Current best Ice fishing suit

Its been awhile since I last looked at ice suits. A buddy of mine is in need of a new suit this season and asked which ones were the Best. The last time I bought some, I got the striker Hardwater series and I really like those. Prior to that I had the original frabil snosuit and also really like that, Although they were really bulky. The last time I purchased I looked at the entire striker line and thought the Climate were just way to warm and bulky so I stepped down to the Hardwater. Not sure about clam or the new wind river brand. Just curious what all of you own. Lets hear the good and bad.

Alot will depend on his fishing style.

The Wind River suit that I got mid-winter is pretty nice. Well thought out and is very well-constructed. Customer service on a return was excellent. If you go this route, get your normal size. They run true to size.

I think “best” is a relative term and really cannot be defined, having said that… if you want a very light, very comfortable, yet very warm and dry suit, then keep the Striker Apex on your list.
It’s lined with Primaloft Gold and you only have to Google that to see the stuff is legit.
Yeah you will also pay for it too, but man it’s comfy and warm!

I’ve had Hardwater, Climate, and Predator and it’s easily the least bulky and lightweight, yet still keeps me plenty warm the entire season.

The hardwater set and the climate are the same arent they? Just the climate has the removable layer I believe. I have the hardwater and love it. Had 0 issues the last couple years fishing without a shack down well below 0.

I would stick with Striker.

Within the Striker lines, I would not want anything warmer than the Predator set with how I fish. I feel comfortable fishing outside down to the single digits without the jacket on and just a hoodie or a blackfish pullover. Maybe I am just old, but anything colder than single digits and I don’t care enough about fish to be outside of a portable.

I only use the jacket when I’m on an atv/snowmobile. If I upgrade my bibs or wear them out, I probably won’t even buy a new jacket. With the low use it looks brand new 4 or 5 years later.

I have the Striker hardwater and love it – Im a thin dude at 165 and 6 2 . My buddies love their Predator lines but they are bigger guys for sure . Run cold- Hardwater, run warm Predator. I will say , the hardwater gets bulky when its warm out . 40 degrees . Still one of the best outdoor fishing investments Ive made.

I have a climate suit. I too haven’t done any research on what’s out there now since I purchased this like 7 years ago.

Great suit and provides the best of both worlds with the ability to remove the liner or add it depending on your needs. They also have a camo pattern which can come in handy duck hunting.

Whatever your friends go with make it a floating suit. No reason not to

fishthumper wrote:

Its been awhile since I last looked at ice suits. A buddy of mine is in need of a new suit this season and asked which ones were the Best. The last time I bought some, I got the striker Hardwater series and I really like those. Prior to that I had the original frabil snosuit and also really like that, Although they were really bulky. The last time I purchased I looked at the entire striker line and thought the Climate were just way to warm and bulky so I stepped down to the Hardwater. Not sure about clam or the new wind river brand. Just curious what all of you own. Lets hear the good and bad.

Does he want/need it to float? If not there’s absolutely no reason to go with an “ice fishing” suit. They’re all garbage compared to equally priced clothing in other markets. This will be sure to ruffle some feathers

Deuces wrote:

Alot will depend on his fishing style.

He fishes about 100% outside on the open ice. Does a fair amount of running and gunning. He will also continue to fish even in some really cold weather. Down below 0 for sure.

3Rivers wrote:

I think “best” is a relative term and really cannot be defined, having said that… if you want a very light, very comfortable, yet very warm and dry suit, then keep the Striker Apex on your list.
It’s lined with Primaloft Gold and you only have to Google that to see the stuff is legit.
Yeah you will also pay for it too, but man it’s comfy and warm!

I’ve had Hardwater, Climate, and Predator and it’s easily the least bulky and lightweight, yet still keeps me plenty warm the entire season.

Thanks for the Info. on the Apex. They did not have them the last time I was looking and was worried thay may be rather bulky.

tswoboda wrote:

hey’re all garbage compared to equally priced clothing in other markets.

Care to offer any examples? Not saying you are wrong. Just cant think of any warm enough and water resistant enough for fishing outside in Temps down below 0

Simms Challenger bibs is the best known example but most insulated rain bibs work great. And a jacket doesn’t need to be waterproof for ice fishing so go with a heavyweight down or synthetic puffy. Infinitely more comfortable and mobile than ice suits.

Think theres probably plenty of warm stuff but the waterproof is the key.

JEREMY wrote:

Think theres probably plenty of warm stuff but the waterproof is the key.

