This Columbia pant has a partial elastic band in addition to wide belt loops. The pant comes with a thin-gauge nylon belt and Nifco polyoxymethylene (POM) buckle. Pockets are abundant and are all low profile. These include two front OMNI-WICK pockets, two back OMNI-WICK pockets, one left side (mid-leg) zippered pocket, and one right side (mid-leg) pocket. The convertible option allows for unzipping each pant-leg, offering a solution for shorts.

KEEP YOU COOL – When it comes to Florida heat and humidity, I look for a pair of these light weight nylon pants. It’s not just the heat and humidity either, I use these for staying out of the sun and for keeping bugs away. They have really become my go-to pant. Not sure how I stay so cool. I simply can’t imagine wearing anything thicker or heavier. Florida is really a place for shorts. If shorts are your thing, then you are also wearing sunscreen or bug juice. I can’t say I am into either of those, however would gladly wear these lightweight nylon pants to solve all the environmental challenges.

UPF 50+ – Columbia has constructed the pant with their UPF 50+ OMNI-SHADE sun protection. Not sure we need to say more on this.

DRY SUPER FAST – Columbia uses their OMNI-WICK fabric for pocket lining and such. This keeps water running off and away from the body. It works pretty well, keeping the air flowing between your skin and the pant material. After coming out of waist deep water on a hot breezy day, I can usually dry out within 45 minutes. If you towel off it’s even faster.

CONVERTIBLE – OPTION FOR SHORTS – This goes without saying. Nothing like removing the pant-leg to increase air flow. Always great to have this option. If you wish to increase air flow slightly in the legs, simply unzip each leg just a bit (maybe 30% or so).

SOFT TO THE TOUCH – I’m sure the lightweight rip-stop nylon has been softened by some process. Can’t put a finger on it, however there is a softness to the material that makes the pant comfortable at any point in the day, or night.

CLASSIC CUT/ STYLE – With relation to style, the pant has an active looking cut, somewhere balanced between sporty and casual. Not too baggy and not too tight. This allows options for dressing it up or keeping things casual.

GREAT COLORS – Columbia offers all the typical shades of grey, blue, and of course black. They also offer all the natural colors, from light creams, tans, and beige to rusts, browns, and greens. The colors are great for blending into the environment (i.e. Bonefish flats, arid deserts, dark forests, etc.). For fishing the flats and all, keep to the light natural colors.

SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT – For most of us in Florida, it’s great to have the option of wearing pants in year-round heat. Some may ask, why pants? More than anything, I think it comes down to keeping out of the sun and away from bugs (mosquitoes). What makes this pant an option is how lightweight they are, offering a way to keep cool in the heat.

EASY TO PACK – It must be the low profile, lightweight, nylon part of these which gives them such a minimal footprint. I think you could roll these up in something resembling the circumference of a French baguette. Perfect to pack for traveling where gear weight becomes a concern.

I suppose I am more of a critic than most – it might simply be my quest to find great gear with a balance of form and function. Following are a few challenges I encountered and how they were addressed.

[row][column size=’2/3′]
METAL HIGH-PROFILE BUTTON This particular pant comes with a high profile metal button. As the waistline of the pants takes on pressure, both sides of the zipper/ placket slightly pull against each other. This causes the button to twist, thus digging into your waistline. It’s an easy fix – carefully remove the metal button and replace with a 3/4″ button of choice. This will keep the waistline slim and allow it to lay nicely under a belt.

VELCRO FASTENING As most of us know, Velcro (hook-and-loop) fastening can be instrumental when securing gear quickly or in difficult environments. My only challenge comes when the hook-fastener shreds the material the loop-fastener is attached to. I will usually seam-rip (remove) the Velco and replace it with KAM snaps in some matching color. KAM snaps are made of polyoxymethylene (POM), are lightweight, and low profile. KAM snaps keep the surrounding material from deteriorating.

