Ben Hudson – “Blue Collar Bassin’”
TheBassCast.com
“The Huk All Weather Suit”
An honest review from a blue-collar angler
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Huk has jumped into the lead as one of the most well-known and popular fishing apparel brands around. With major sponsors like Kevin Van Dam and Brandon Palaniuk, and some pretty dope colors and patterns, it’s no wonder Huk has caught the eyes of many tournament anglers. Their quality seems to speak for itself for the most part, as well as their infamous fairly steep prices. There is one product Huk makes that has always caught my eye in particular and been an interest to me; The Huk All Weather Suit.
As an angler who fishes cold weather, and at times EXTREMELY cold weather, this product was the first to catch my attention. Seeing Brandon Palaniuk wear it in the snow fishing in frigid conditions peaked my curiosity even further, so I decided to break down and try the product for myself and write my own review of the supposed “all weather” clothing.
The biggest hesitation I had for trying the All Weather Suit was its steep price point. The product retails on Huk’s website for $224.99 for the jacket and $224.99 for the bibs, so obviously it’s not cheap for the recreational angler. Huk also makes a NEXT LEVEL All Weather suit which retails for $349.99 for the bibs and $349.99 for the matching jacket. I have NOT purchased or used the NEXT LEVEL suit yet. So for the sake of this review, I am only going to be referring to the original All Weather Suit, which I purchased and tested for myself.
The first thing I noticed when I received my All Weather Suit was that it definitely seemed like high quality, with a lot of thought and attention to detail. The straps on the bibs and stitching attaching them seemed very strong and thick, it seemed like there would be no worries of rips for a very long time at least. The zippers are also well thought out, you can tell by just zipping them that they are 100% water proof and there are no worries of getting wet. Being 100% waterproof was not much of a worry for me with this suit honestly, as you can check out a video on YouTube of a guy wearing the suit and being sprayed with a garden hose and still staying completely dry.
My biggest concern buying this suit was this: Will it keep me warm all day outside in temperatures less than 30 degrees?
The suit and bibs are VERY thin. They are definitely not insulated. So as an angler who fishes in the winter, this was a big concern for me. I decided to put it to the test and go out in the cold on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia with just the suit and some warm under layers. I wore thermal pants and a thermal shirt under it, along with just blue jeans and a hoodie under the suit and bibs. Surprisingly, I stayed fairly warm out in the Virginia cold, morning temps in mid-20’s, rising to the low 50’s, heading back to the upper 30’s at the end of the day! The biggest thing about this suit is that it is 100% windproof; Huk does not exaggerate about that. Going 65mph+ down the lake in my boat, I did not feel the wind at all against me and that kept me warm by just keeping the air out. My biggest complaint would be with the hood on the jacket. While on plane with the boat and the hood pulled up and strapped around my face, it felt like it was putting a lot of pressure on my face and was fairly uncomfortable, so I would suggest using something different for the boat ride to keep your face warm. The biggest upside of these bibs compared to my heavier thermal suit and ice fishing bibs/jacket is that it is so MUCH lighter and easier to move around in. The suit has elastic-type material that makes it very comfortable to bend over and move in compared to other thick insulated clothing.
While I stayed warm riding in the boat, I did begin to get a slight chill by the end of the day out in the frigid weather. This wasn’t bad, but scared me a little considering it was only around 32 degrees that day and I fish in elements lower than that at times. Braving these temps in my ice fishing bibs/jacket, I did not experience cold due to the insulation.
Overall, the Huk All Weather bib is a high quality product and definitely more comfortable than any other bibs/jacket I have worn and tried. Its high price tag makes it difficult to justify, but if you’re not concerned about money and looking for the best, I would say this suit is it! If you intend to use the suit for cold weather, I would suggest ordering a size bigger to compensate for wearing heavy jackets and layers under it (which you will need). I am 6’3” and 240lbs and XL was not big enough, I need the XXL to compensate for the clothing underneath.
I love this suit, it’s just hard to justify considering the price. I plan to keep wearing it in all weather, just as the name says… A storm, hurricane, snow, hail, you name it. However, when the weather gets extremely cold, less than 30 degrees, and I have to be outside fishing a tournament all day, I might keep my ice fishing suit handy for those temperatures. That’s my experience, but you be the judge! If you have any questions for me about the suit feel free to contact me on Instagram @Ben_Hudson_Fishing.
Tight Lines!
Ben Hudson
“Blue Collar Bassin’”
TheBassCast.com