Simms Axis Hoody | Our Review for Simms’ New Fleece Jacket for Fishing

Simms Axis Hoody Review — *Believe it of not, it can get cool in the Bahamas. Photo: Jordan Sly.*

Last year Simms released their new Axis Hoody into their fall lineup. It’s quickly becoming one of our favorite all around layers, and today we’re going to tell you why.

Simms Axis Hoody – Why We Like It

Those familiar with Patagonia’s popular R1 fleeces, will notice a similar fleece grid fabric incorporated into the new Axis Hoody that we’ve grown to appreciate over the years. We find this type of fleece breathes much better than your standard pile fleece of old, as well as being much stretchier for better range of motion when casting. However, Simms has incorporated a number a new features as well, that we think makes for one killer fishing jacket. Here are a few of our favorite things about the Axis Hoody.

Hydrophobic Cuffs. The bottom third of each sleeve on the Axis Hoody is made from a hydrophobic material, meaning that is doesn’t soak up a bunch of water when you dip your sleeves while handling a fish. Think winter steelheading, or any other time where cold wet sleeves isn’t overly enjoyable for the rest of the day. This is a feature clearly created by people who fish, and we really dig it.
Good Design. We really like hoods on our jackets for a number of reasons. However, not all hoods are created equal in our book, but we really like the hood design on the Axis Hoody. It’s comfortable, fits securely around a ball cap, and zips up just enough to keep the elements out without feeling restricted.
Good Weight. While we’d still consider the Axis Hoody to be a ‘mid layer jacket,’ we found its outer surface to be slightly heavier than similar fleeces from other companies. We really like this because while it will still perform well under a rain shell or puffy style jacket, we feel it would still hold it’s own in not-so-perfect conditions.
It Just Looks Good. We picked up the all black model, and while it’s certainly at home on the water, its equally presentable cruising around town as well.

We really like this jacket. We use it as an all day layer in Alaska and pack it along for cool morning boat rides in the Bahamas. We’d recommend to anyone who, well anyone really..

The Axis Hoody retails for $199.99, and is available in three colors; black, tidal blue, and Simms orange. For more information, visit Simms’ website, here, or visit your local Simms dealer.

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