Vision Pupa waterproof jacket review - around £250 in the UK

Yep, I can’t try and pretend that we are talking about a budget waterproof jacket for my lure fishing here, but with how long the previous generation Kust waterproof jacket from Vision lasted me in all manner of conditions I think it’s something more than worth talking about. As with the Vision Ikon waders which to me were essentially perfect - now discontinued and replaced by the brilliant Koski waders - the Vision Kust ended up being the best waterproof wading style jacket I have ever used. I don’t know how the fly fishing brand Vision makes such consistently brilliant products, but this newer Pupa jacket which replaces their Kust had a hell of a lot to live up to with me……………..

I made peace a long time ago with the fact that a decent pair of waders and a really good waterproof jacket are two non-negotiables for my fishing. I am very obviously obsessed with lure rods and spinning reels, and we can also put lures and braids in there as well, but the reason that I feel I can go out fishing and enjoy using items like these so much is because I can so effectively stay warm and dry in any of the weather conditions that are thrown our way. If lure fishing for bass in the UK and Ireland especially wasn’t my thing then I might not need breathable chest or waist waders, and if I lived in a part of the world where it rains from time to time then I might not need such good waterproof jackets - but I do on both counts, and at the moment it’s the Vision waders and waterproofs which I completely trust to help keep me out there enjoying the shiny stuff.

So this Pupa wading style waterproof jacket from Vision is obviously not cheap. We’re not talking high-end Simms or Patagonia money, but we are also not talking budget stuff here. I have fished in enough Simms jackets over the years to know that I far prefer the Vision gear, and it’s exactly the same with waders as well. The Vision Kust jacket was so damn good a part of me wishes that Vision had never gone and replaced it, but fishing tackle companies are businesses the same as any others, and product lines I guess need to be refreshed. I have used this Vision Pupa waterproof jacket a hell of a lot now, and I am more than happy to say that it’s bloody brilliant. The easiest way to put it is that it just works, and if you are looking for a waterproof jacket that just works perfectly for fishing in a temperate saltwater environment, to me this is it.

I need my outer waterproof shell to not annoy me at all when I am fishing, and by that I mean I need to be able to completely freely move around and cast and change lures and turn around to look at a bit of water and so on. Like in fly fishing we cast repeatedly, and I don’t really want one of those bulkier and warmer waterproof jackets that I would use for my bait fishing. I don’t know anything about the internal workings at Vision HQ, but it has become apparent to me over the years that it’s fly fishing clothing which tends to work the best for my lure fishing. I am sure it’s because the clothing is designed for being able to cast time and time again with completely free movement, and if anything this newer Vision Pupa jacket has slightly freer movement again than the Kust. That might be marginal by the way, and I obviously can’t wear two waterproof jackets at the same time to confirm my feeling, but when I am fishing and I need a waterproof jacket, there isn’t a single thing about this Pupa jacket which bugs me.

A mate of mine has a Pup[a jacket as well and I know that the way the sleeves tighten up niggle him a bit, but I am so used to the way Vision do it from my Kust days that it’s second nature to me, and I kinda like it. I still have never come across a waterproof jacket for fishing that stops all water from getting into your sleeves if you are casting repeatedly in really heavy rain for example, but firstly this Pupa one does a pretty good job of it, and secondly you can put a pair of cheap as chips sweat bands on, secure the sleeves of a waterproof jacket onto them, and it’s a problem no more. The blurb above talks about all manner of things contained within this Pupa wading jacket, but I do know that how Vision designs the arms of their waterproof jackets has always been perfection to me. You know how some arms/sleeves on waterproof jackets ride up when you cast? Not here. Not at all in fact. This is one seriously easy to wear waterproof jacket. The main zipper is not metal and it just doesn't fail in saltwater, and this is another big thing for me. I gave some waterproof jackets from the walking world a good go a few years ago, but the metal zips on them were always an issue. Not here.

It’s a wading style jacket from the fly fishing world, so you need to know that firstly this Pupa is not a particularly long jacket as such, and secondly that you will need to layer up underneath in colder weather. This is how I have done things for years and I am perfectly used to it, but if you like a bulkier, heavier, and more thermal style waterproof jacket then the Pupa might not be for you. A wading style waterproof jacket such as this Pupa makes for an incredibly easy to wear outer shell that doesn’t “catch” you anywhere, but the way I “wear” my HPA chest pack on a neoprene belt and shoulder strap can sometimes mean that in the surf the jacket can occasionally ride up and then over the belt which I have tightened up over the jacket to stop any water coming in underneatt. It’s easy to overcome a shorter waterproof jacket in the surf by using a belt slightly higher up your body to tighten things up - a girdle?! - and it may just be me here with where I “wear” my HPA Chest Pack which I can’t do without. I would argue that wading out into heavy surf conditions requires a bit more thought anyway when it comes to sealing yourself up, but I needed to point it out here with regards to this Vision Pupa jacket.

Some fly fishing jackets have endless pockets all over the place which I personally don’t use, so I like the fact that this Pupa is a very minimalist design with only a couple of smallish pockets on the front into which I might put a pair of cheap reading glasses because I need them these days to properly rig and unrig a soft plastic etc. Less pockets and flaps all over the place to me means less places for water to get in, and it goes without saying that this Pupa jacket is properly waterproof. As on any waterproof jacket you’re going to get a bit of water down your front if like me you don’t like the feeling from securing hoods tightly around your bonce and you’ve got a strong wind driving rain right in at you, but that’s part and parcel of being out there to me. The actual jacket is properly waterproof and with how much value I place on staying warm and dry and mobile, I have no hesitation in saying that around £250 represents good value for money to me. I can’t tell you about any of the serious and often very expensive sailing clothing because I have never used it, and as I said earlier my experiences with regular outdoor jackets in my fishing world did not go very well. In heavy surf conditions I might favour the Guy Cotten Efficient C130 Smock because of how it’s specifically designed for fishing like this, but by a country mile I prefer jackets over smocks for my fishing - and this Vision Pupa waterproof jacket is as good as it gets for me. It folds up nice and small and easily sits in this Savage Gear Waterproof Rollup Rucksack 40L which continues to surprise me with how it’s holding up, and whilst there are of course a lot of far cheaper waterproof jackets out there, as I said at the start I consider my waders and jacket to be arguably even more important than my lure rod and spinning reel. You all have a good weekend and please stay safe and well wherever you are.

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