gill lightweight black rain jacket for men and women

When do you find out that your waterproof rain jacket isn’t waterproof any longer? Unfortunately, it takes a good soaking rain to make that realization. Our last trip to Panama was at the end of the rainy season, which meant that there was a chance it would rain, and potentially rain hard. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that you never go anywhere without proper rain gear, so I packed my green Marmot waterproof rain jacket that has been around the world. I hate being cold, but I also know that there’s a safety issue involved -- it is still possible to get hypothermia when it’s warm out.

On our first afternoon on the water, it began to drizzle, time to put my rain jacket on. Zipped it up, made sure the Velcro around the wrists was tight so no water would drip down and get my sleeves wet. I’ve been able to rely on the Marmot for that purpose for over a decade and didn’t expect it to fail now. After all, I’ve kept it clean and treated it appropriately. Unfortunately, while reeling in a nice size tuna I felt water rolling down my arm. Then my mid-section started getting cold. Bottom line: My waterproof rain jacket was soaking through. Even if you have a good rain jacket, eventually they need to be replaced. They’re expensive, so most of us wait until we have a failure of some kind.

Upon our arrival home I immediately went on a hunt for a new lightweight, waterproof rain jacket.

Should I look for the same jacket? It served me well all those years. How would I ever find the same jacket? The Marmot was good, but it wasn’t fishing-specific, so I checked to see if GILL, the maker of my Women’s Active Jacket (FG300JW), my heavy warm weather rain jacket, had a lightweight version.

After some research I decided not to get a female cut, but rather to acquire the men's small Pro Tournament 3-Layer jacket. It's their lightest weight jacket and features Gill's most breathable fabric. I have a friend that wears it during summer squalls in Florida and he says it's super comfortable, thanks to the 80%+ breathability.

After all I’ve done to find the best women’s fishing clothing you are probably asking why I chose the men’s jacket, so I am going to tell you. The technical features were just too good to pass up. Their Vortex hood technology keeps the hood in place when speeding down the water to get to your next fishing spot or high tailing it to cover. Both of my Gill jackets have adjustable cuffs, several pockets, but the higher rating on the waterproofness, breathability AND the orange zipper won me over in my decision to purchase the men’s version.

The only thing I was worried about was the actual fit of the jacket. Would it be too boxy? Too masculine? I’m a woman, I’m always second guessing my decisions. Well, I had nothing to worry about, the jacket is terrific, actually it tapers a little in the waist and I love the longer tail in the back so it protects your bum from the wet seat.

I’m excited to bring it on our next trip to Anglers Inn, Mexico, this January – first, because it will hopefully ward off the rain. Second, I can use it as my coat on the plane (remember, I am always cold but don’t need my heavy warm weather jacket, that is a little overkill). Third, the boat seats in the morning are usually wet from the dew so the tail will keep my shorts dry and finally, if I just want to pack it away it takes up minimal room (always need more room for tackle).

Why did I choose Gill? When I was looking for a women’s winter waterproof jacket and bibs Gill makes real women’s sizes – 2, 4, 6, 8 etc.. You could see that the jackets were tapered and the bibs had Velcro at the ankles just in case they were too long (normally everything is too long on me). I could be all bundled up but still look like a girl and not the little boy in the oversized (smallest size it came in) BPS red rainsuit that Pete used to have in the back of his boat.

I also chose Gill because of what they do to reduce their impact on the environment. They are committed to making their brand as sustainable as possible, reduce plastic from within their business and use all recyclable products. Actually, they have products made completely from recycled plastic bottles. Their down products use birds that have not been live plucked which gives me additional peace of mind.

Stay tuned for more reports on how it performs – I’m not wishing for heavy rain on our upcoming trips, but I feel confident that if we encounter any I won’t be unnecessarily cold or uncomfortable. Most importantly, if you’re going to fish seriously in a variety of climates, invest in both lightweight and heavier rain gear. It’s more important and more versatile than any rod, reel or lure.