Description
The Simms Bulkley Insulated Jacket is built around a 2-layer GORE-TEX shell and PrimaLoft Silver insulation for cold-weather wading. It's designed for anglers who fish through snow, wind, and rain instead of waiting them out. The jacket takes its name from British Columbia's Bulkley River, where steelhead season means clear water, big fish, and cold, unpredictable weather.
Best For
This is a fall-through-spring jacket. The insulation makes it a solid choice for all seasons from fall to spring but obviously too warm for summer months. It shines in deep wading situations and steelhead or winter trout scenarios, where you're standing in cold current for hours and need warmth that doesn't quit. The hem features waterproof GORE-TEX inside and out to keep you drier in deep wading conditions. If you run hot or fish warm climates, look elsewhere.
Key Features
- Shingle Cuff Construction - This watertight cuff design prevents up-sleeve water migration every time you reach into the water. Anyone who has dunked an arm to land a fish and felt cold water run to the elbow knows why this matters.
- Targeted PrimaLoft Silver Insulation - The body gets 100g while the sleeves, hood, and collar get 60g. That puts the warmth where you need it most without turning your casting arm into a marshmallow.
- 3-Point Adjustable Storm Hood - The 3-panel hood uses a 3-point adjustable stretch cord to lock out the cold and rain. It works great worn over a hat, and the bonded brim holds its shape instead of collapsing in a downpour.
- Angler-Specific Pockets - You get 2 chest pockets and 2 zippered, micro-fleece lined hand-warming pockets, plus an interior mesh dump pocket and a zippered pocket on the upper right arm.
Why We Like It
The Bulkley earns its keep by doing one job extremely well: keeping you warm and dry in conditions that send most jackets packing. Articulated sleeves give you unrestricted casting motion, so the insulation never fights your stroke. The honest trade-off worth knowing: the exposed YKK center front zipper is water-resistant, not fully waterproof, though it's backed by an internal storm placket and a soft brush tricot zipper guard. The one upgrade that would make this jacket even better is a fully waterproof main zipper. It is a premium-priced piece, but for dedicated cold-water anglers, the warmth-to-protection balance justifies it.
Fabric / Material Composition
The shell is a 2-layer GORE-TEX laminate of 75D 100% polyester with a PFC-free DWR finish, fully seam-taped for 100% waterproof protection. Warmth comes from PrimaLoft Silver insulation, 100g through the body and 60g in the sleeves, hood, and collar, and it's lined with 100% recycled polyester 30D taffeta. The 75D face fabric is heavy enough to take the abuse of brush, boats, and boulders without feeling like armor.