The Kokatat Tempest Pants let you weather the storm, no matter the season. Photo: Ric Burnley
The Kokatat Tempest Pants let you weather the storm, no matter the season.

I’ve been through the cycle: neoprene waders, breathable waders and paddling pants. But since I discovered Kokatat’s breathable Gore-Tex Tempest paddling pants, the cycle has stopped.

I’m a wimp. I don’t like to be wet or cold. I wear my paddling pants late into spring and start in early fall. To stay dry when it is warm and cold, I need a pair of pants that is windproof, waterproof, breathable and warm. Impossible? Not with the right pants.

First, I like the pants more than waders.

To begin, the Tempest pants have Gore-Tex from toe to waist. From the waist up, the pants use a neoprene waistband with a hook-and-loop belt that secures the pants and provides back support. This gives me waterproof, breathable Gore-Tex where I need it and comfortable, stretchy neoprene around the mid-section.

Pants move easily and they don’t bunch up. Also, wader suspenders will pull down on your shoulders all day causing fatigue and stretching the wader fabric. Sitting in a kayak, I don’t need the full-chest protection of waders. Since my feet aren’t in the water all day, I don’t need the neoprene socks on most stocking-foot waders. Tempest has Gore-Tex socks that fit in a pair of water shoes. Wearing the paddling pants and a pair of water-draining athletic shoes is as comfortable as my favorite pair of jeans, yet I’m fully protected if I get out and drag my kayak across a bar or through the mud.

Which is why I like wearing my paddling pants as long as possible.

I can get off work, change my shirt, throw on my paddling pants and hit the water. Keeping water, mud, salt, sand and grime off my clothes is key to making them last longer. And I wear the Tempest more than I wear my favorite jeans. Fishing a few nights a week allows me to put them to the test and the factory-taped seams will not leak.

Kokatat Gore-Tex Tempest paddling pants offer three-season protection.

In late winter and early fall, I’ll wear a pair of breathable sun pants beneath the Tempests. In the winter, I stack a breathable and lofty base layer, lofty mid layer with calf-length lofty socks under my Tempest pants.

Fish like these pants, too.

I’ve wrestled everything from big drum to cobia and striper in these pants without taking a spine or tooth.

At the end of the day, I rinse the pants with freshwater and dry in a cool place. When the outsides are dry, I turn the pants inside out and let them hang a few days to dry the inside. To store the pants, I wrap the neoprene waist over a clothes hanger and let the pants hang.

When the weather turns nasty, I pair the pants with a Kokatat Gore-Tex Full Zip jacket. The jacket has felt lined pockets that spoil my cold hands. The cuffs are Lycra with adjustable openings to keep water from dripping down my paddle into my jacket. My favorite feature is the arm pocket that stays open for my cell phone or .mp3 player when I have on my PFD.

Anglers looking for more protection from splashes and unintentional dismounts, the Tempest pant mate with the Tempest pull-over semi-dry top for a system that protects almost as well as a single-piece dry suit.

When it comes to staying comfortable in the kayak, nothing beats a nice pair of paddling pants. Kokatat’s Gore-Tex Tempest are light, breathable, comfortable, wind resistant and waterproof. Not impossible.

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