Patagonia Guidewater Jacket

It was finally time to retire my tired, old outer shell. After six years of hard service, it really owed me nothing. After countless days on the river through rain, sleet, and snow not only was my old coat faded, but the sleeves were riddled with burn marks from cooking lunches, errant cigar ashes, and getting too close to the sissy bucket (i.e. propane heater). The Velcro cuffs were badly worn and I was experiencing more days which “wetting out” was a commonplace, even with repeated Revivex treatments. Simply put, my gore-tex wading jacket was worn out.

Studying and reviewing the waterproof breathable wading jackets on the market lead me to take a look at the Simms G3 Guide Coat, Cloudveil’s 8X Jacket, and the Guidewater Jacket by Patagonia. Many years ago, my first wading jacket was the Patagonia SST. This was the benchmark in wading jackets, by which all others were measured back in the early 90’s. Every company out there has some sort of knock off of this wading jacket. The original SST (salmon, steelhead, trout) jacket I owned had the mesh liner, and then I had a newer ‘97 model with more bells and whistles. This jacket was created by Yvon Chouinard and his team of able-bodied garment designers from which all other companies such as Simms, Redington, Cabela’s, and Cloudveil spawned their own designs with many enhanced features for the fly angler. The concept behind these wading jackets is to keep you fishing comfortably in the worst of weather. My past experience with the original Patagonia SST lead me to take a closer look at the Guidewater waterproof breathable jacket.

The features that tipped the scales in favor of the Patagonia jacket over the others included the collar design and the longer length, which are both ideal for boat fishing. Here is how the marketing guys at Patagonia describe the coat:

“Pounding into the teeth of a nor'easter or swinging tips through the deluge – the Guidewater keeps you fishing comfortably long after other anglers have headed for the barn. We combined our best knowledge of fabrics, design and technology to create a full-featured, highly technical piece of angling equipment. Waterproof/breathable 3-layer stretch nylon, along with a 2" longer cut, make this the shell of choice for skiff, bay boat, and jet sled guides. Although the design ethic is minimalist, ergonomically placed pockets and custom-engineered "fish pulls" (which vastly improve waterproof reverse-coil zipper function) put everything you need at your fingertips. In other words, you can retire your vest. The tuck-away hood won't flap in the wind, and the brushed-fleece lined collar provides decadent comfort. More fishing-specific details: glued-in waterproof zippers, drain holes in hem and pockets, attachment patch, forceps/glasses loop, modified reversed StretchCoat® cuffs, rod holder. The Guidewater is our longest fishing jacket (4 inches longer than the Deep Wading Jacket).”

After checking this out, I ordered one and have been wearing it since September. I basically have 70+ days of use, and the performance has been tested. However, nothing can compare to fishing on December 27 during a winter steelhead trip. It was a rare day for northern Michigan when the skies opened up, and it rained for nearly 8 hours straight. The steelhead fishing was fantastic. We landed three hard-fighting winter bruisers, lost another one by the boat, and landed a nice fat brownie as well. The rising current was getting ugly and making the fish react, and the heavy rain continued. My hands softened and turned to prunes to the point where I dreaded tying another knot fearing the monofilament would slice me to the bone. By all rights I should have been soaked. By 4:00 pm when I fired up the Yamaha for the long run back to the Highbridge boat launch, the rain had turned to sleet. I synched the hood down, and hammered the boat back to the launch getting stung by the ice chips falling from the violent sky. When we returned back to the fly shop, I was amazed to discover that I had remained dry all over. Amazing!

The other features that mean much to me as a guide are the pocket configurations and the durability of the product. The front pockets are lower in profile and do not catch when I row the boat, and the fleece lining makes them warm and comfortable. I also like the stowability of jacket as well. The longer length is nice also and still works well when wading. Last but not least is the Patagonia “Ironclad” guarantee. The Guidewater Jacket is a great investment in fishing comfort. I am not a huge fan of the color, but it looks like they have addressed that for 2009 by adding a marine blue model to the green color of the model I have. As a guide, I will take performance over looks (color) any day, but it’s nice to have both.

Overall, I would have the say if this Patagonia coat continues to perform like it did on the Manistee River that day in December, I will be one happy customer. If history repeats itself, I know this Patagonia jacket will not leave me disappointed and keep me dry for many years to come.