Product Review. Frogg Toggs Anura Waders + Tekk Toad JKT. (non-sponsor)

Hi everyone!

A few weeks ago a some of you helped me through the decision taking process of buying a new pair of waders.

After a lot of browsing I came across an offer at one of the major outdoor outfitters, that I couldn't resist. The were giving a free wading jacket with the purchase of an specific pair of breathable waders. The brand was new to me but their website and a little research yielded what seemed to be a great reputation for the company.

So I went on an bought a brand new pair of Anura waders by Frogg Toggs. Their sizing charts were spot on and a big help when you're buying stuff from abroad. Shipping was free too and fast, to say the least.

At first sight the waders looked great. Nice box to accommodate both the chest highs and the jacket. The jacket even came with a sturdy plastic hanger and a stuff bag to fit it in. So far so good. I've never seen any Frogg Toggs product so I had no idea what they meant by "exclusive waterproof fabric" and I have to say my first feeling was of surprise. The wading jacket is made from a fabric that resembles exactly that being used to make surgeons clothing. However it's layered with a waterproof/breathable membrane that made it a little stiff to the hand. I was expecting some kind of polyester or nylon fabric laminated with a membrane but this stiff, porous fabric amused me. It seemed like a tough and resilient material so, bottom line I was pleased. Remember it was a gift!!!

Zippers are waterproof; front zipper has a double storm flap with snap closures; there's a rod holder feature that hides inside the jacket when not in use; Waist high pockets are HUGE; hand warmer pockets behind the bellowed chest pockets are a nice feature, although not lined.

Things that should be noted but don't represent an issue: They advertise a pocket for your tippet spools with dispenser, there's certainly a dispenser hole, but entrance to the pocket was no where to be found. Some thread tags from manufacturing stages are visible. A little more QC would be nice.

I went on and opened the bag the waders came in. A few tags hanged from the shoulder straps. When I saw the "Supplex" logo I was pleased. I've been a mountain climber for 20 years and since the introduction of gore-tex+supplex combination things were never the same. As I was getting into the waders I noticed the ergonomics were great and the wader fitted like any other fine technical garment. They hugged my thighs and legs and left room for movement. I raised my leg and placed my foot 2 feet above ground level and the waders didn't felt short of room. Knees are finely shaped so that you don't feel uncomfortable wearing them or moving around. The elastic belt is placed at the exact place you'd expect it to be. Although, I immediately realized the lack of some belt loops. The waders have two. One at each side of the back of your waist. It was clear that if you wore a knife holster or a camera holster , the belt will fell down if you unbuckled it.

The stocking feet come perfectly matched to human anatomy, I wear a US 7 street shoe size and the sizing chart stated that waders in size "small" would only fit up to US 8. I have to say it's perfectly right. They didn't felt cramped inside my wading boots as the previous neoprenes from Browning did. Frogg Toggs has made its homework, ergonomics wise that is.

You have 4 pockets on the chest area. One of which was holding the warranty card. A velvety hand warmer through-&-through pocket, a deep bellowed pocket in front of the hand warmer and the last being a zip closure pocket. The two top entry pockets are protected by a nice tab with a sturdy hoop&loop closure. Inside the waders there's a zip closure pocket for your celphone and other essentials that need extra protection from H2O. It's made from the same velvety fabric used for the hand warmer pocket, so your iphone or other delicate gadgets won't suffer from being inside.

The shoulder straps are wide, elasticized, have large buckles that match together and can be removed entirely by a hook&loop system in the back. Comfortable enough and with plenty of room to custom fit them. The waders have a draw cord that helps in sealing the upper torso and even adds to the comfort of the garment.

Knees are reinforced as well as the legs, the gravel guards fit perfectly over your boots and won't move from there. The seams are on the outside of the legs, which I think I read, helps to improve the durability of the waders. All in all they look like a fine piece of equipment just out of the box.

Being me, less than 24 hours later I was driving to a promising secluded area I had been planning to travel to for months. We had an extended weekend here in Colombia, due to independence day, so the odds were all in my favor. We are in the middle of the rainy season we call "invierno" (winter) so the timing was never better to get the new outfit through a rough testing. This place is located 10,000 feet high in the Andes, temperatures can drop to 0 deg Celsius during the day, with showers that will render most lesser waterproof equipment useless. Just my kind of game.

I decided to wear the jacket while I drove up there to see if the stiffness went away. So it did, at least in part. But the best part was that the fabric breathes a lot and my journey was comfortable as can be, wearing a wading jacket for 4 hours at 100 MPH inside a car with 2 other human beings and 200 Lbs worth of food, tents, sleeping bags... I never felt moist building inside the jacket nor did my back get wet.

As soon as we were at our camp site rain started falling and temperatures dove rapidly. I kept on unpacking our gear wearing jeans and my Tekk Toad jacket. It performed as advertised. At such altitudes wind gusts tend to force rain into moving sideways and most hoods just aren't shaped to such a task and you end up with your face all soaked up. This wasn't the case. Although I've used better hoods and my alpine parkas will make Frogg Toggs designers cry (even my 10 years old one) this jacket will keep you dry. From rain and sweat... Nice.

Next day we went fishing. Lots and lots of walking to get from one pool to the other, waist high wading in high waters (remember we are on our rainy season), the sun shone strong a few hours every day (that's life at high altitude, big weather changes in just a few minutes). To say the least, the 3 day test included any situation you'd find on any fishing journey.

Every night (I'd wear the waders from 7am 'till 8pm) I'd come back to camp to get off my waders being completely dry. The waders performed perfectly. Thanks to the ergonomics, the waders fit close to the body and that helps a lot when moving through fast water. My feet did not suffer any pain at the end of the day due to cramped stocking-feet. The hand warmer pocket its a big plus when fishing in cold weather. The waders perform great, are comfortable enough to wear them all day long, sturdy enough (or so it seems so far) and breathe so much, you will be dry even after 13 hours of walking and fishing.

The low downs are a few but none the less important. This kind of fabric get REALY cold, try to wear something underneath that will prevent you from feeling it. The first day I only wore long underwear and even though they're made of moist wicking polartec 100 I felt a little cold. Mostly on my right side that was receiving the cold, sideways running rain! The lack of at least another two belt loops makes it a pain in the ... to unbuckle the belt, should nature call. Even more if, like I was, you're using a swiss knife holder attached to it. The waders came with NO patch kit or any other means of field repairing aids. Get yourself a tube of aquaseal or the sort, and throw it into your chest pack. I've yet to use the waders a little more, but I have my doubts about the design of the gravel guards. I'll keep you posted on that one. The waders could benefit from some visible (don't know if it has it) reinforcement on the seat area. The tape on the seams could be a little wider.

As far a fishing wearing the jacket: It was so comfortable I wore it all day long, even when it wasn't raining. It didn't obstruct my casting; neoprene cuffs worked just fine keeping water out when I got my arm into the water; the hood stayed out of my way when not in use, even without holding it with the snap closure+tag provided for it. The jacket fits fine even if you're wearing a loaded chest pack (plus a little backpack. I use a 5-in-1) underneath!



Conclusions so far:

Frogg Toggs Anura Waders:

Will recommend: Absolutely.
Quality: 4/5 (No reinforcement on the seat area, seams tape could be wider, gravel guards could have a design issue)

MSRP: 179 U$ with a matching color/size Tekk Toad wading jacket.


Frogg Toggs Tekk Toad Wading Jacket:

Will recommend: Absolutely.
Quality: 4/5 (QC could be better. There are some thread tags showing. Design flaws include a tippet pocket that just does not work)

MSRP: Included Free with the purchase of a pair of Anura Waders.