What are you wearing under there? (continued)
Fly Fishing Layering Apparel
By Scott Clayton

Middle (warmth) Layer

Simms Guide Bib
Price: $129.95

Made with PolartecÆ Power StretchÆ fleece. The non-pilling nylon exterior resists abrasion. The soft velour pile interior wicks perspiration. It features a zippered mesh chest pocket, a full-length front two-way zipper and stirrups.

The Guide Bib will work as a light warmth layer on days that are not too cold. The two-way front zipper added a little convenience but, for me, the one piece was limiting and restrictive. In order to get down to business I had to shed all layering above the Guide Bib, unzip it, and fold it down. This left me quite exposed. It was also difficult to adjust the upper body layer, once I got down to the Guide Bib I couldn't remove just the top.

The Guide Bib is thin enough that I usually needed more warmth layers. As a personal preference I like the flexibility two pieces offer for this layer.

Contact Simms at (406) 585-3557 or on the Internet at http://www.simmsfishing.com.

Sportif Tamarac Trail Pullover and Mesa Peak Pant (now Tamarac Trail Pant)
Top Price: $60
Pant Price: $67

Made from 100% polyester MicroÆ 100 fleece with velour face. The pullover features a zip mock neck. The pants feature an elasticized waistband, back inset zippered pocket, on-seam side pockets and side calf zippers.

The Tamarac Trail and Mesa Peak are basic fleece. They have a loose, comfortable fit and added a nice warm layer that is very flexible. Because the Mesa Peak pant has side hand pockets I often wore them as an outer layer while traveling to and from fishing spots. While fishing they make a good warmth layer. I like the zipper on the Tamarac Trail top, it allowed some nice ventilation.

At $127 ($60 + $67) this combination provides good warmth and versatility. The first few outings the pants shed quite a bit onto the seat of my truck. This was common for most fleece I wore as outer layers but still worth mentioning. This set will also work well for casual use.

Contact Sportif at (800) 776-7843 or on the Internet at http://www.sportif.com.

Columbia Omni-Therm Stretch Pullover
Price: $68

Made from polyester/lycra spandex fleece. It features a zip mock neck.

The Omni-Therm Stretch pullover has a contoured fit. It stretches to provide comfort while fitting snugly. It is the best looking fleece pullover I tried, with sporty stitching around the neck. The zippered mock neck is nice, however zipped all the way up it was a little tight around my neck. It was easy to adjust the zipper for comfort.

The Omni-Therm Stretch pullover is a good thin middle layer, that provides good warmth. It works well for fishing and Winter outdoor activities and looks good for casual use.

Contact Columbia at (503) 286-3676 or on the Internet at http://www.columbia.com.

Columbia Yuma Pant
Price: N/A (discontinued)

Made from 100% polyester fleece. It features an elasticized waistband and a back inset zippered pocket.

The Yuma pant is a basic thin fleece pant. No hand pockets, but they do have a zippered back pocket. They have a snug contoured fit, and as such are best suited as an under layer. They are comfortable and work well with other layering.

Contact Columbia at (503) 286-3676 or on the Internet at http://www.columbia.com.

Columbia Zermatt Vest
Price: N/A (discontinued)

Made from 100% polyester fleece. It features a full-length center front zipper and two hand pockets.

Of all the fleece layering I tried the Zermatt vest was my favorite. It adds a significant amount of warmth without adding much bulk. It is a nice option while fishing because too many layers on the arms can make casting uncomfortable.

I ended up wearing this vest everywhere. I highly recommend a thin fleece vest, like the Zermatt, for cold weather fishing and Winter outdoor activities, as well as casual use.

Contact Columbia at (503) 286-3676 or on the Internet at http://www.columbia.com.

Helly Hansen Prostretch Zip Tee and Prostretch Tight
Top Price: $80.00
Pant Price: $70.00

Made from non-pilling micro-denier prostretch fleece. The Zip Tee features a zip mock neck.

As the name implies the Prostretch Tight fit very snugly. They stretch to allow maximum comfort while holding a contoured fit. The Prostretch Tight works well to add warmth when needed, I wore both layers of Lifa underwear under them and they still fit comfortably. The Prostretch could also serve as a base layer providing a nice level of warmth by itself.

The top is form fitting and stretches to provide comfort. The zippered neck provides good ventilation when needed.

Contact Helly Hansen at (425) 883-8823 or on the Internet at http://www.hellyhansen.com.

