LLBean Gore Tex Pro Shell Wading Jacket and West Branch Fishing Vest Review

I test out a number of LL Bean products on a recent Sockeye Salmon fishing trip to our family cabin in Alaska. I've broken the reviews into three parts, the Travel Rod/Mid Arbor Fly Reel, Helix Wader/RiverKeeper Wading Boot and the Gore Tex Pro Shell Wading Jacket/West Branch Fishing Vest. I encourage you to read all these reviews because LL Bean makes fantastic fishing equipment for a very reasonable price... and they have a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all their products.

LL Bean Gore Tex Pro Shell Wading Jacket Swarmed by Bugs

I've seen and tested out a lot of outdoor gear and the LL Bean Gore Tex Pro Shell Wading Jacket is one of my favorite items. This jacket screams, "Take me to Alaska." It feels like a coat of armor when you're wearing it. One of the most important things to have on the Alaskan Tundra is a good rain coat. When it rains, it rains hard and it will rain for days on end, with temperature in the mid 40's even in the middle of July. As you can see from the picture the jacket has a brimmed hood to keep the rain off your face and eyeglasses. There's an adjustable drawcord to hold the hood snugly on your head. You can also roll the hood down and secure it with a velcro strap.

LL Bean Gore Tex Pro Shell Wading Jacket Outside

The Jacket is made out of Pro Shell, Gore-Tex's toughest waterproof fabric. The fabric on the shoulder, arms and armpits has a little stretch to it to provide for added mobility. The rest of the jacket has a rip stop material for tear prevention. There are two large velcro secured pockets on the front chest of the jacket. You can easily fit a large fly box in each pocket. You'll also find three smaller pockets on the each of the larger pockets were you can hold leader, tippet, weights, floatant and other tackle. These zippers are watertight. The pockets have so much storage, if you loaded all the pockets to full capacity, you'd have a hard time casting. Also, there are two pull cords to hold snips and hemostats.

The neoprene cuffs inside the sleeves are a welcomed feature. They help keep your baselayers dry when you've got your hand in the water handling fish. There are also velcro adjustments on the outside cuff to secure the sleeve around your wrist. I also like the removable foam fly holder. This attaches to the jacket with velcro so you can quickly remove it and put it on the fishing vest, once the rain stops.

LL Bean Gore Tex Pro Shell Wading Jacket Inside

All seams on the Wading Jacket are taped on the inside. You can see the neoprene skirt that keeps you dry in deeper water. This easily zips out. The inside of the jacket is lined with a microgrid backing to help wick away moisture and reduce abrasion with your baselayers. You'll find two large interior chest pockets also. There are also ventilation zippers under each armpit to help keep you cool. After a week without shaving, the soft collar offers snag-free comfort.

LLBean Gore Tex Pro Shell Wading Jacket Fishing

For such a bomb proof design, the Wading Jacket is fairly light and easy to maneuver in. The jacket moves with you as you cast and you can tighten down the hood so it's not flopping around in the wind. I found the neoprene skirt worked well in the wind to help keep cold air from blowing in from the bottom of the coat. Once the sun came out, this jacket was too warm keep on.

LL Bean West Branch Fishing Vest

The LL Bean West Branch Fishing Vest consists of 100% ripstop nylon so it's very lightweight and waterproof. The knit cotton around the neck prevents chaffing and the mesh interior helps keep you cool.

LL Bean West Branch Fishing Outside

The foam fly holder can also be used on the Wading Jacket. There are countless pockets to store fly boxes and other fishing tackle. The four small tippet pockets have small ports so you can easily spool off line. I didn't have much tackle in the vest while I was fishing. You only need a few types of flies for the Sockeye, which you can just hook to the foam fly holder. There are two large zippers on the back of the vest that can be undone for added ventilation, or zipped up to hold the Wading Jacket.

LL Bean West Branch Fishing Vest Inside Pockets

The vest has three large interior pockets. You can see I have my fishing license in the lower one and my sunglasses in the upper pocket which is lined with a micro fiber cleaning cloth. There's another pocket identical to the lower pocket, on the right side.

For more information visit these links: LL Bean Gore Tex Pro Shell Wading Jacket and LL Bean West Branch Fishing Vest.