LIGHTLY STITCHED BACK POCKETS I found the stitching that secured both back pockets quickly wore away. I am sure siting on the boat, beach, rocks, benches, etc. had something to do with it. This is what pants are for, no? I reinforced my pockets with a slightly tougher thread.
[/column]

[column size=’1/3′]

Button Issue


Button Solution


Velcro Solution (KAM Snap)
[/column][/row]

The elastic band is challenged if you carry any weight in the pockets or simply get the pants wet. I’m sure the stock belt functions fair enough, however I use Patagonia’s nylon friction belt . Had it for years and works amazingly well.

Just a reminder for everyone, nylon melts. Keep away from anything burning (i.e. a flame, sparks, embers, etc.). Nylon will easily melt and stick to anything it’s touching.

MSRP for this pant has always been $60 USD, however on occasion you may find it for less on Amazon .

I currently have four pair of these and absolutely love how functional they are across the board. A cool, lightweight, fast drying, easy-to-pack pant that offers sun/ bug protection to boot, how much better can it get?

The Backcast nylon pant has an elastic waist band and poly draw-string for closure. I can’t say the small gauge draw-string could do much when the pants get wet, however I’m not going to wait and see. Great part of their design however is the fact they also come with belt loops. I always use a nylon Patagonia belt when out in the water. The belt not only works to keep wet pants up and secure, but also holds various fly-fishing tools (i.e. retractors, nippers, rag, etc.). This particular belt works nicely with the Backcast pant. In the beginning I had some discomfort, as the belt was pressing the draw-string into my hip bone. After I figured out the issue, I removed the draw-string indefinitely. If you want to try wearing the pants with a belt (without the drawstring), but think you may use the drawstring at a later time, here’s a tip: When pulling out the poly draw-string, tie a very thin nylon thread (sail thread) to it and pull it through. Secure the nylon thread to itself, so it won’t pull out when the pants are being used. This thread can be used to pull back in any other draw-string you wish to use at a later date.

Pockets are great as well! Both side pockets have wide openings. Columbia offers only one back pocket (right side) – this pocket has a zipper as seen in the image above. An additional vertical utility pocket is located adjacent to the right-hand pocket along the outside seam.

An inside poly mesh lining comes with this pant. The mesh is a huge contributor to drying out and keeping cool. When it comes to increased air flow or allowing sand to fall away, the mesh really adds to the pant’s functionality.

Surf Fishing

Light weight nylon pants work very well when in the surf. When fly-fishing in the surf, waves hitting your legs will often throw sand up into your shorts, making your walk home a little more uncomfortable. Great thing about wearing pants out in the surf is the fact you’re more protected.

Yak fishing

Columbia’s PFG Backcast Pant is perfect for kayaking, especially when your legs end up 90 degrees to the sun’s rays. Best you have boots, booties, or high-tops however, as the pants will come up a bit (exposing your ankles to the sun) when sitting/ paddling.

Colors & Sizes

Columbia’s PFG Backcast Pant comes in three colors: Fossil, Cypress, and Grill. In addition, the pants come in sizes ranging from Small to XX-Large with in-seams of 30, 32, and 34. For more information from Columbia, visit their PFG Backcast Pant web page.

Finding a Pair

Most fishing stores and retailers offering outdoor gear will have Columbia. West Marine and Bass Pro Shops will offer a sizable selection of Columbia gear. This particular pant is priced at $30 at most retailers and can be found on Amazon sometimes for $24!

Columbia also makes the PFG Backcast Pant in a “convertible” option. Meaning, you have the option to zip off the lower half of each leg to offer you instant shorts. Amazon also offers this convertible pant for a reasonable price.

I get asked quite often what my “go-to rig” includes. As I answer most questions with a post, I figured I would add a little more than simply what gear I choose to fish. I have a Sage/ Galvan 3-weight for packing high altitude, a Sage/ Hardy 6-weight for all freshwater, and a Sage/ Galvan 9-weight for all Saltwater applications. As this post is focused on saltwater, I’ll continue with my 9-weight rig.

