AllOutdoor Review – Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak & Bib
Eugene L. 05.08.23
If you’ve spent any time in a coastal town or city where there was any sort of a fishing fleet, you’ve seen fishermen clad in orange. More likely than not you were seeing them wearing a pair of Grundéns, usually the Hercules Bib, the original professional grade bib originally made in 1954. Made to keep watermen dry and comfortable all day in the harshest conditions. Grundéns the company has been around for almost 100 years now providing some of the best foul-weather gear available. Now I’m reviewing one of their newest commercial fishing gear, the Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak, and Bib. The new Neptune Pro set of commercial fishing gear is a lighter-weight option for anglers. Made to offer more mobility and stretch, this new iteration of the Grundéns Neptune line adds an additional level of durability and ruggedness to the already trusted Neptune family of foul-weather gear.
Specifications – Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak & Bib
Grundéns Neptune Pro Bib
- 230g PU-Coated Polyester Knit for Waterproofing with Added Mobility & Stretch
- Reflective Hex Pattern TPU Overlay Offers Increased Abrasion Resistance in Critical Wear Zones
- Compression Molded Internal Knee Pads Offer Additional Lightweight Protection
- Removeable & Replaceable Grundens Stretch Suspender System
- Abrasion resistant coatings added to high wear areas to add durability to a more comfortable workwear.
- Polyurethane-Coated Polyester 4-Way Stretch Material
- Medium Duty
- Sizes – S, M, L, XL, XXL, 3XL
- Color- Orange
- MSRP – $149.99
Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak
- 230g PU-Coated Polyester Knit for Waterproofing with Added Mobility & Stretch
- Reflective Hex Pattern TPU Overlay Offers Increased Abrasion Resistance in Critical Wear Zones
- Fully Gusseted, Water-Draining Neck Zipper Entry with Additional Venting Position Snap
- Neoprene Cuff Accommodates Commercial-Grade Fishing Gloves
- Adjustable Hood with 2-Way Shock Cord and Concealed Routing
- Dual Shock Cord Bottom Hem Adjustments
- Back Vent for Maximum Airflow & Breathability
- Guttered opening to be able to dump body heat while still keeping the elements out.
- Neoprene cuff to keep water out of your sleeves and warmth running through your hands.
- Polyurethane-Coated Polyester 4-Way Stretch Material
- Medium Duty
- Sizes – S, M, L, XL, XXL, 3XL
- Color – Orange
- MSRP – $149.99
Features – Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak & Bib
The Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak and Bib both come with some new features over the previous Neptune models, the most obvious is the reflective Hex Pattern TPU Overlay on all the high-wear areas of the foul-weather gear. So right on the knees, elbows, and belly where you end up rubbing against the boat or gear the most. The Pro’s are like the halfway point between the previous medium-duty Grundéns Neptunes, and the classic heavy-duty Grundéns Herkules. They are still light and easy to move in, great for warmer weather, but still more durable than the original Neptunes.
The Neptune Pro Anorak is a bit different than the previous Neptune Anorak model, it has been streamlined for better performance in harsh conditions. While the removal of the breast pocket might seem like a step backward, when dealing with lines and nets I personally feel like it’s better to have a smooth snag-free front. If you snag the pocket lid on something it can tear at the seam letting water into the top. The Pros still retain the neoprene cuffs that are compatible with commercial fishing gloves and keep water out. The hood also comes with a 2-Way shock cord with concealed routing to adjust the way the hood sits on your head and hat.
The neck zipper has been fully gusseted and designed to let water drain away from the neck hole. While at the same time, the cut of the gusset and front still lets the wearer dump body heat easily out the front even with everything closed up and the hood up. Just to test its functionality at the lake, I ran some laps around the dock in the rain to see how well the venting on the back and neck performed. And I have to say even in very humid conditions it worked surprisingly well, venting body heat and moisture away easily.
The Neptune Pro Bib comes with velcro cuffs at the ankles so you can tighten them around your boots to keep them from dragging on the ground and also help keep water from splashing up your legs and into your boots. The knees have the reflective Hex Pattern TPU Overlay as well as padding sewn into the knees for added durability in the long run.
While the Anorak for the Pro’s lost the breast pocket, the bib still has a chest pocket built inside. That way you still have some storage in the foul-weather gear.
Water Time – Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak & Bib
Every year when the water temps start to shift in the Fall and Spring the threadfin and gizzard shad start moving into the shallow coves around the lake in massive schools. This makes it the perfect time to bring out the cast net to stock up the freezer on catfish bait, along with live lining some shad out to catch the bass as they follow the schools of shad. Just one thing about throwing the cast net is that it’s messy and wet business. Which, when it’s rainy, windy, and cool out, sucks and isn’t a fun day on the water. Unless you got some sort of gear to keep you dry while messing with a wet cast net and hundreds of slippery shad.
It usually takes a few throws at least to get the shad I need for a catfish noodle trip, today was a struggle with the shad staying just out of reach. Lots of throws resulting in a bunch of empty muddy nets full of twigs. Eventually, though I got my bucket of shad for that night’s bait. Me and my buddy were running floating catfish noodles that night, it’s kind of like a brush line but free-floating.
When the weather is good we can put out fifty baited noodles on the lake and get a mess of channel catfish in just a few hours. This was our last noodle run for the year with the water temp still holding higher than average this year. This sort of thing can be a real hit-or-miss thing, but it sure was a hit that night. I think we ended up boating over 100 lbs of catfish in the span of 3 hours, great for the lake for culling the catfish, and even greater for the local food bank that will take in the catfish. Wearing the Neptune Pro Bib with a good pair of ankle boots made for a much cleaner night of catfishing, compared to my usual outfit of a T-shirt and Shorts. Even when dealing with the catfish spines they held up great and kept me from getting slimy.
Final Thoughts – Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak & Bib
Overall I think the new Grundéns Neptune Pro Anorak & Bib are a great new option from Grundéns, they aren’t as heavy and thick as the traditional Herkules bibs. This is great for me in the Southeast US where heat and humidity usually keeps me out of a bib when I’m fishing. The Pro’s, on the other hand, have been made more rugged than the previous Neptune models, which while light I have seen complaints of durability issues. I think the Pro’s thread the needle between the two models design-wise, but the big problem is they cost almost as much as the classic heavy-duty Herkules at $149.99 a piece for the Anorak and Bib. I think if these came in at the halfway point of the Neptunes($99.99) and Herkules Bibs($159.99) these would be a no-brainer for anyone looking for a lighter weight foul-weather gear option. But as of now if you don’t mind spending a little more I really do recommend grabbing a pair of these over previous Neptune models.
