Field Testing Notes and Feeback on the RS Outpost Jacket
We do a lot of cold weather fishing. Winter can be great here in Montana, and Skwala’s founder and CEO, Kevin Sloan, is a life-long steelhead junkie. Heck, we named our company after a fly that often hatches through April snowstorms. Building a better cold-weather fishing jacket, one that lives up to Skwala’s reputation, was always our plan. It took a couple years, but the RS Outpost is finally here—an insulated, fully-waterproof fly fishing jacket unlike anything you’ve ever worn before.
Every company says that, right? Every new product gets marketed as a “game-changer,” but what separates genuine information from hype? Skwala works to earn your trust by making high quality gear and standing behind our products, but we also understand that you can’t just take our word for it, and we don’t expect you to.
We gave RS Outpost Jackets to three of the fishiest, most discerning anglers we know and asked them to give us their honest, unvarnished opinions.
Pierce Oja owns Wet Net Outfitters in Livingston, Montana where the wind blows almost every day of the year, but especially through the cold winter. He also hosts trips to exceptional destinations all over the place.
Jake Pappas owns Yellowstone Fly Fishing Co. in Gardiner, Montana, which is one of the least hospitable places to spend a winter, unless you’re wearing the right clothes.
Cameron Davenport is the Director of Eleven Angling, the fishing division of Eleven Experiences. They operate lodges and host adventure travel across the globe, and Cameron is constantly on the road exploring new rivers, often in challenging conditions.
None of these people are on the Skwala payroll. They are not Skwala Ambassadors. We didn’t even cover their bar tabs. The following are their honest, uninfluenced opinions about the RS Outpost Jacket, though we did edit them for length and clarity.
Field Testing
Cameron:
“I took The RS Outpost Jacket to Iceland in June, and it was snowing the entire time. We had an arctic storm bearing down on us—basically a hurricane with snow. The RS Outpost saved me. I slept in it when the heat went out in our trailer. I was living in it, fishing in it, working in it. We got stuck at one point, and it took us three and a half hours to dig out of the snowbank. The fishing was great though. I mean, the weather was cold and miserable, but the fishing was still really good.”
Pierce:
“I took the RS Outpost on a late fall trip to Iceland to fish for Atlantic salmon. The jacket was the most important piece of kit I took over there, maybe short of my waders and boots. This coat handled it all. Whether it was a bright, sunny, 55-degree day or it was snowing sideways with wind whipping and 70% humidity, the coat kept me at a very comfortable temperature.”
Versatility
Pierce:
“It’s an all-in-one jacket. It'll keep you dry, but it'll also keep you warm. We've all worn the big conventional heavy rain shells. Yes, they keep you dry, and yes, they're a necessary evil, but this is just a more comfortable, better version of what you're used to. This is your base layer, your warming layer, and your raincoat all in one. In terms of traveling, that's a pretty neat little unit that doesn't take up as much space in your bag.”
Cameron:
“Frankly, it allowed me to simplify, which is really what I want to do—take as little as possible to be as comfortable as possible but also be able to fish in an appropriate fashion versus just being restricted.”
Jake:
“This jacket replaces unnecessary bulky layers with a single jacket. I'm blown away by the warmth and light weight of this jacket. It's the only cold weather fishing jacket you'll ever need. You no longer need a layering system with a wading jacket over the top.”
Pierce:
“Prior to getting the RS Outpost, if I was packing to fish in weather that ranged from just above freezing to 45 degrees with precipitation in the mix, I would've worn some sort of base layer, followed with some sort of hoodie—maybe a fleece or a flannel—then a puffy jacket. Once I look like the Michelin man, then on goes the rain shell. Like Randy from a Christmas story, I'd walk out to the river with my arms firmly affixed at 90-degree angles, and I would proceed to cast. With this coat, I put on a Thermo 350 top, the RS Outpost, and I go fishing.”
Cameron:
“A good buddy of mine and another one of our guides in Iceland had on a base layer, a mid-layer, an Icelandic wool sweatshirt, a vest, an insulated puffy, and a rain jacket. I wore the Thermo 150 and the RS Outpost jacket, and I was comfortable. Watching him move around I thought, “Man, you're having to work through your equipment, because you've got to use so much of that to actually keep yourself warm and dry.” And I was looking at it as no big deal.”