Before designing or choosing a rig, it’s important to focus on a target fishery or an environment and set of species to fish. One fly-fishing rig won’t do it all, but it’s possible to get one rig to cover a lot of ground. In my case, I wanted my first rig to handle Bonefish, Permit, Snook, Redfish, small Tarpon, Barracuda, and the occasional Jacks, Dolphin (Mahi), Shark, etc. As the 8-weight rods are built more for the Bonefish, Jacks, Sea Trout, small Snook, and small Reds, I stepped up in rod weight. As 10-weight rods are built more for Permit, Tarpon, Barracuda, and the like, I figured I would step down a bit. I felt like a 9-weight would handle a little of everything. Reels quite often are designed for multiple line-weights. I ultimately chose a reel that would work for 9 and 10-weight rods/ lines.

In 1990, I stopped using free/ borrowed stuff and purchased my first rod/ reel. I purchased a Sage 590-2 LL G3, a 5-weight Light Line Graphite rod perfect for Western river fishing. I broke a tip here are there and Sage always sent me a new one for $20. Needless to say, Sage not only has a nice product, but also a solid life-time warranty service. From the 1990s forward, G Loomis has always been a major player in manufacturing solid fly-rods. G Loomis (Gary) now lends any new technology improvements and innovation to Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO). TFO has the best bang-for-the-buck rod hands down. Their BVK rods always sits at the top of the lists in expert reviews.

I currently fish with a Sage One, 990-4. It’s relatively light weight, feels like it has a lighter swing-weight, and still seems to offer me the distance and control I want in a rod. Two other rods which interest me at this time are the TFO BVK 9-weight 4-piece and the G Loomis NRX 1089-4 G. Some friends and numerous experts in the field say great things about both rods. I haven’t been able to get out and use either of them, however they most likely would be a second and third choice at this time.

As mentioned earlier, in 1990, I stopped using free/ borrowed stuff and purchased my first rod/ reel. I purchased a Sage 505L (manufactured by Hardy), a 5-weight reel specifically designed for light line applications. I loved this click-pawl reel in so many ways. The reel worked flawlessly and was tough as nails. As Hardy manufactured the reel for Sage, I credit Hardy with the grade of materials and craftsmanship. I still appreciate Hardy reels and keep a close eye on the Ultralite SDS line. In 1999, I purchased a Galvan OB-1, a 3-weight reel I paired with a 3-weight 7′-0″ packing rod. I was so impressed with how the reel worked for me, I chose to stay with Galvan when purchasing my saltwater set-up. I did look at Lampson, Redington, Sage, Ross, Nautilus, Tibor, Einarsson, Hatch, Taylor, and others, however loved the minimalist design, air flow, functionality, and price point of the Galvan Torque series. I find it interesting how other reel manufacturers are now coming up with similar minimalist designs. More manufacturers are realizing you can keep a reel structurally sound and have it perform well with mush less material. Wright/ McGill and Taylor are now using much less material in their reels. Einarsson (manufactured in Iceland) looks like they are building a great product with much less material as well.

I currently fish with a Galvan T-10 and really like how it performs. Second and third choice reels for me would be the Einarsson Invictus 10 and Taylor Revolution 10, respectively. Both Galvan and Taylor reels offer a bang-for-the-buck value – Einarsson may be considered pricey by most.

Before purchasing my first saltwater fly-line, I wasn’t able to shoot as much of the heavy line as I wanted. I wanted more hands-on time – time to feel more of the line characteristics and differences before having to commit to purchasing one line. After debating lines made by Airflow, Rio, Scientific Anglers, Royal Wulff, Cortland, and others, I settled on Rio’s Bonefish Quickshooter. Considering advice from numerous expert sources, one common denominator emerged – to use a weight-forward (WF) line with no more than a 35′ tapered head. This puts more of the mass out in the air and gives someone new an easier start with heavier lines. Quite a few lines offer 40′ and 45′ heads, however only one or two manufacturers offered the shorter more compact head. Rio offered two colors in this line, Aqua-Blue/ Sand and a Orange/ Sand. When beginning to fish saltwater, it is nice to have a high-vis line – makes it very easy to identify in air and in the water. Keep in mind, if it’s easier for you to identify your line, it’s easier for fish to identify it as well. Now after some time out on the water and knowing how heavier lines behave in this environment, I think I could appreciate a stealthier line. In retrospect, the Aqua-Blue/ Sand color option looks more appealing now. Keep in mind some manufactures make completely clear fly-lines while others make simply clear heads. For the experienced, a clear fly-line would be the ticket.

