Quality foul weather gear is possibly more important than your rod and reel when fishing away from shelter. I have found myself fishing in some of the nastiest conditions imaginable; rain, snow, sleet, cold and wind (sometimes all in the same day!). My foul weather jacket has saved many a day out on the stream or pond. The Cabela’s Gore-Tex Wading Jacket has many of the characteristics that most anglers will find as necessities.

The Cabela’s wading jacket is light weight, soft to the touch. The outer layer is a tough nylon shell that is laminated to the Gore-Tex membrane. The inside fabric is smooth nylon taffeta.

Like most of you, I have owned a variety of foul weather jackets; from the heavy oil skins used by commercial fisherman to the everyday rain jacket. The characteristics important to me in a jacket are light weight, 100% dry, wind proof, breathable, useful storage pockets, and an adjustable hood. The jacket must also fit well and allow for the various range of motion necessary for fishing. The Cabela’s Gore-Tex wading jacket possess all of the features I find essential to keep me protected from the weather and allow me to only worry about catching fish. I have taken the Cabela’s wading jacket on a number of trips where I have experienced all possible weather conditions; from a hard driving rain to a frozen mixture of snow and sleet. I have yet to experience a failure. The jacket is sized well to allow for layering to manage temperature changes and the fabric is cut full in the upper body to allow for good range of motion.

The wading jacket has two large chest pockets with D-rings, a rear D-ring at the back for additional gear attachment, two side hand warmer pockets, two inside zippered pockets, adjustable draw string hood, adjustable draw string waist, Velcro closure storm flap, adjustable half-glove neoprene cuffs form a watertight seal and the short overall length ideal for use with waders.

The oversized front pockets were 6x6 inch expandable with a Velcro closure flap. The inside zippered pockets were adequate to store valuables and/ or small electronics.

The light weight material did not weigh me down even after 10 hours on the water. I found the jacket to be a comfortable outer layer in dry weather conditions as well. The generous fabric cut for the given size was satisfactory for layering with a fleece pullover and not become bulky or restrictive.

The Cabela’s wading jacket is well designed for its intended use as a foul weather outer layer. The waist long cut is ideal for deep wading a stream or pond. There would be no problem wearing the jacket as an outer layer in any weather condition.

Cabela's Wading Jacket
Construction-Quality	The materials/ fabrics of choice and the quality of construction are satisfactory.	4.0
Performance	The jacket performed well in field tests and has proved very durable over two seasons of extensive wear. The jacket is 100% water proof and quite breathable.	4.5
Features and design	The overall design and inclusion of many design attributes are more than adequate.	4.0
Application	It is a good all around foul weather jacket for use while wearing waders.	4.0
Price	The MSRP of $149.95- $159.95 is a good value	4.0
Score:1-5(5=highest)	Total Score	4.2

Plus	Minus
Design
Price
Comfortable
Waterproof
Durable

Conclusion: I can not stress enough how important quality foul weather gear is. There is nothing worse than fishing in nasty weather without protection. Being cold and wet can lead to hyperthermia or worse. The Cabela’s wading jacket provides the necessary features at a reasonable price.