Rain Gear (what do you guys use?)

[Bass Kicker]

This past week I have been left soaked while fishing and was hoping to find out what you guys use for rain gear. I'm looking for some affordable (<$150) rain gear that will hopefully keep me dry. I spoke to an avid fisherman at work and he told me that he has spent as much as $450 for rain gear that still leaked. I was blown away by this news and know there has to be some affordable stuff out there.

I have been wearing the green stuff from the Norh American Fishing Club, It's definitely time for a change.

What do you guy wear, any suggestions?

[Scott M]

Frogg Toggs. Breathable and comfortable. You will want something that breathes for those summer storms when its hot out. $150 for a set.

I also have some of the WalMart FLW stuff. Pretty good. You can get bibs and jackets and be ready for anything. Less than $200 for a set.

I have a Columbia PFG jacket for work, very nice, but the bibs they gave me got ripped up in no time. Columbia Performance Fishing Gear set...less than $250.

You could just buy tons of those cheapie Vinyl PVC rain suits....but they rip easy and aren't at all breathable. I find that I get just as wet from sweating in them as I would if I wasn't wearing them in the rain!

Good luck!

[Central Bassman]

Guide Series Tech H20... I love this stuff and it keeps my dry all the time. I would suggest getting bibs over just pants when looking at rain gear.

[Deitz Dittrich]

nudder vote for Frogg Toggs.. love em.!

[primetime49]

After last week of fishing in steady rain I can only suggest one thing,wear fleece under your jacket.

everybody coming in after prefish and fish had a jacket that looked soaked thru.

those of us with fleece as top layer under jacket were still comfortable.

All brands were wet Goretex,included out of 24 boats.it did not matter if you had a 150 dollar suit on or 650 suit persistent rain after 6 or 8 hours came thru.

Sometimes I wonder if that hard yellow rubber wouldnt be so bad is we truly want to stay dry.

[Bass Kicker]

I bet I've looked at those frog toggs atleast 5 times debating on whether to try them. Gander Mnt had some good sales on them, but I never pulled the trigger..

A previous poster stated that I should get bibs... What are the advantages to bibs over pants?

[Central Bassman]

I like bids over pants because when its rain, odds are it is windy and with bids there is no where for the water to leak though. Bibs seem to say on better then pants, from what I have used. Bibs just seem more conformable for me. That just my .02 on it.

[Dan Brelje]

I've got a Columbia Titanium jacket and Cabela's gortex rain pants. Keeps me dry in all rain. think i spent right around 150. Bargain Cave for the jacket

[Bass Kicker]

Which Frogg Toggs are you guys talking about? The weird papery ones, or the more normal material rain gear? The papery ones are only like $54.00 at Gander right now, and if they are effective then I will get them..

[Deitz Dittrich]

The Frogg Toggs I have are the paper type ones.. I have yet to get a rip in them or get wet in them...

[french_lake_kid]

I unfortunately only have Ice Armor Its great when its chilly/windy but holy cow when its hot out, I would rather just get it over with & take a dip in the lake.

[SledNeck]

Cabelas SPACE RAIN, best summertime packable rain gear EVER MADE.

When its colder I just wear gore-tex, its all the same anyway.

[MNBassGuy]

This is one area that I would not skimp on...and I speak from experience.

After going through a variety of $40-$80 rain suits over the past few years I finally bucked up and bought the Gander Mountain Pro Staff Series rain gear. It's not cheap though. It think the bibs were $175 and the jacket was about the same. I talked with a sales guy for a while about them and told him I really didn't want to drop $300-$400 on rain gear. He ended up giving me a few gift certs for $10 each. Not a huge discount, but it helped.

Since buying that rain gear I will look anyone in the eye and say that it is hands down the best investment I have made this year in fishing equipment. I have been in a few rain driven tourneys that would have been miserable without a good set of rain gear, but this stuff held strong and was comfortable to boot!

What I like about it is:

- Bibs rather than pants: This may sound silly, but rain finds a way to get in your...hmmm...there has to be a better way to put that. Well, anywho, bibs take care of that problem.

- Goretex is SO worth it!: The gear is light weight and not only keeps you dry, but the goretex does not let any wind through, which also keeps you warm. However, during those hot days in summer when you get stuck in rain this suit doesn't make you hot.

-Neoprene wrist bands: I love this feature! The neoprene bands fit sluggly on your wrist and keeps all water from dripping down your sleeve. It also keep livewell water from getting up your sleeve! I have seen neoprene wrist bands that fit up over your thumb, but I would think that the movement of your hands would make it tough to completely seal off your arm from water seepage. I'd go with the wrist band type rather than the half glove/thumb type.

In addition to that gear, I would also recommend a good pair of Danner Goretex boots.

Another thing that I have had problems with in the past is gloves. If they are warm gloves, it always seems like they are cumbersome. If they are easy to use, they never seems to keep you warm. I have finally found a good solution (at least for me). Get a good pair of mountain biking gloves! You can get them with insulation for winter biking, and they are very easy to use! I have a pair of Specialized gloves that I have used in cold weather numerour times now and I have had great success!

Hope that helps a bit. Sorry for being so long winded...

[bassNspear]

I have the Guide Series Tech H20... Bibs and coat. Dry as can be, and very comfortable.

[EBass]

I don't like my frogg toggs - you will get wet. I ain't saying, I'm just saying. I've heard that the Ice Armor (way spendy) will keep you dry and they float. Maybe not the best in the hot summer like it was stated.

[mojoputter]

The Guide series TechH20 from Gander is the way to go, just got back from Canada and I was sure glad I had a good set of rain gear, might be a little more then $150 but well worth it.

[Sproguy]

I thought I would throw my hat into the ring on the footwear side with your rain gear. First allow me to say, go with Gore-tex!!!!!!!! It is totally worth the money. There is a big difference in the way that Gore-tex does their tape line vs the knock off companies. The material is very similar but the construction is very different and the testing of the product is off the charts. After seeing the difference first hand I am a huge believer in Gore-tex products vs the knock offs. The one "competitor" to Gore that has been good for me is Columbia's.

Alright on to footwear, I have to agree with the above person when he mentioned good footwear to go with rain gear. I like the Danner stuff but way better then that is the newer hiking/trail running shoes that are on the market with Gore-tex. You can wear basically a running shoe's comfort with it being a 100% waterproof! I really like the Vasque trail runners. I found mine at Gander.

[Bobby Bass]

Depending on weather the light weight Frogg Togs ( packable) then the packable Guide Series for light rain and for foul windy heavy rain I go with the Guide Series Tech H20...

[Bass Kicker]

Well, I'm a cheap (Contact Us Please) and went with the Frogg Toggs. Thanks for all the input, if these don't work out I will bite thr bullet and get the H20's maybe next year. But I will check out some of those water proof shoes.

[Central Bassman]

Keep your eyes open for good deals come late fall on the Tech H20 stuff. Thats when i got mine and the deals can be really good.