I currently fish with Rio’s Bonefish Quickshooter WF9F in Orange/ Sand. As mentioned earlier, the bright head is nice, however I find myself using longer leaders to sneak up on fish in skinny water.

There are several schools of thought when strategizing on how to build leaders. Some swear monofilament should be used to build the majority of leader, leaving fluorocarbon for the tippet only. Some say it’s more important to pay close attention to the “size” of your leader material, stepping it down in sections to allow for better transfer of line energy. Well, after some trial and error, I tend to agree with the later. Some argue the mono is more forgiving (better movement) vs. the fluoro being too stiff. I think the aerodynamics and mass of the line play a more important role.

Whether you believe in a mono or fluoro leader, the goal is the same when stepping down in size to the tippet. I begin with the diameter size at the end of my fly-line and slowly step it down (in diameter and strength) from there. I start with a 2′ butt-section 50#, a few feet of 40#, a few feet of 30#, and a fluoro tippet of 20# (or 16#, or 12#), depending on you’re requirement or target fish. If two connecting sections of leader differ in diameter too greatly, you may get “line-stacking” when casting. In other words, your fly-line and some of your leader may cast nicely, leaving your tippet to stack up in a coil on the water. Graduating your leader sections based on diameter should be heavily considered.

I carry three bracelet-coils of Berkley, Vanish, Fluorocarbon, Clear (50#, 40#, 30#) for leader material and two smaller spools of 20# and 15# for tippet material. The tippet material is always carried in my waist-pack when on or off the boat. Oh yes, one other consideration – always carry at least three (3) ready-to-go tapered fluorocarbon leaders in your waist pack. It is inevitable you will be a mile from the boat (or car) when the coral rips your leader in two. Carry these as a contingency. I carry three Rio Saltwater Fluoroflex Tapered Leaders in my waist pack.

[list]
[list_item]Rod: Sage One 990-4[/list_item]
[list_item]Reel: Galvan T-10[/list_item]
[list_item]Fly-Line: Rio Bonefish Quickshooter WF9F[/list_item]
[list_item]Backing: PowerPro, Braided, White, 30#[/list_item]
[list_item]Leader: Berkley, Vanish, Fluorocarbon (50#, 40#, 30#)[/list_item]
[list_item]Tippet: Berkley, Vanish, Fluorocarbon (20#, 15#)[/list_item]
[/list]

Over this last year, I’ve been in the market for a sun-hat. As typically done when looking for new gear, I start my research with on-line reviews and trips to local shops for a little hands-on assessment. Problem is, playing with it in the local fly-fishing shop isn’t going demonstrate much.

The challenge is finding a hat which fully protects you from the sun, keeps you cool, is offered in reasonable colors, is secure in high winds, stays intact after multiple washings, can fold up in the gear bag, and doesn’t look lame when wearing it.

After looking at more than eight of the most functional fly-fishing sun-hats available by many of the top manufacturers in the UPF garment industry, I settled on the Simms Solar Sombrero. For comparison purposes, this hat falls into the “floppy wide brim UPF packable” class of hats. Below are a few highlights on the hat’s functionality after several months of environmental impact.

Sun Protection – The hat truly offers a full 3″ brim. For intents and purposes, the brim sits completely horizontal, offing maximum shade from vertical sun.

Keeps You Cool – The hat is constructed from 100% super-light nylon – it has a very soft and airy nylon feel. Not sure how the top vents, but I stay cool through the hottest part of the day. The super-light nylon upper is nice, especially when I use the upper portion of my sun-hat to store the knot when tying/ securing my Coolibar UPF 50+ Bandana.

Offered in Reasonable Colors – At this time, the Solar Sombrero is offered in Light Grey, Gunmetal, and Tan. For comparison purposes, others may call these Taupe, Putty, and Beige. All colors are light and neutral and coordinate with other major manufacturers of UPF clothing (i.e. Columbia, Patagonia, ExOfficio, Under Armour, etc.). A nice feature on the hat is the black underside of the brim. This dark underside cuts down on additional glare reflecting from the surface of the water.