When to Wear the RS Outpost
Pierce:
“I pack the RS Outpost with me every day; that coat lives in my drift boat. Cool morning, getting rods rigged up, throw that coat on for five, 10 minutes, finish up your admin duties, dump the boat, peel it off, roll it right back into the hood, and shove it under your seat.
“This is the coat that is going to save your day when it's cold and miserable and you've really got those terrible fishing conditions, but the fish are eating. It's not a day to hang out in a bar, it's a day to go fishing. It's a pretty rare day that I can point out a piece of equipment and say, that right there will catch you more fish just by virtue of keeping you more comfortable.”
Cameron:
“I have that piece with me all the time, because I want something that's waterproof but also insulated. I want to be as simplified as possible when I'm traveling but also when I'm just moving from a lodge to a truck or boat. I want to take as little as possible but know that I'm going to be warm, I'm going to be dry, and I'm going to be comfortable throughout the entire day.
“When the dude in the front of the boat at two o'clock in the afternoon's like, “Oh, I'm getting a little cold.” You're like, “Not me, man. I'm still good. We can keep fishing for another five hours.”
Jake:
“The RS outpost jacket is my go-to cold weather jacket. It's perfect for swinging the Yellowstone in colder temps, end of season guide days, early morning long runs looking for stripers in Long Island Sound at the end of the fall. It’s the first jacket in my boat and really the only one needed.
Booking a trip late season can provide the best fishing with typically not a lot of other boats around. Clients are always worried about cold temps; you will not be cold in this jacket, and you'll be comfortable all day.”
Features
Cameron:
“The thing that surprised me most with the RS Outpost jacket was the stretch. Everybody talks about stretch and articulation, you hear that all the time, but then actually taking it out and experiencing the jacket in a fishing setting—the stretch was phenomenal, a complete game changer. It changes the way you move through your day. Especially the fact that it stretched and had appropriate insulation, it's the first insulated rain jacket I've ever put on that I would call legitimately insulated. A lot of the jackets on the market have a little bit of insulation here and there, but you still have to layer pretty heavily underneath. The RS jacket gives you that capability to layer if you need to, but it allows you to be pretty comfortable in most environments.”
Pierce:
Another feature of this coat that I think anglers will appreciate is the fit of the cuff. It's a good firm cuff that provides a relatively strong seal against the water. So, when you tail that big 96-centimeter Atlantic salmon and you're sitting there admiring this fish getting ready to release it, you don't have water clear up to your elbow. It's stopping right there at your wrist.”
Cameron:
“The other thing that I really liked about the RS Outpost Jacket; it's streamlined. It's super minimal. It's not a bunch of [stuff] you don't need. You're minimal on your pockets, you're minimal on your zippers, but your zipper locations are exactly where they need to be.”
Pierce:
“I’m a sucker for soft, cozy pockets on a cold day, and this coat has them—no abrasive shell material on the backs of your cold hands. That's a must have in any wading jacket. The other feature I truly enjoyed was the hood. With other hooded fishing jackets, you get tunnel vision: Boat behind me, don't see it. Fish eating over here, don't see em’. Bear over here, don't see him. All I see is straight in front of me, which is probably good because most coats aren't going to keep you as warm as this, and the only place you want to be looking is downstream toward the bar.”
Jake:
“Big pockets for fly boxes, warm hand pockets, hood that stays on in the wind or fast runs, tab for forceps for easy access while guiding. Eliminates the need for two or more jackets or layers, then a wading jacket over the top. The mobility for rowing or casting with just one single jacket is insane, while still providing enough water proofing and warmth for below freezing days, rain, or snow.”
Final Thoughts, Guys?
Cameron:
“The Outpost is going to change the way you build out your daily kit. You're going to think about your layering system differently. You're going to think about what you're taking in the boat differently, because this piece is genuinely insulated, waterproof, and actually stretches, so it won’t restrict your casting stroke.”
Jake:
“The jacket doesn't feel like you're wearing a big puffy but is somehow way warmer. It’s the most comfortable cold weather fishing jacket ever made.”
Pierce:
“I own a tremendous number of coats. I would give them all back just to own this one particular coat. I have owned equipment from all the other major brands, and nobody has a better mission and better equipment than Skwala Fishing.”
Images courtesy: Eleven Angling, Wet Net Outfitters, and Skwala Fishing.