Sunday, April 29, 2012

Redington Sonic Pro Wading Jacket Review


























Into the 8th hour of our float on the Olympic Peninsula, it was pretty easy to say that this jacket is bombproof.

If there was ever a place to test rain gear, the Oly Penn is the place to do it.  In this years excursion to the land of Twilight and Sasquatches , we were treated to just about every form of liquid downfall..but mostly, it just poured on us in a rate I had previously never experienced.

I stayed 100% dry.

Brand new to the Redington lineup this year is their redesigned wading jacket.  OMR has the previous edition and lets say that I think they threw that old one away and started from scratch.

Smart Choice.

Here are the top 6 reasons to love this jacket.

1.  There's a billion pockets.  No, seriously....there's enough on this jacket to stow away so much gear you're going to forget what you put in there.  Nothing like finding a snickers bar a month later.  That's called a bonus

2.  It's Thick.  As in solid.  As in 4 layer construction.  As in blocks the crap out of the wind

3.  The Flask Pocket.  A bit of a addendum to the first one, but on the left inside, there's a pocket that I have to believe was specifically designed for a device that holds whipskey....

4.  The Waterproof Cuff.  When releasing a fish and your hands dunk into the water, the secondary bonus is that your sweatshirt or whatever you have on underneath stays dry.

5.  Sizing.  When they say it's a XXL, it is.   For a big dude, correct sizing is a must.  They really nailed this one

6.  No Stitches.  Yep.  Less opportunity for me to break, rip or tear it.  I do those things well.  Any guard against that is a damn good thing

The one negative--the hood
It's really, really big.  As in huge.  Expect some time trying to dial it in to fit your noggin.   According to Redington their design team is in the midst of fixing this issu.

The positives on this jacket are a mile long.  With the hood fixed, this jacket completely gets the Chucking Line and Chasing Tail stamp of approval. 


5 comments:

  1. Hey josh, bustin dice here. Nice review of a good lookin jacket. im gonna need a new one in next year, and i love jackets with to many pockets. I am a fan of the big hood.

    First of all, it makes the jacket multi purpose (i can wear a ski helmet under it) and it alsos you to wear a nice down or syntethic hooded lakey under it, without compressing the insulation to much.

    I also notice that the hood is extended, meaning it drops down past the collar, which is a great design feature in sideways wind because under the chin is always a point where moisture finds it way into a jacket. does it have pit zips!

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  2. i just bought one. i live in vancouver bc. i'm going to use this jacket for skiing and fishing. so the big head will fit my helmut

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  4. Just received this jacket. Yes hood is way to big. A smaller hood detachable hood would be PERFECT

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  5. I wore my Redington Jacket yesterday when hunting for pheasant. I was totally soaked after a half hour. This jacket seemed to wick moisture to my shirt I wore underneath. I bought this jacket last spring and had never worn it in rain until yesterday Wear a divers dry suit under it if you want to stay warm and dry. It says on the left chest pocket. "Waterproof and Breathable" bs. Bill

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