Secure in High Winds – Still amazed with how this hat holds on in high winds. Simms has built in several ways to secure this hat when worn. A soft elastic band will lightly secure the hat. For higher winds, an additional small gauge integrated bungee can be tightened to provide reasonable holding power. Simms does provide a well made chin-strap/ cord for those who prefer its functionality. If removing this strap/ cord is important (as I typically do), Simms made it very easy to remove. I use a different sort of leash all together.

Wearability – After researching quite a few UPF garments over the last year, I have noticed a common disclosure in the fine print on many manufacture’s tags. The UPF rating is often guaranteed for the life of the garment. Question is, who really defines the “life of the garment”? Most garment tags now state the garment life is defined as 35 washings, or so. We know the garment will last longer – manufacturers are only guaranteeing the UPF rating for up to a specified amount of washings. Remember, in most cases the UPF barrier is applied to the material, not necessarily inherent to the material.

Packability/ Collapsability – For those who love to ravel, having a hat which collapses or folds into tight spaces can be nice. This hat will not only pack completely flat, but will also fold up when needed. I like to keep the super-light foam brim flat – I feel it better maintains the integrity of the hat.

Design – So many hats on the market fluff up in the wind, are too flimsy, are too stiff, or simply look lame. Finding a hat with a progressive look and a design enhanced by its functionality was an added value. After using it for several months, I still find it is the best looking sun protection out there.

Cost – Last but not least, the Solar Sombrero comes in at under $30. If a fly-shop is charging more than $30, they are gouging. Many on-line resources will have what you’re looking for and reasonably priced.

I ended up purchasing the shirt a half size larger than I would typically, only to leave room for an under-layer if needed. I do like to have shirts fit loosely, especially in warmer weather when an under-layer is not needed.

Over the last ten years or so, there has been a popular trend of fishing shirts getting “over pocketed”. I would find two main chest pockets having four pockets stacked on top of each other! Of course, these pockets would consist of boxed pockets, mesh pockets, velcro pockets, zipped pockets, and “half” pockets. You could never really figure out how to get in to any of them. The beautiful part of the Simms Stone Cold LS Shirt is the fact it only has two chest pockets, tucked under a aesthetic/ weather hem. The pockets include zipper enclosures and lanyards.

If you are in the market for a warm weather sun/ fishing shirt, try one of these Stone Cold shirts on and feel the difference.

[row][column size=’1/2′]

Description

Teeming with Cool Control™ fabric tech, Simms’ Stone Cold LS Shirt delivers Arctic-inspired relief during simmering days on the water. Recycled jade crushed into a fine powder and implanted into the yarn powers this cool-to-the-touch fabric. The result is a sustainable, stylish, temperature-regulating piece, with the added benefits of anti-odor, wicking, and quick-dry performance. Additional features include fly box compatible, zippered chest pockets, extended Sun Cuffs for prime sun protection, and the added comfort of a straight hem and smooth off-shoulder seams.[/column]

[column size=’1/2′]


[/column][/row]

Features

[list]
[list_item]Cool Control™ fabric technology absorbs & dissipates heat & provides a cooler, more comfortable garment[/list_item]
[list_item]Two fly box compatible, zippered chest pockets[/list_item]
[list_item]Under collar buttons, straight hem & off-shoulder seams for added comfort[/list_item]
[list_item]Extended Sun Cuff for additional protection[/list_item]
[list_item]Winner Gray’s Sporting Journal’s Best 2013[/list_item]
[/list]

[list]
[list_item]FABRIC TECH:   50% Nylon/ 50% Polyester with Cool Control™ fabric technology[/list_item]
[list_item]APPROX. WEIGHT:   6.5 oz[/list_item]
[list_item]STYLE FIT:   Traditional Fit[/list_item]
[list_item]SIZES:   S – 2XL[/list_item]
[list_item]COLLECTION:   Guide Series[/list_item]
[/list]