Helly Hansen Mountain Jacket and Propile Pant
Top Price: $115.00
Pant Price: $75.00

Made from 3-mm PropileÆ. The Mountain jacket features a full-length center front zipper, two zippered hand pockets and a zippered chest pocket. The pants feature an adjustable drawcord elastic waistband and on-seam side pockets.

The Propile pant is very soft to the touch. It has a loose comfortable fit and I commonly wore it as an outer layer while traveling. I usually wore the pants while float tubing in cold weather, they make a nice buffer between me and the seat of my tube.

The Mountain jacket has a loose comfortable fit. The X-Large I tried was a little long in the waist and sleeves, but the extra space was nice when wearing both layers of Lifa underwear and the Prostretch Zip Tee under it. It is soft to the touch and has a nice number of pockets. The jacket worked great on those extra cold days as the air temperature dipped below 40 degrees. It also works well as a casual outer layer.

Contact Helly Hansen at (425) 883-8823 or on the Internet at http://www.hellyhansen.com.

Helly Hansen Challenge Jacket
Price: $80.00

Made from non-pilling profleece. It features a full-length center front zipper, and two front zippered pockets.

The Challenge jacket has a loose comfortable fit, similar to the Mountain jacket. It also was a little long in the waist and arms, it wouldn't hurt to try one on when choosing the right size for you. It provided a good level of warmth that helped keep me fishing on those extra cold days. The Challenge jacket is the sportiest looking fleece jacket I tried. I would definitely use it for casual wear around town.

Contact Helly Hansen at (425) 883-8823 or on the Internet at http://www.hellyhansen.com.

Base Layer

All the base layers I tried did an excellent job wicking moisture away from my body and provided a good level of warmth. I recommend them all. Personal preferences may help sway your decision as each manufacturer has made subtle differences to distinguish their product, from stirrups and zippers to stripes and price.

Simms BiPolar Underwear (Zip Top and Pant)
Top Price: $43.95
Pant Price: $39.95

Mid-weight, plaited construction with pill-resistant, polyester jersey face and brushed back. They both feature stretchy, quick-drying fabric with PolartecÆ next-to-skin wicking and odor-fighting treatment. The pants feature a fly and stirrups.

The BiPolar underwear has a comfortable snug fit. The pants have stirrups, which are nice when adding other layers because they stay down around your ankles instead of bunching up around your calf. I did notice that while wearing the Guide Bib, which has stirrups, and the BiPolar underwear, that two layers of stirrups on the feet were uncomfortable. I liked the zippered top, it was nice to be able to unzip it if I needed to cool down a little.

Contact Simms at (406) 585-3557 or on the Internet at http://www.simmsfishing.com.

Columbia Omni-Dry Underwear, 4-Way Stretch (Crew and Bottom)
Top Price: $33.00
Pant Price: $33.00

Made from polyester/lycra spandex. Major seams are flat seamed. They are low pill and the crew features a radial sleeve.

The 4-Way Stretch underwear has a comfortable snug fit. They are snug around the ankles which helps mitigate bunching up around the calf when adding other layers, but this doesn't work as well as stirrups. They are lightweight, stretch well, and provide a good first layer. Depending on the weather they work well alone or do a good job combined with a midweight base layer.

Contact Columbia at (503) 286-3676 or on the Internet at http://www.columbia.com.

Columbia Omni-Dry Underwear, Bi-Component/Mid-Weight (Henley and Bottom)
Top Price: $31.00
Pant Price: $24.00

The Bi-Component/Mid-Weight underwear is made using a two layer, bi-component thermal barrier construction. The outer layer is 80% polyester and 20% wool. The inner layer is 100% polyester.

The Bi-Component underwear has a comfortable snug fit. They are thicker than the 4-Way Stretch underwear and work well alone or combined with a lightweight base layer to provide excellent wicking and warmth. The top has three buttons which is nice for ventilation. They fit snug around the ankles but will, like the 4-Way Stretch underwear, slightly bunch up when adding more layers.

Contact Columbia at (503) 286-3676 or on the Internet at http://www.columbia.com.

Helly Hansen LifaÆ Lightweight (Crew and Pant)
Top Price: $26.00
Pant Price: $26.00

Made from 100% polypropylene. The crew features striped accents on shoulders and sleeves and knit cuffs. The pants feature an elastic waistband, front gusset with fly opening and knit cuffs.

