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Wading Jackets

Reviewed by Terry Lawton

These two wading jackets – Greys’ GRX and Hardy’s Flyweight – are an interesting pair to compare. Before doing so, how, why and when do you wear a wading jacket? As a trout fisherman, I would always carry one with me when fishing in areas where there is the potential for quick and major changes in the weather such as in the Arctic, or, nearer to home, if I felt that rain was likely. I would use it to keep dry, firstly, and warm secondly. In the winter I do go pike fishing in a wading jacket. It keeps me warm and because I don’t need to carry much equipment with me when fly-fishing for pike, I can put everything I need in the pockets. That is the only time that I would use the pockets of a wading jacket.

My understanding is that salmon fishermen would use a wading jacket much more, putting everything they need in the pockets, rather than fishing in a waistcoat like most trout fishermen. If you are wearing a waistcoat, why do you need lots of pockets in a wading jacket? Quite simply, in my opinion you don’t.

The Greys’ GRX wading jacket follows the traditional approach with plenty of pockets, both front and back. In comparison, the Hardy jacket takes a completely different approach – there are NO pockets.

Greys GRX

The GRX is made from soft, flexible and reasonably quiet, breathable material. It is well cut and you soon forget that you are wearing it. The GRX has a strap so that the hood can be rolled-up and kept out of the way when not wanted. There are handy tabs on all the zip pulls which makes them easier to find, particularly for the back cargo pocket. There are triple front pockets either side: hand warmer, one with access via a vertical zip and the third by a top flap with Velcro closure, and a small zipped pocket behind the storm flap for the main zip, ideal for car keys or a mobile ‘phone. This flap is closed with Velcro and press studs. The main front pockets have a clip each to hang things on; there is a D-ring on the back and two Velcro rod-holder straps.

For me one of the most important points about a wading jacket is the cuffs. Do they stop rainwater running down your sleeves when your arms are in the air casting? To test this I turned to the garden hose. The GRX has adjustable storm cuffs, with Velcro straps, and non-adjustable inner cuffs of neoprene and a stretchy nylon material. I played the hose over my hand and, while this is perhaps more severe than fishing in heavy rain, I did get a wet shirt sleeve, much to my disappointment. The inner cuff system certainly keeps the wind out but it is not fully watertight.

The recommended UK retail price is £129.

Hardy Flyweight

The Hardy minimalist “no pockets” approach does mean that there are no hand-warmer pockets for cold, wet days. This is worth remembering if you suffer from cold hands. But this jacket does fold-up into a roll about the size of a 1lb trout and so it can be carried very easily in the back pocket of most fishing waistcoats. This is a big “plus” and should mean an end to getting caught in an unexpected shower of rain.

Access to your waistcoat is via a long diagonal zip (with cord pull) either side of the front. There is a simple flap over the main zip, closed with bits of Velcro. The cuffs are elasticated with Velcro straps to tighten them. How did these get on when pitched against the garden hose? Very much better than I expected! In fact, they weren’t significantly worse than the GRX. This is probably because it is easier to get the cuffs really tight with the adjuster strap. I wonder if Hardy could be persuaded to add a simple, non-adjustable neoprene inner cuff? Something simple in keeping with the simple approach of this jacket.

There is a simple hood, with an adjuster, that folds up into the collar and a D-ring on the back. That’s it. The material, which is a pleasant green colour and very lightweight, is breathable. It’s a bit noisier than the material used by Greys.

I will be reporting on this jacket’s durability and other qualities during the coming season, after I have fished in it in the rain. Its first outing was on a day of April showers and it did its job of keeping me dry. All-in-all, it’s an innovative response to keeping dry when fishing in the rain in waders.

The Hardy Flyweight has a UK recommended retail price of £59.99.

Update...

Since writing this appraisal Terry Lawton has worn the Hardy wading jacket in anger. He wore it on a cold and miserable April day when it rained steadily all afternoon. The jacket did everything that was expected of it. It kept the rain and wind out and no water found its way through the cuff seal.

Access to the waistcoat pockets was very good, via the long diagonal zips, although the Velcro which holds the storm flaps over the zips hindered them from opening with one straight pull. It paid to release the Velcro before opening the zip.