Apologies, but Christmas.

I know, not even thanksgiving, and here I am talking about Christmas gifts. But these are presents FOR YOU!  Just leave this list, or a link to it, around where the present buyers in your life will find it, maybe with some stars on certain items.

My main goal here is to turn you on to some good stuff that I find useful on a daily basis, but also make gift giving a little easier.  Below are items that are mostly old school, tried and true well tested…by me.  Next week I have a few fancy new items.

First some smaller ticket items.

Let me say this first.  Really good socks. No one has enough.  Wool, thick, million degree below zero boot socks.

Overnight emergency safety pack. Super simple, take a space blanket, (shiny silver pocket sized thing, costs about 4 bucks) a small pack of waterproof matches, several fire starter sticks and some iodine tablets and either plastic wrap and then Zip Lock them, or, Vac pack them all together.  It may not seem like much but it can live in the bottom of any backpack and turn a bad spill in the river or a lost night in the woods into a much more comfortable, and survivable, situation.

A decent folding knife. My Mom gave me one a year ago, its been in the top pocket of my waders ever since.  I have used it to make PBJ, gut fish, repair my anchor line, fight off a bear…anyway a good knife is a great tool, they will use it all the time and think of you every time.  One I like is the Gerber para frame.  About $25.00 bucks and has all the features you need without being so expensive that they will feel awful when they loos it.

If the fisherman in your life likes to hike way back in the boonies a water filter is a great gift. Most are about the size of, and quite a bit lighter than, an average water bottle.  I have been rocking  an earlier version of the Katadyn hiker pro multi filter, worked great for me for the last 10 years or so.

Hot Food? Once again, if they like to hike, or have a drift boat or raft they float rivers in, here are three stove options I have used.  The MSR superfly, at about $60.00 bucks has worked great for me for years and is small enough to be a great back pack stove. If you are floating, the new classic is the Jetboil, for around $85.00 is a faster hotter higher capacity stove, a bit on the big side for backpacking but perfect in the boat.  However, if you are looking at the Jetboil, although its a good stove, for a bit more money you can get the MSR Reactor, in side by side tests it crushed the jetboil, but, all three are great little stoves stoves for heating soup, making coffee, cooking a bear you just killed with your folding knife, ect.

Hot soup saves the day, hey also, the tin cup in the photo, my wife bought me a set of these a few years ago, awesome, can’t break’em, can cook in them, and they are so thin they make great hand warmers when they are full of coffee.

So, you have your overnight emergency pack, your socks, your knife, your stove, your flask, (that’s right, a go anywhere booze container) what are you gonna put all this crap in?  How about a Simms dry creek backpack?  They make several models of this thing between $150 and $200.  It turns out its just the right tool for a northwest fisherman.

Another win from Simms, the Simms Waderwick Pants, Basically the worlds most awesome fleece sweat pants, slide right under your waders, warm, crazy comfortable and last far, far too long.  They are really a steal at $50.00  Here is the thing.  These will be appreciated because they are truly better than anything else I have ever worn under my waders.

Getting to the deluxe.

No, I am not being paid by Simms, but last year I got a pair of their G4 Zipper waders.  They are phenomenally fantastically expensive at $699.00.  They work.  They really, really work.  I break stuff.  I broke a boat with a 100 year warranty in 3 months.  I go through three pairs of waders every year.  Now, to my own amazement, almost 200 freakin fishing days after getting these waders, I have to say…they are worth the money.  The most comfortable durable easy to get on and off wader I have ever owned.  Simms just won the wader war.  DISCLAIMER!  Sooner or later, all waders leak, I will not send you a check if yours don’t last as long as mine, talk to your Simms dealer about the warranty. But if you want to buy some one the most awesome, ass kicking, holly shit I can’t believe you did this Christmas gift ever…this is one to look at.

So this is page one…Page two  will be along shortly.

 

Posted in Guided Fishing Deals and Specials, Winter Steelhead Fly Fishing Report | Tagged | 2 Comments

2 Responses to Apologies, but Christmas.

  1. Jeff says:

    Hey Jim,
    Have you used the dry creek backpack, and did you use the rolltop or the zippered one? I am leary of the zipper!
    Jeff

    • raincoastguides says:

      I have used the roll top, and thought it was cool, that’s the one I would like to buy but its always back ordered.
      JK

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