These are the most comfortable lightweight underwear I tried. They do an excellent job of stretching to make the snug fit feel comfortable. They have sporty stripes down the sleeves, which are a nice touch but, for me, wouldn?t be a buying decision. The combination of the lightweight and midweight Lifa is the most comfortable I tried. The price and comfort make this my favorite for lightweight base layer.

Contact Helly Hansen at (425) 883-8823 or on the Internet at http://www.hellyhansen.com.

Helly Hansen LifaÆ Midweight (Crew and Pant)
Top Price: $26.00
Pant Price: $31.00

Made from 100% polypropylene. The crew features striped accents on shoulders and sleeves and knit cuffs. The pants feature an elastic waistband, front gusset with fly opening and knit cuffs.

Like the lightweight Lifa the midweight Lifa underwear is very comfortable. They fit snugly and stretch well to provide maximum comfort. They work well alone and are also very comfortable when combined with the lightweight Lifa to provide an heavy duty base layer. The price and comfort make them my favorite for midweight base layer.

Contact Helly Hansen at (425) 883-8823 or on the Internet at http://www.hellyhansen.com.

Summary:
The outer layer is probably the most important layer, especially when looking for comfort. While fly fishing specific jackets are nice, I found the versatile jackets I tried were more economical because I didn't need to have multiple jackets, one for fishing and one for other sports or casual use. Since I keep all my gear in a chest pack, the lack of pocket space in the more versatile jackets wasn't an issue for me. For cold weather fishing I'd go with the Columbia McConnaughy jacket, for year round use I preferred the Helly Hansen Packable II or the Sportif Granite Peak.

Of all the layers I tried, breathable waders were the toughest to choose, mostly because my favorites are so expensive. The Simms Guide Model get a slight edge in comfort because they are lighter and not as stiff below the knees. On the other hand, Bean's Kevlar waders have built-in gravel guards, Kevlar reinforced lower legs, and Gore-Tex stretch stocking-feet which, if you're concerned about, can easily be protected by a $20 pair of neoprene socks. Plus L.L. Bean has their customer satisfaction guarantee. Once I got over the sticker shock I never looked back, I won't be wearing neoprene waders anytime soon.

While outdoors in less than favorable conditions wet usually means cold, but dry does not always mean warm. Water can soak your outer layer and still not penetrate, thus creating a cold sensation around the spot that is soaked. Water beading up, instead of soaking the fabric, will help prevent this kind of cold sensation. Most waders and jackets will bead water when you first get them, but after extended use, they may need to be re-treated with a DWR (durable water repellant, like NikWax) to restore the fabric's ability to bead up water.

The middle layer is the layer I had the least experience with, but it was very noticeable when I didn't have enough. I preferred a light weight fleece with the option of adding a heavy weight piece when needed. I usually added a heavy weight bottom while float tubing in water colder than 45 degrees. The air temperature had to be pretty cold to add the heavy weight fleece top but without that option I wouldn't have been as comfortable. In fact, when I started field testing, the heavy weight fleece layer was the most noticeable layer I was missing. For the middle layer I'd start with the Helly Hansen Prostretch Tight and either the Helly Hansen Prostretch Zip Tee or the Columbia Omni-Therm Stretch pullover. For really cold weather I'd add the Helly Hansen Propile pant and the Helly Hansen Challenge jacket. No matter what the weather I'd always carry the Columbia Zermatt vest.

The base layer is critical for wicking moisture away from your body. I usually preferred a light or a mid weight underwear. And on really cold days, I would wear both. The ability to go light or slightly heavier on top or bottom was always a great option. If the base layer doesn't transport moisture away from your body you'll get cold from the inside out. Helly Hansen's lightweight and midweight Lifa are tough to beat as a base layer.

Looking back, this list looks long and adding everything up, is quite expensive. My suggestion is to focus on one piece at a time and accumulate one or two every year. I recommend, where possible, apparel that can cross-over to other activities or casual wear. This will help decrease the economic burden. You won't regret this investment when you are able to catch more fish because you can stay on the water longer. As I always tell my sons, you can't catch any fish if your fly isn't in the water.

Cold Weather Tips:
On really cold days it helps to periodically get out of the water. While float tubing a tube that lets you sit higher out of the water, or even a pontoon boat, where you're only in the water up to your knees, will help you stay warmer, fish longer and be safer in cold weather.

Always carry a extra dry layer. When fleece gets wet it stays wet. While it will still keep you warm when it is wet, fleece is much more comfortable dry.

Scott Clayton is the Fly Fishing Editor at GearReview.com.

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