is Montbell. They have some good quality shells for good prices as well.

Yes, I've purposely mentioned all mountain climbing companies, because it can also double as casual gear, which allows you to wear them for more then just fishing. SIMMs always makes good quality clothing options, but you wear them for fishing only...well, what about the other times when you're not fishing? My logic is if I'm gonna drop $550 on a jacket, I better be able to wear it as much as possible.

There are lots of options out there and I'm sure you'll find something that suits your taste.

Excellent post and point about wearing as casual gear too. I rock my rain jackets WAY more as a normal casual piece than I do in the rain. Shells make nice windbreakers too, ya know, in case you REALLY wanna go Ike and do a windmill on your boat.

[FrankTheRabbit]

I've found that Goretex and eVent are the two fabrics that I trust when it comes to breathabilty and water resistance. The trick to getting them to perform their best is to keep them clean and apply DWR to bead water off of the fabric surface.

Personally, I wear Arcteryx (as mentioned above) for their consistent quality and warranty. The benefit of purchasing a Goretex shell is that you'll get two warranties: 1) From the clothing manufacturer and 2) From the Gore company (their guarantee to keep you dry).

Columbia and The North Face are ok, but I often found their QC to be inconsistent.

Another manufacturer is Montbell. They have some good quality shells for good prices as well.

Yes, I've purposely mentioned all mountain climbing companies, because it can also double as casual gear, which allows you to wear them for more then just fishing. SIMMs always makes good quality clothing options, but you wear them for fishing only...well, what about the other times when you're not fishing? My logic is if I'm gonna drop $550 on a jacket, I better be able to wear it as much as possible.

There are lots of options out there and I'm sure you'll find something that suits your taste.

Excellent post and point about wearing as casual gear too. I rock my rain jackets WAY more as a normal casual piece than I do in the rain. Shells make nice windbreakers too, ya know, in case you REALLY wanna go Ike and do a windmill on your boat.

Totally man! I'm able to keep my shell with me for 365 days of the year. Good for fishing, rainfy days, windy days, snowboarding, hiking, and even through winter (with proper layering). It certainly was a steep initial investment, but being able to wear it in so many different situations and not needing to purchase multiple jackets, was a no brainer there.

I've had my shell for 4 years and it's still going strong, can't complain.