Today we’re going to be taking a closer look at the Rapala RAIN Pro rain suit, which consists of the RAIN Pro Rain Jacket and the RAIN Pro Rain Bibs. I’ve actually been needing a new rain suit for a couple years now, so I’ve been looking forward to working on this product review in particular. Having had this suit a couple months, I can tell you right off the bat it’s quite impressively designed. A lot of attention went into the little details of this suit. The overall fit and performance are both top notch as well.
I’ve owned a lot of rain suits over the years, some of them better than others for sure. One of the main things that always set one group apart from another in my mind has been the fit. Even some of the higher-end rain suits I’ve had in the past were super baggy and heavy. And rain gear definitely shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, in my opinion. Baggy and heavy rain gear makes it really hard to move around the boat and to even go through the motions of fishing.
Overall fit and performance
I have been really impressed with the fit of the Rapala RAIN Pro Rain Jacket and Bibs. Rapala has a sizing chart to help you select the perfect suit to fit your body’s measurements, but basically they run pretty true to what they should. For instance, if you wear an XL t-shirt, you’re likely good to go with an XL in the Rain Jacket. The range for the XL in the bibs is a 38- to 41-inch waist. I went with an XL in both the jacket and the bibs. I actually wear pants with a 36-inch waist and mostly wear XL T-shirts.
The XL has worked out perfectly for me to do what I wanted it to do. This rain suit is what I would call a shell, versus a heavily insulated suit. I actually prefer a shell like this so that I can wear it year-round to protect against the rain without it being too hot in the summer. In order for this to work when it’s cold though, it needs to be big enough for me to wear a hoody and a thick pair of pants underneath it in the winter. But not so big that I can’t wear it comfortably over a t-shirt and shorts in the summer as well.
For me (and my dad who’s modeling the suit in these pics), the XL is the perfect fit for that. Rapala offers this suit in six sizes ranging from small to 3XL in both the bibs and the jacket.
Pockets galore
This suit is loaded with well-placed pockets. There are two large pockets on the front of the bibs and another five scattered around the jacket. The bib pockets are big enough to store small tools or maybe a pack or two of soft plastics while you’re on the water. And the jacket pockets are all well placed for specific uses. There’s a pocket on the chest of the jacket where I like to keep my phone, but there are also two pockets inside the jacket which make for good places to keep your phone or other valuable items that you don’t want exposed to the elements.
Then there are two large pockets on the exterior of the jacket as well that can be used to warm your hands on a cold day. These pockets are also large enough to hold a pack of soft plastics if you’d like. And they zip up to ensure nothing bounces out of them on the boat ride and no water gets in on a rainy day. Both these pockets and the chest pocket, which also zips closed, have an additional flap that covers the zippers to add another layer of protection and offer some protection in inclement weather if you want to leave any of these pockets unzipped.
A couple cool things in the pockets
The detail that went into creating this rain suit is what impressing me the most. Little things go a long way in setting a big purchase like this apart and it’s the little things that also show that actual anglers were heavily involved in the design process.
One such detail can be found in the chest pocket of the RAIN Pro Rain Jacket. There’s a small microfiber towel on a cord inside the chest pocket that can be used to dry sunglasses or even an electronics screen in a pinch. This isn’t an expensive addition but it’s evidence of the well thought out design of this whole suit.
Also, in the pockets at the bottom of the jacket you’ll find drawstring adjustments. These actually allow you to tighten the rain jacket along the waist to help prevent it from rising up, which is a big problem with a lot of rain suits when making long boat rides. Now you can simply pull a drawstring in the pocket of the rain jacket and tighten the jacket up before a long run, then loosen it back off if you’d like when you start fishing again.
Versatile hood and collar
Again, I like to have a rain suit that I can use year round. But to be fair, that’s a big ask when you consider fishermen will fish in temperatures from below freezing to 90-plus degrees. But I believe Rapala has created a suit that caters to all the elements and the hood and collar are a big part of what makes this jacket so versatile. The collar has a soft lining on the inside and can be flipped up for maximum protection in the cold from the wind. But it can also be rolled down when the weather’s hot so it doesn’t smother you.
There are also all sorts of details to the hood. For starters, there are two drawstrings, one that tightens the hood around the opening and another that tightens the hood around the head, along where the band of a hat or visor would be. With both of these cinched down, you can make boat runs without the hood catching a bunch of air and pulling back on your head. When I’m fishing though, I prefer to have these two loosened up. And to top all that off, if it’s a sunny day and you don’t want the hood out at all, you can actually roll it up and store it inside of a pocket along the collar. Rapala really did think of quite a bit with this one.
Magnets and more
One of the most unique things about this rain suit is the use of magnets. Rapala chose to use magnets in place of lot of the velcro you’d typically see on a rain suit like this. There are still velcro straps around the wrists of the jacket and the ankles of the bibs. But a lot of rain suits will have velcro for instance running the length of the main zipper of the jacket.
Instead, Rapala chose to use a few circular magnets embedded in the flap and the jacket to keep the flap closed over the zipper. If you look around, you’ll also find these little magnets near the collar, in the hood and along the main zipper of the bibs.
Final thoughts
There’s really so much to this rain suit, it seems like I find some new feature every time I put it on. A few of the other specifics worth mentioning: The seams are fully taped and sealed off to ensure maximum protection against the rain, the zippers are heavy duty and high quality, the jacket and bibs have a waterproof rating of 8000mm and the suit has a 3-layer construction consisting of 100% Nylon Ripstop Taslan and 100% Nylon Taslan for the shell and then 100% Polyester Mesh for the lining.
The Rapala RAIN Pro Rain Jacket and Rapala RAIN Pro Rain Bibs are sold separately at TackleWarehouse.com.
