Best fishing jackets and pants will keep you dry and warm no matter what Alaska throws at you. These are the Fish Alaska team’s picks to keep you unquestionably comfortable all day while you fish.
Best Fishing Jackets and Pants
Carhartt Rugged Flex Relaxed Fit Canvas 5-Pocket Work Pant
These are comfortable! They have just a little stretch, and are roomy in the seat and legs. They’re made of 8-ounce 98% cotton/2% spandex canvas for durability and longevity. They have strong belt loops, and a right-leg mobile-phone pocket. These pants are available in 6 colors and a large number of waist and inseam sizes.
Duluth Trading Company AKHG Free Rein Pants
We liked the overall fit and function of these pants. They offer lots of pockets, a comfortable and athletic fit, UPF 50 protection, and moisture-wicking properties. Duluth Trading Company offers these pants in 3 colors, 7 waist sizes, and 3 inseam sizes.
Grundéns Dillingham Sweat Pants
These pants are warm and comfortable. They are effective as a layer under waders or rain gear. In addition to one rear and two front pockets, there’s also a right-side zippered pocket, which we used to store valuables like keys or cell phone.
Columbia Sportswear Arch Rock Double Wall Elite Hooded Jacket
This hooded jacket is a new take on puffy jackets. It’s water resistant with 80 grams of Microtemp XF II synthetic insulation. Its Double Wall construction blocks wind and traps heat to keep you warmer, plus it’s got Columbia’s Omni-Heat Infinity thermal-reflective pattern on the inside to increase heat retention and breathability. It zips to just above the chin, and the hood is sized just right to pull over a baseball cap or beanie. This is a great jacket to
Carhartt Women’s Rain Defender Loose Fit Lightweight Packable Anorak
This 3-ounce layering piece is perfect for the spring and fall days when Mother Nature gives you a little taste of everything. It’s light enough to pack in your shoulder bag when the sun comes out, and roomy enough to fit over your warm layers when the wind and rain start up, making it one of the best fishing jacket options. Available in 4 colors and sizes ranging from extra-small to 3XL, this anorak is built with the quality Carhartt is known for.
Duluth Trading Company Women’s Flexpedition Pull-On Slim Leg Pants
Imagine combining your most comfortable yoga pants and your favorite hiking pants and you’ll understand what Flexpedition pants have to offer. All the right stretch in all the right places, wide waistband with a high-cut back, combined with a water-repellant finish and 5 pockets for all your essentials. These lightweight pants can work alone on warmer days, or they work just as well under a tougher outer layer for the really wild weather days.
Free Fly Women’s Gridback Fleece Jacket
Free Fly Apparel has combined the coziness of fleece with the wind resistance of a shell layer to give us this highly functional and stylish jacket. The inside is high-loft fleece to keep you warm, zippered pockets keep your stuff where you put it, and 4-way stretch lets you move without restrictions. This lightweight jacket is thin enough to put under winter layers as well.
Grundéns Women’s Pisces Jacket
Grundéns has built a reputation for durable, functional fishing gear, and this new jacket hits the mark. The Pisces has a 3-point adjustable hood, adjustable cuffs, and it is breathable, waterproof and windproof. This piece of gear is going to last years, so make sure you wisely choose one of the 3 colors and 6 sizes available—you’re going to be wearing it for seasons to come.
Sitka Gear Jetstream Jacket
The Jetstream is Sitka Gear’s all-time best-selling jacket. This zippered hoody features GORE-TEX WINDSTOPPER to cut the wind, plus a DWR-treated outer fabric to repel light precipitation. The Jetstream is a great mid-layer during the shoulder seasons, and outer layer during summer. While it is not a rain jacket, it is windproof, breathable, and sheds light precipitation. It also has pit zips so you can ventilate on the long hike to the river. While it was designed as a hunting piece, we find it to be one of those pieces of gear that easily crosses over between hunting and fishing.
Sitka Ambient Jacket
This is a very versatile jacket that we wore in various settings in 2023. It’s plenty warm on its own, so it served as a top layer on more than one adventure. When conditions got colder and wetter, we moved it under a rainproof shell and it served perfectly in spring and fall excursions. Moving into hunting season, the jacket was used as one of several layers during active hunts and we found it performed really well during strenuous spot-and-stalk sessions. The key to the functionality of the jacket is the PrimaLoft Evolve insulation.
Duluth Trading Company Women’s AKHG Roadless Slim Leg Pants
These pants start with a solid 4-way-stretch double-weave nylon/spandex fabric with an odor protection treatment that offers UPF 50 protection, resists snags, and includes DWR protection against small spills and splashes. That fabric is worked into a comfortable, slim-leg pant, with 5 pockets: 2 front, 2 zippered in the back, and our favorite for keys and phone—zippered right-leg pocket. These pants are suitable for everything from a hike after work to a week in the woods.
Grundéns Buoy X GORE-TEX Anorak and Bib
This is a rugged, effective set of serious raingear made with heavy-duty 3-layer GORE-TEX fabric. The jacket is an Anorak, meaning it’s a pullover with a ¼ zipper. The hood fits relatively snugly over a baseball cap or beanie. The jacket has water-resistant, shingled neoprene cuffs with exterior Velcro adjustments; zippered, pass-through, microfleece-lined handwarmer pockets; a kill-switch anchor (for your outboard motor); and a zippered, drop-in chest pocket with low-point drainage. The outer fabric is 100% polyester with a texture similar to Cordura.
The jacket and the bib come in 3 colors. The bibs are just as tough as the jacket. Features include a front zipper, adjustable Grundéns suspenders, dual cargo pockets with heavy-duty snap closures, a tool pocket, zippered hand-warmer pockets, an elastic waist belt, and leg-length zippers on the outside of the legs. This set is among the toughest GORE-TEX raingear sets we’ve ever used and one of the best fishing jackets around.