HUK Professional Sequence Bib and Jacket Assessment

Dangerous climate doesn’t cease the work. It doesn’t cease the fish from biting both. Whether or not you’re stringing traces within the area after a protracted winter or casting into icy Montana rivers earlier than the runoff hits, the chilly doesn’t care. Neither does the rain, the wind, or the occasional frozen combine that pelts your face sideways.

That’s the place the HUK Professional Sequence Jacket and Bib combo steps in. Designed to take the worst of spring’s unpredictable temper swings, this set claims to ship rugged waterproof safety with sufficient breathability and mobility to maintain you dry with out turning right into a human sauna. However does it really reside as much as that promise? My testers acquired it muddy, soaked, and floor into the gravel to search out out.

In brief: The HUK Professional Sequence Jacket and Bib combo is a critical weatherproof system that shines in chilly, moist situations. It saved GearJunkie testers heat and dry via spring storms and early-season fieldwork with out limiting motion. For those who want dependable safety and are prepared to pay for it, this equipment is value a glance.

HUK Professional Sequence Jacket Options

The HUK Professional Sequence Jacket is constructed to be greater than a rain protect. It’s geared up for utility and luxury on the water, within the area, or on the job.

Let’s begin up high. The hood is absolutely adjustable and designed with a stiffened brim to shed rain off your face as a substitute of funneling it down your collar. It cinches snugly with toggles, and when zipped up absolutely, the excessive storm collar reaches previous your chin to dam wind and wetness. That collar alone makes an enormous distinction on freezing mornings when the wind is slicing throughout open fields or riverbanks.

Transferring down, the primary entrance zipper is a YKK Aquaguard, which is each waterproof and smooth-operating. It’s backed with a draft flap on the within for a bit of additional wind safety, although an exterior storm flap would’ve been a greater addition. The underarm vents unzip to let warmth escape whenever you’re hauling gear or working arduous, they usually’re generously sized for actual airflow.

Sleeves function hook-and-loop adjustable cuffs with a rubberized grip tab that’s simple to seize, even with gloves on. You may cinch them tight to maintain water from creeping in, or loosen them whenever you want extra mobility.

Tons of Storage

Pockets are all over the place and nicely thought out. Two zippered hand pockets sit at a pure angle for resting or warming fingers, with waterproof zips that preserve contents dry.

The 2 chest pockets are vertically zippered and roomy sufficient for telephones, instruments, or a mid-morning snack bar. Inside, there’s one inner pocket with a smooth lining that matches a telephone or pockets with out bouncing round.

All zipper pulls are outsized with grippy tabs, so that you gained’t need to combat them with chilly fingers.

There are not any flashy extras, however what it does have is constructed for the true world — clear design, no pointless flaps or fringe, simply pure perform.

HUK Professional Sequence Bib

The HUK Professional Sequence Bibs are designed like a second pores and skin for depressing situations. They trip excessive on the chest and include a wholesome record of options made to maintain you dry, heat, and transferring.

First up, the match. The bibs use elastic shoulder straps with vast, quick-release buckles. They don’t dig into your shoulders, they usually stretch sufficient to maneuver with you rather than pulling tight whenever you bend or twist.

The side-entry zippers run from ankle to thigh, making them simple to slide on and off over boots. These zippers are waterproof and backed with storm flaps to maintain water out even when the rain’s blowing sideways.

Rugged Articulation

HUK strengthened the knee panels with harder cloth to deal with fixed kneeling, squatting, and friction from gritty surfaces. They aren’t padded, however they do maintain up towards tough terrain with out carrying via. Articulated seams on the knees assist keep mobility as a substitute of turning your legs into stovepipes.

For pockets, you’ve acquired two zippered hand pockets at hip stage which are angled and roomy sufficient for gloves, instruments, or your frozen fingers. HUK added a 3rd utility pocket on the thigh with a flap and Velcro, sized to carry pliers, a multitool, or a smartphone. There’s additionally a small inner pocket on the chest, good for stashing your license, keys, or one thing you don’t need to dig for later.

On the higher chest, you’ll additionally discover a D-ring attachment level constructed into the bib. It’s good for clipping on a kill change lanyard, gloves, or any instrument you need quick entry to with out rummaging. There’s no scarcity of attachment factors, which makes this bib set purposeful whether or not you’re on a fishing boat, working a job web site, or only a gear nerd who likes to clip issues.

The underside hem has boot gaiters inside that tighten right down to preserve water and particles from sneaking up your legs. They’re tucked out of the way in which whenever you don’t want them, however they’re there whenever you do.

Actual-World HUK Professional Sequence Assessment: Rivers, Rain, and Utility Poles

My tester ran the HUK Professional Sequence Bib and Jacket combo via a basic Montana spring, which is to say: all 4 seasons, usually in the identical day.

