Fly Fishing Best of 2024 List: Tech Clothing - Favorites From a Year of Testing

I put a lot of fly fishing gear through its paces every year, and this list highlights the standouts. The clothes were tested in varied and sometimes harsh conditions. Just how we like to fish them.

Geared up for weather. / photo by Ken Baldwin

Grundens Fly Fishing Wading Jacket

Protecting myself from the elements of Alaska / photo by Rod Thurley/Alaska

Wind can be a issue when it comes to fly fishing, but rain should never be a problem, if you have the right clothing. The Grundens Portal Wading Jacket kept me on the river this last summer in Alaska during a downpour. When I'm on a fishing trip, the last place I want to be is indoors waiting for the rain to pass. The Grundens jacket kept me dry, and when layered over a puffy jacket, it kept me nice and warm. One thing the jacket has that I think is genius is hand warmer pockets that, on the inside, have closeable slots where you can reach through to your waders underneath. You don't have to unzip the jacket to access what's underneath. This jacket has a lot of well-thought-out ideas and is made like Grundens' other fishing gear, which is durable and made to take a beating.

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FORLOH Men's Reversible Hi-Loft Merino Wool Jacket

The Missouri River on a sunny but cold day. / photo by Jay D'Arpini/Montana

The FORLOH reversible jacket is made in the U.S.A. Not only is it made in the U.S.A, but everything about the jacket, down to the merino wool that serves as insulation, is sourced in America. Every step of the process that makes the jacket happen, happens domestically. We're talking product design to engineering and technology components, to raw goods sourcing and fabric creation, to garment cut and sew, printing, and distribution.

The jacket’s insulation is Hi-Loft Merino Wool. It has exceptional warmth-to-weight ratio, temperature regulation, moisture management, odor resistance, durability, and it will keep you warm even when wet. I learned a long time ago while guiding in Alaska that wool is the way to go in outdoor clothing. 

I wore the jacket in Montana while fly fishing the Missouri River. The day's weather progressed from cold to windy, then rain, back to windy, sunny, and finally warm. The wool insulation kept my body temperature consistent. That evening I reversed the jacket to its dressy side and wore it out to dinner.

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Anetik ULTRAGUIDE HOODED Long Sleeve

Finally, a hoodie with enough pockets. / photo by Rod Thurley/Alaska

The Anetik ULTRAGUIDE hoodie is the fishiest of the fishing hoodies I have ever worn. It's got pockets on top of pockets. Plus it buttons down the front so you can use the front of the hoody as one big pocket. This allows me to carry most of what I need without bags and packs when I'm wading. It is well vented, loose, and made with comfortable material that dries quickly. But it's those pockets that makes it the fishiest.

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Grundens Bering Fleece Pro Vest 

The Grundens Bering Fleece Vest. Great for layering, or just kicking around town. / photo provided by Grundens

The Grundens Bering Fleece Pro Vest is a thin vest with a chest pocket and side pockets. I wore it as an outer layer in my layering system. The pockets come in handy to carry fly fishing tools, fly boxes, my phone, and for warming up my hands. This vest teamed up with a long sleeve wool shirt allows me to go without a jacket on most days. I like the vest so much that I wear it when I'm just kicking around town on cool days.

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Levitate Men's Forager Fleece Shirt

Recycled Micro-fleece for the win / photo provided by Levitate

The Levitate Men's Forager Fleece isn't 'technically" a technical shirt, but it is one of my favorite pieces of clothing I tested this year. Wear it when it's a cool to cold day on the river, while splitting wood prepping for winter, in camp at the end of the day, around the cabin, or just because. I've tested it in all these scenarios and it's a true pleasure to wear. It has button snaps for closure, thick soft recycled micro-fleece, and hand warmer side pockets. The only negative is I have to fight my wife for it because she wants it as a lounge around the house shirt for cold nights.

More Fly Fishing Gear To Come

These are just some of the pieces of gear I tested this last year. I'll feature some fly rods, reels, packs and other gear that stood out for me in upcoming articles. Comfort and quality can be a big assist in the outdoors, especially when nature challenges you with her many changing moods. KB

“The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

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The gear reviewed in this article was provided to me at no cost for evaluation. The views and assessments presented are my own.