Last week we reviewed the Simms Confluence Reversible Jacket- an awesome new piece of clothing that will keep you stylish and warm in both your on, and off water pursuits.

In sticking with the theme that fall is indeed near (yes, I realize it's supposed to be 80 degrees in Denver today, just trust me it is coming), we will now look at the Kinetic Jacket. This techy piece of outerwear is something that, from the minute I slipped on for the first time was a no brainer....I will be getting one.

I'm pretty sure that aside from getting a Colorado Drivers license and living here for 6 months, another unspoken requirement to residency for this state is owning a puffy jacket. And while the standard "down jacket" is fine- I even own one myself- the Kinetic Jacket is definitely in a league of its own. After putting the jacket on in the shop and making a few double haul motions sans fly rod, it was instantly clear that this piece of gear was designed with the angler in mind. However, I am also very confident we will sell many of these to the non-angling crowd as well. The cut, fit and associated range of motion is something that any active individual will benefit from.

Now on to the specifics. As they've done in other pieces of their clothing, Simms used Primaloft synthetic insulation in the body, arms and hood of this jacket. They went with a 60g fill and used Primaloft's "Gold" level insulation in this installment, which maintains up to 96% of its warmth when wet. (Something you sure won't get from standard down insulations) Going with the 60g insulation was a very smart move on Simms part in my opinion. Any heavier and I think this jacket would lose some of its appeal from actually being too warm. I'm sure almost every single person reading this can think of a time (or multiple) where you get to the river on a cold day, get bundled up, and then next thing you know are peeling off layers because you overdressed. I know I've been there, especially on those intensely sunny winter days with not much wind and the sun reflecting off the snow. The weight of this jacket seems ideal for the wading angler who will be spending the day on his/her feet on the go. The hood is functional in size, yet still very low profile and compatible with Simms rain shell storm hoods.

The length of this jacket seems appropriate as well. It is more traditional in length (as opposed to the shorter cut found on many of their wading jackets), with a draw cord on the bottom which will help keep it from riding up inside your waders. Fleece lined handwarmer pockets, in addtion to a chest pocket round out the storage options provided. All three pockets are very streamlined to prevent catching or snagging on fly lines.

The design aspect that really makes this jacket stand out though is the Polartec® Wind Pro® stretch-fleece, which runs the length of the underarm and side body panels. This feature definitely offers greater breathability and increased range of motion- something I know any angler will appreciate. Simms kept it pretty standard on the two color options: Coal and Fury Orange. Both colors we've seen used in other pieces of their outwear offerings, but still look darn good on the Kinetic.

In summary, the Kinetic appears to be a very useful, technical, and well thought out piece of outerwear for Simms 2014 Fall lineup. Now if only the temps will drop so I can actually put it to good use!