The jacket and bib each put in some arduous work throughout chilly, pre-runoff fishing journeys the place the rivers have been chilly, the air was sharp, and the wind had tooth. One significantly tough day concerned a loaded-down canoe and a storm that introduced sideways rain and gusts robust sufficient to make paddling laughable.

By means of all of it, the Professional Sequence gear stayed locked in. There have been no leaks, no drafts, and no restriction of motion, even whereas seated and rowing in a decent hull.

The jacket and bibs even made an look lakeside when a tiger musky journey become a monsoon.

The jacket and bib combo held their very own when the spray flew off the bow and rain dumped down like somebody was emptying buckets from the treetops. Even in sub-freezing temperatures, layered with only a hoodie and base layer beneath, our tester stayed dry and heat with out the clammy, sweatbox impact that often comes from waterproof gear underneath heavy effort.

However fishing was not the one proving floor.

Blue Collar Gear?

Our tester additionally works as a lineman. Meaning climbing poles, repairing storm-damaged traces, and crawling via a number of the nastiest situations nature and damaged infrastructure can throw at you.

These bibs and jacket turned his go-to work gear, not by plan, however as a result of they held up higher than anticipated. Between the freezing mornings, moist brush, and lengthy days repairing winter’s wreckage, the HUK Professional Sequence gear proved it’s made for extra than simply anglers.

The bibs took fixed kneeling on gravel, brush, and dirt with out criticism. The articulated knees didn’t bind when climbing. The excessive minimize saved out snowmelt and slush, and the pockets stood as much as being full of instruments, gloves, and multiple sandwich.

This jacket by no means let water in and dried rapidly after hours in rain and snow. Even after weeks of tough use, no seams failed, no zippers jammed, and the material by no means gave up.

Sturdiness-wise, it’s field-proven now. This set isn’t just made for fishing. It’s robust sufficient for one of the crucial bodily demanding jobs on the market. If it might deal with a spring’s value of utility work, it’s going to survive your backcountry weekend.

The place This Gear Shines

The HUK Professional Sequence set holds as much as climate in a method that makes it really feel like armor, however with out locking you right into a stiff shell. It balances waterproof safety with breathable consolation, which is a troublesome factor to drag off. The match permits for layering with out turning into cumbersome, and it doesn’t trip up or sag whenever you’re transferring.

The strengthened areas take abuse with out criticism, and all of the zippers and seams really feel sturdy and tight. Whether or not you’re casting or crouching, nothing pulls, tugs, or binds. The storm collar and hood design additionally blocks wind higher than most jackets on this class.

The place the HUK Professional Sequence Can Enhance

Match is all the time one of many largest quirks. It runs a bit comfortable, particularly in case you plan to layer up thick beneath. Anybody between sizes ought to take into account sizing up. For those who aren’t battling sub-zero temps, your regular measurement shall be simply advantageous.

The bibs may additionally profit from greater handwarmer pockets for when your jacket is unzipped or layered over a hoodie.

Who Wants This Gear (And Who In all probability Doesn’t)

This jacket and bib set targets individuals who refuse to attend for honest climate. It’s for individuals who work and recreate exterior, irrespective of the forecast.

For those who’re a information, hardcore early-season angler, cold-weather industrial angler, a wet-weather roughneck, or simply somebody who refuses to name it quits when the climate turns, the HUK Professional Sequence will ship the sort of efficiency you want.

Offshore crews, crab boat fingers, and industrial deck employees will even discover loads to love right here. The set is constructed to outlive fixed publicity to wind, rain, and abuse. In case your job means hauling gear within the chilly, getting blasted by wave spray, or working lengthy hours in brutal situations, this gear will maintain the road.

Weekend warriors or informal anglers may discover it overbuilt for his or her wants. For professionals or critical outdoorsmen, it’s a stable funding in staying dry and purposeful when situations go sideways.

Or, in case you simply hate being moist and are prepared to put money into one set of hardcore raingear that can final your lifetime, it is a completely good possibility for a sturdy foul-weather equipment.

Backside Line: Value It if You’re Value Your Salt

The HUK Professional Sequence Jacket and Bib combo isn’t a flashy, look-good-at-the-dock setup. It’s constructed for individuals who work within the rain, fish within the chilly, and don’t cancel plans due to climate. This set holds its personal when the forecast appears to be like depressing, and it does so with out weighing you down or locking you right into a stiff, plastic-feeling shell. It truly is shockingly comfy for rain gear.

It’s not low-cost, no query. At $500 per piece, it is a critical funding for most individuals. However it’s the sort of gear that earns its preserve quick in case you spend your days exterior, particularly in tough, moist situations. From industrial deckhands to linemen and early-season anglers, it’s made for people who want their gear to work as arduous as they do.