Why does an ice fishing jacket that’s warm enough to use below 0 degrees need to be waterproof? Bibs yeah absolutely.

tswoboda wrote:

Simms Challenger bibs is the best known example but most insulated rain bibs work great. And a jacket doesn’t need to be waterproof for ice fishing so go with a heavyweight down or synthetic puffy. Infinitely more comfortable and mobile than ice suits.

Are they durable though? I have the uninsulated rain gear and if its anything like that Id imagine they would get torn to shreds on ice.

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JEREMY wrote:</div>
Think theres probably plenty of warm stuff but the waterproof is the key.

Why does an <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>ice fishing jacket that’s warm enough to use below 0 degrees need to be waterproof? Bibs yeah absolutely.

I’m in agreement with you. Lots of the ice suits are over priced. You can get a bad ass klim suit for the same price and it’ll be way nicer. Not bulky fully water proof and wind proof. Just not a float suit. I have a old climate suit that’s past retirement and last year I bought the wind riderr or what ever it was that’s nice and cheap and just as much quality as striker. Plenty of other sets that are way nicer then the ” ice suits ” but many guys have to have the ice suit. Which I did as well but not any more.

the [insert brand I have] suit is the best

/s

Youbetcha wrote:

Are they durable though? I have the uninsulated rain gear and if its anything like that Id imagine they would get torn to shreds on ice.

IDK I don’t own one. You could also try Helly Hansen or Grundens options. Every striker or other brand ice suit I’ve owned has had seems pop and other issues so can’t see durability being any worse. They’re not exactly high quality materials or construction. Marketing is where they really accel, and they do a dam good job at that

Lots of outdoor winter gear that is much better then a name brand ice suit. Explore outdoor winter work wear. Get away from fishing selection and you find higher quantity for less cash. Same with rain gear.

crappie55369 wrote:

Whatever your friends go with make it a floating suit. No reason not to

Completely agree. That is unless you only fish when there’s 3 feet of ice. But, then again, the DNR says no ice is safe…

I have a striker climate suit that is going on close to 10 years. While I like it the one thing I hate are the zippers in the pockets of the liner are terrible. I cut my hands on them ALL the time. Also the chest pocket is unusable unless you have child sized hands in the bibs.
Check into Piscifun suits. They look very well made and are like half the price.

I’ve have a striker set pushing 6 years old. Great suit but man is the new stuff spendy. I’ll be looking a different route when the bibs go, jacket should last a long time with how little I wear it.

Eskimo, Norfin, wind rider (even though I don’t know much about them) would be on my short list for research when the time comes.

Guess I was just thinking of the bibs.

I also bought the wind rider suit that bearcat mentioned based on his and at least one other person’s suggestion on here. I haven’t worn it ice fishing yet but it seems extremely nice and well made, especially for the price tag!!!

I have the Eskimo Legend (got it on a 60% off 2 years ago) so it was reasonably priced. My buddy has a Striker (not sure which one) and he liked my jacket better as it provided more movement. What I really like as one gets older in the ice suits is the padded knees. So much nicer when kneeling on the sharp ice.

I have both an insulated and uninsulated Simms challenger set of jackets and bibs. I have been more than happy with them. I still have an Frabill suit that was warm, but the jacket fell apart. The bibs were better. I also had the grey ice armor suit that I think clam made before they were clam. That suit was okay but did fall apart as well, just lasted longer than the Frabill.

Just like any other piece of clothing, you just need to try it on and see for yourself. Every year at the end of ice season, there are great deals on suits online, but I never want to order not knowing what they are like.

The wrong ice suit is going to make for a crappy day out on the ice. If it’s too heavy, too restrictive, too noisy, or just doesn’t fit well, you will hate it.

Go to the ice show and try them all on and make a decision there.

I want to thank Bearcat and Labdaddy. We try and make a really good product and offer it at a fair price. Which is why we offer a lifetime warranty on our gear. We are also a local company (we have a small office in St Paul right by the 494 launch if you want to stop by and try something on)

I normally just lurk, but we have been having some major issues with scammers on Facebook, so just wanted to throw this out there. If you see ads like the ones I attached please note that they are fake. We are getting 5-10 calls a day of people asking where their product is that have fallen for these. Honestly, these prices are below our cost. As you can see we have reported over 500 ads that have been created showcasing this.

Thanks
Robert
WindRider

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I have seen those ads like mad. Glad you are actively trying to get them taken down.