Anglers generally take to fishing whenever the opportunities present themselves. This sometimes means a portion of our time on the water is also spent battling the elements in pursuit of our finned friends. So I’m constantly on the lookout for apparel and gear that will make my life a little more pleasant on the water.
I’ve worn the Simms Windstopper Hoody a lot this fall and thought I’d share my review. It’s a lightweight, fleece lined wind-breaking jacket at a glance. But after wearing it a while, I see a lot of design and material consideration went into making this an above average piece of fishing gear.
Why you will like it
The Simms Windstopper Hoody comes in black or digital camo options. I’m typically a fan of all things black when it comes to clothing, cars, bass boats, etc. But I was pleasantly surprised with how this jacket looks just out fun fishing or wearing as a warm coat running around town.
It’s incredibly comfortable thanks to an extremely plush and soft quilted microchek fleece backer built into the jacket. The outside has a slick membrane called Simms DWR Soft Shell that causes water to bead off on contact. This outer shell blocks all wind amazingly well. Like so well, that a few times I was unaware it was that cold and windy until I took the jacket off.
The two hand-warmer pockets feature tight knit YKK Vislon zippers, and the pockets are designed to be easy to get in and out of and get your hands warm quick. The chest pocket also features that zipper and worked great for holding my phone, reading glasses, small packs of lures, etc.
The hood features a fleece inner lining and taper stretch strings and locks that enable you to cinch your hood down for fast runs down the lake without having lose strings around to tie and untie all the time. Pinch, pull the string tight and let loose the lock and it stays secure even in blazing runs at 70 mph down the lake.
The Windstopper Hoody is cut well, fits comfortable, gives an incredible layer to block the cold air and let you breathe a bit. It’s water resistant but not waterproof. So, in a light rain you’ll be fine, but in a steady downpour, you’re going to get wet at some point.
The sleeves lock down tight with an easily adjusted Velcro wrist strap. It made it nice for cool windy mornings to be able to cinch the sleeves down.
My experiences
I’ve been wearing it a lot this fall both fishing and in the field. I’m thoroughly pleased with this jacket. While it’s called a hoody, I wear it as my main jacket just about everywhere because it’s so functional and warm without being overbearing.
It works well as a jacket, and also as a great middle layer on very cold, wet days. I might have a wicking layer under it, then the Windstopper Hoody and then a water proof jacket like the Simms Pro Dry over that for the ultimate layered protection on rough windy days on big water.
You can find the Windstopper Hoody at Tacklewarehouse.com just in time for Christmas shopping this fall.
It’s one of the best jackets I’ve owned for being so lightweight for the amount of warmth and wind protection it provides.
