Jacket, computer, wading boots...
Is it just me, or is there a pattern emerging? 
Meh. "First World Problems." Could be having a lot worse problems than this.
Interesting thread! I like Simms for waders/boots and haven't tried their jackets, instead I've really enjoyed Fishing Shell Jackets (lighter waterproof jackets). These shells will sometimes come with the nice fishing extras (velcro, waterproof zippers, clips, etc) and are usually around $150-$200. Keep in mind, with the shells you'll need a sweater or something underneath to match the weather. Anyway, it might be a good alternative for those who can't drop $600 on a jacket. I've found these jackets have lasted me many many years.
I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest Rapala fan but their Fishing Shell has been great thus far (almost 2 years): https://rapala.fishing/products/interface-rain-jacket. I use it on the river, work and socially now. 
I looked at this jacket at Dart and Tackle before I bought the G3. The Rapala jacket looks nice and has good reviews but IMO the pockets are not suitable for fishing, at least for me. I hate wearing a vest and prefer to stuff most of my stuff in my jacket cargo pockets, rear cargo giant pocket, and waist pack. Personally I don't like the hiking/rain style jackets with tiny pockets. I guess if your jacket is just to keep you dry and you stuff all your crap elsewhere then this system would work well.
I still quite like my G3 jacket but it does concern me that it is not holding up that well after less than 2 years. I have already fixed the magnets myself and will restitch the Velcro myself when it shreds apart (again) to the point of being unusable.
Unless Simms steps up and offers me some sort of compensation for their botched repair job and leaving me hanging to fix the jacket on my own, I will never - EVER - buy another Simms product again short of a hat or tshirt etc. Certainly never another jacket or waders, boots, etc. I don't mind paying top buck for good stuff, but if it fails and is clearly a defect in materials or workmanship I expect to be treated well and for the company to make it right. Simms has had a very nonchalant attitude about this from the beginning, and I feel they are going to keep giving me generic responses to my emails until I just give up and stop pestering them.
By contrast I recently had an issue with the Korkers boots I got for xmas. After a few trips out 3 of the rivets that secure the eyelet to the boot came off the boot
After the awful experience with Simms customer service I dreaded contacting Korkers. I figured they would want me to mail the boots in for an evaluation, get the run around, and so on. NOPE! First they admitted yup there was a bad run of those boots and the loose rivets is a known issue. They did ask for a few pictures and after that said they would be sending me a new pair of boots ASAP at no charge. All they asked is when I receive them I destroy the current pair by cutting the tongues out, and send them a pic of this as proof. Now that is good customer service!
Seems most waders, jackets, boots etc are now made in China or SE Asia. By and large the quality is still fine, but "lemons" and bad batches do pass quality control. It happens. It's how the manufacturer deals with these claims that makes me want to buy their stuff again. Seems Simms still wants top buck for their gear but does not stand behind it when warranty issues arise.
You have lost my business Simms.
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Topic: Simms Rant (Read 41959 times)