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[milo]

Since all the ethical river fishermen stayed home today due to adverse river conditions, I thought it would be a good idea to finally submit my experience and thoughts on a product I have been using for a while now. I wanted to put the waders through some real-life situations before I say anything pro or con. I've had the jacket for two full seasons and I couldn't be happier. The fit is great, it's comfy to wear, has the right number of water-proof pockets in the right places, hand warmers, snuggly fitting adjustable wrist cuffs, it has a nice wide hood, Frogg Toggs proprietary Dripore 2 repels water very nicely, and it breaths as well as, or perhaps even better than, Gortex. It is much thinner, though, and as a result, much lighter to wear and pack, so I'm not sure it is a jacket that a hard-core steelheader would want to wear on below zero days. All that said, it is a perfect wading jacket for spring, summer and early to mid-fall.
What about the waders? Those I only got this year, at the very beginning of the salmon season. Upon meeting me on the river, a few of you asked me to comment on the waders, but like I said earlier, I wanted to put them through some challenges first.
I have since been out about a dozen times, every time in a different setting and different weather conditions. Yesterday's downpour on the Cheak was the last test. I stood for several hours in cold water in the pounding rain twitching for coho. No issues.
A few weeks back I was fishing the Vedder canal waist deep or hours on end in heavy rain without any discomfort. With the right layers and good wool socks, water temps and the rain were not an issue in spite of the neoprene booties being only 4 mm thick.
I bushwacked in them, I slid down the grassy slopes of the canal, I sat in them, drove from river to river in them, bent them and stretched them in every possible way, and I even got a big hook in my knee when I stood in the way of my buddy Tadpole's backcast. Good thing he meticulously de-barbs his hooks.
So far, so good. There are no leaks, they breath beautifully, and the built-in wading belt makes it easy and quick to pull up and down when mother nature calls.
So, are they the perfect low-to-mid budget-yet- high performance breathable waders?
Yes, except for one thing, and it's a biggie.
The spot where the booty attaches to the wader leg is VERY narrow. Excessively so. Sure enough, I'm a big guy with chunky ankles, but no other breathable waders I ever owned (Bare, Simms) had that issue. I have to push through quite hard to get my foot inside the n. 13 neoprene booty. But the real problem is pulling the foot out. It is quite the chore, and I have to pull at the seam so hard in order to get my foot out that I am sure it will sooner or later compromise the material and a leak will develop. Besides, we all know how gratifying it is to take the wading boots and waders off after a long day of fishing - it should never be a chore!  Frogg-Toggs should look into this and make the ankle seams wider in their next generation waders. Also, the built-in gravel guards are also excessively narrow. So narrow in fact that I can't cover my boots all around. I'm tempted to just cut off the gravel guards and use the the velcro-attachable guards I still have from my old Bare Blackwaters.
If you are a guy with slim ankles, this issue might not be a big deal, but if you are thick in the ankles, you might want to try the waders on first before buying.
The sizing chart is quite accurate, with the XXL size fitting my 6'4", 280# frame very nicely, with room to spare for all necessary layers. For shorter stocky guys, there is the "stout" option in every size.
Conclusions: Frogg Toggs Pilot 2 waders are a great option if you are looking for a second pair of waders to wear in addition to your heavy-duty Gortex primary pair. They are also a great option for the slim-ankled, fair weather, occasional angler. But they are in no way a substitute for a pair of Simms Guide 3 or 4 or Patagonia Gallegos heavy-duty sets for guys who put 30+ days on the water per season.
So that would be all. If I have missed a detail or you have some specific questions regarding this waders and jacket, feel free to ask. I'll be more than happy to get back to you.

Last, but not least, the coho didn't seem to have anything against my waders. In fact, they were quite cooperative every time I was wearing them this season.

[spoiler]

thanks Milo!

[Knnn]

great right up.  Appreciate the time and effort you put into the review. 

[Aki]

Thanks for the review...

[Flybob]

Thanks for the report, 6’4” 215 , XXL ? Or XL ?
Sounds like a great back up pair....
Did you buy new boots as well ?

[milo]

Thanks for the report, 6’4” 215 , XXL ? Or XL ?
Sounds like a great back up pair....
Did you buy new boots as well ?

You are welcome guys. It's my pleasure.
As to your question Flybob...definitely go with XL. It'll fit you like a glove.

My boots are the old model William Joseph W2O.
They are so bloody comfy that I bought two pairs years ago (a size 12 and a size 13). I've had the felt sole reattached a couple of times on each, but other than that, they are still going strong. Feels like fishing in runners. 

[stsfisher]

Thanks for the report, 6’4” 215 , XXL ? Or XL ?
Sounds like a great back up pair....
Did you buy new boots as well ?

I'm 6'2" 240lbs - XXL:  fit good with plenty of length and room in the waist
My buddy 6' ish 190lbs- XL: looks like the same fit for him.

[clarki]

Only the very observant web user will notice that:
1) Milo has advertised his non-successful jig patterns in his cap. If they were successful, they would be on the end of his line, and not his cap.
2) The wild coho in the top pic was remarkably transformed into a hatch coho in the bottom with no evidence of the ragged edges you would expect from a riverside clip job. No doubt his clipping skills were finely honed in crafting the unsuccessful jigs on his cap.

[milo]

Only the very observant web user will notice that:
1) Milo has advertised his non-successful jig patterns in his cap. If they were successful, they would be on the end of his line, and not his cap.
2) The wild coho in the top pic was remarkably transformed into a hatch coho in the bottom with no evidence of the ragged edges you would expect from a riverside clip job. No doubt his clipping skills were finely honed in crafting the unsuccessful jigs on his cap.

LOL! Good one clarki.

Actually, all the jigs caught fish at some point.
I find that changing jigs (every 10 casts or so), significantly improves the odds of getting a strike from otherwise spooky or stale fish. Just like changing flies often does.

[bigsnag]

Great info Milo,  it's post like this(hello, Stratocaster's on Simms/Patagonia) that makes this site GREAT.

Nice fish BTW!

[RalphH]

I owned a couple pair of off brand breathables (Columbia and Chota) before I bought Simms. Big problem with getting the feet off! I literally had to peel the waders down to my ankles and tug them off at the ankle and toe.  It was easier getting out of near skin tight neoprenes.I don't know if that issue is endemic with Asian made breathables or why. I do notice that like the waders I had that problem, Milo's Frogg-Toggs don't have stretchy neoprene gravel guards.

Based on Milo's review I am glad I decided to stick with waders of established quality.

[zap brannigan]

my pilot 2's have about 3-4 tubes of aqua seal on them been chasing leaks constanly their dri pore material seems to break up easily around the crotch knees and ankles basically anywhere that moves, my second pair, I had the original pilots and quality wise they were much better, the 2's seemed liked they were cheaper made.

[Fish Assassin]

Only the very observant web user will notice that:
1) Milo has advertised his non-successful jig patterns in his cap. If they were successful, they would be on the end of his line, and not his cap.
2) The wild coho in the top pic was remarkably transformed into a hatch coho in the bottom with no evidence of the ragged edges you would expect from a riverside clip job. No doubt his clipping skills were finely honed in crafting the unsuccessful jigs on his cap.

Not to mentioned that the wild coho magically transformed into a steelhead.

[milo]

Not to mentioned that the wild coho magically transformed into a steelhead.

ROTFLMAO! FA, you kill me!