Patagonia River Salt Jacket - Men's reviews and deals for sale

Should have bought one earlier!

In all my years of fly fishing, I never bought a dedicated wading jacket and never really thought I was missing out. I would just pair my waders with whatever waterproof shell I had at the time and it worked fine. I now realize I did not know what I was missing. This jacket is burly. Thick and tough but supple and quiet at the same time. At 6'2" and 200 lbs. I ordered the large… read more and am satisfied with the fit. With a down layer underneath and the jacket over my waders, it feels snug and streamlined but not binding in any way. By itself, there is plenty of room. I have long arms and this jacket feels like a good fit and the wrist gaskets are fantastic paired with the right gloves. This makes a waterproof barrier that will keep you dry and warm and doesn't bind up, forcing you to adjust the velcro and glove over and over. The pockets are pretty low profile and minimal. This works well for me as I do not like having a lot of stuff like fly boxes and bulky items up high in chest pockets. If you are someone who wants to put a lot of fly boxes or bulky items in these pockets, I would suggest sizing up or getting a different jacket. I really cannot recommend this jacket enough and all of my previous experiences with Patagonia products have been that they last a long time with care and that their customer service is fantastic.

This is my second review

I had the last riversalt jacket I use it for offshore fishing I gave it 1 star all the zippers corroded. Patagonia ended up giving me a new jacket. It seems they have upgraded the zippers and fix some issues that people were having. I’ve used it 4 times in heavy seas So far so good. Patagonia is a 5 star company in my book. I had the last jacket for a few years and they… read more traded it out with no hassle. I really like the new design. I’m 6’3 200lbs and the xtra large fits good.

If you fish saltwater don’t buy

First month had jacket front zipper failed sent back they fixed which was cool. Kept for year all zippers corroded Always used on boat to fish offshore. Didn’t expect this from Patagonia. They just need to call river jacket. No business using round salt water. Ended up buying Simms pro dry jacket and bibs.So far so good.

Nice jacket that needs a decent hood

I was in the market for a wading jacket and tried out the River Salt. Very nice jacket, but I ended up going with the Simms Guide. Here are my observations: -it runs large. I'm 5'11", 220, 46 jacket and the large was plenty big with enough room to layer underneath. -I really like the pocket layout. The zippers are easy to open with one hand and they are convenient. Also two… read more interior pockets for things like phone, keys etc. -there is a hemostat docking area on the chest. You can also easily install a couple of retractors there if so inclined. A nice feature. -the cuffs work well, but from prior experience with these neoprene cuffs, the velcro tabs will catch my fly line. The Simms design with the hidden velcro tabs is superior. - The cut of this jacket is a bit longer than the typical wading jacket. Which means it can easily be used as a jacket off the water without looking silly. Which also means you may not want to wade too deep with it. -The hood is too small. It barely fits over my head, let alone when wearing a ball cap. Really a fatal flaw IMO. With a better hood, I would have gone with this over the Simms Guide. But since the primary purpose of this jacket is to keep me dry, I had to pass. Not really sure what Patagonia was thinking here.

The durability you expect from Patagonia

First and foremost, I've owned the previous season jacket AND this one for quite a while now. There is virtually zero difference from what I can tell between the two. I have spoken with patagonia to get some clarification and they said that the spring 2016 version has a slightly heavier fabric but that it's not even really that noticeable. With that being said, this is the most… read more durable wading jacket I've ever owned. If you're going to match it with your downsweater or nanopuff, get the same size of your insulating layer. It's made to be layered. If you're looking to only use this jacket wet wading or for stormy summer months and won't be wearing any layers beneath, you should downsize. The hood is pretty snug to be honest and the rubberized cuffs are sort of a pain to take on and off. Also, if you're using every pocket as suggested, you'll end up with a tight fit to use your hand pockets which are situated high on the jacket. I have used this jacket at pyramid lake with brutal weather and I've also used it throughout Utah and Idaho and it's never leaked on me, it's comfortable, and looks excellent. PS- the hem is a little high as to accommodate a hip pack.