We have tested various ice fishing bibs. But out of those, we have selectively chosen only four bibs. These ticked off our list for being warm, comfortable, durable, and having floating ability.
Our Handpicked Suggestions
- Warmest Ice Fishing Bibs: Striker Ice Climate Bibs
- Best Value for Money: Eskimo Roughneck Bibs
- Best Women’s Fishing Bibs with Drop Seat: Striker Ice Women’s Prism Bibs
- Best Affordable Bibs That Float: Piscifun Ice Fishing Bibs
Warmest Ice Fishing Bibs
Striker Ice Climate Bibs
These bibs are our personal favorite and perhaps one of the warmest bibs out there for ice anglers, these come along with features that live up to its hype. With high-end thermadex insulation technology, these give the best insulation that you can expect in extremely cold weather.
On one of our adventures, we used these bibs and found that the insulation was so effective that we were sweaty at some point. The best part is, even though it was the warmest, it could have been more bulky.
Usually, what you find are bulky products that offer insulation. When we tested this, we could move around without the extra weight. With 150g of Thermadex insulation, they provided coverage and we could navigate around it with ease.
You should also be considering this for the design which is appropriate for outdoor activities. We also used it for a floating test and it was able to float for about 2 hours. Meanwhile, its versatile usage is also highly preferred and recommended. You can use it for hunting, ice fishing, snowboarding, etc.
The only drawback is pretty expensive. However, we still recommend this as it will be worth the price. Its expensiveness gets balanced out by the quality of the product.
Pros:
- Thermadex insulation helps to ward off extreme cold temperature
- Hydrapore material for waterproofing
- Good floatation technology, making it float for 2 hours
- Well-designed for multiple purposes
Cons:
- Not very affordable enough
- The sizes aren’t often accurate
Best Value For Money
Eskimo Roughneck Bibs
One of the best products concerning affordability is Eskimo Roughneck Bibs. The sole reason behind its popularity, not only lies in the fact that it is comparatively reasonable in price but also because of its durable material quality.
Moreover, it has excellent features of reinforced knees and ankles. When we tested this product, we were able to easily bend. You usually find that feature easily in most of the bibs but they do fall short of that.
We could assure ourselves of the durability of the product by this feature as well. Whenever we stretched, it was flexible enough. There was no wear and tear. Also, on the ice, it was very efficient. We were quite often holding our knees against the ice surface while digging holes. The hard surface did not cause any major issues.
Apart from this unique feature, it provides a polyester fabric which is also windproof. You would not have any trouble as even the material is quite breathable. The material also provides waterproof quality. Not to mention, you will get the warmth that will endure you for hours during ice fishing.
Pros:
- Polyester fabric for waterproof and windproof quality
- Reinforced knees adhering to its durability more
- Has enough pockets that are also large i size for convenience
- Extremely affordable product with good quality material
Cons:
- The extra knee padding can feel bulgy and uncomfortable
- The stitching and zippers might be defective, so check carefully
Best Women’s Fishing Bibs with Drop Seat
Striker Ice Women’s Prism Bibs
While buying bibs, women especially face a lot of dilemmas. It is not very convenient to use bibs for women as while using the washrooms, you need to open the entire bibs. This too often feels uncomfortable. However, Striker Ice Women’s Prism Bibs additionally uses the feature of a drop seat, which women highly prefer.
As it is, while we were testing, we found the drop-seat feature to be of great use. The washrooms could be accessed comfortably without removing layers of clothing. It did save a lot of time and effort and prevented the cold as well. As bibs can sometimes be of hassle for women, this was exceptionally the best choice.
Moreover, it is made of material that offers thermadex insulation and helps with excellent floatation. The properties are evenly distributed in this product. You probably won’t have to look for a more convenient women’s bib elsewhere.
The only issue is with the size. You might need some help in trying to figure out the right size for you. For that reason, you need to look through it carefully and buy. It is obvious to have a little bit of difficulty in trying to find the proper size for women’s bibs, but there is no other option.
Pros:
- The drop seat feature makes accessing the washrooms easier
- Hydrapore material for excellent floatation
- Great warmth because of the thermadex insulation
- The price range varies from affordable to marginally expensive
Cons:
- Sizes are not always accurate causing the problem of fitting
- Does not have a lot of pockets
Best Affordable Bibs That Float
Piscifun Ice Fishing Bibs
Even though the previously recommended bibs offer good floatation, they were expensive. Most of them do give the long duration of the floating feature. Priscifun Ice Fishing Bibs on the other hand are highly recommended, particularly for this feature along with its affordability. If you are looking for flotation more importantly, then we recommend these.
While we were testing the floatations, this surpassed all the others. It is made with a buoyant cotton material with drainage parts in the fabric. We tested it in a pool to check how durable it is and how well it floats. And while doing so, it kept us afloat for nearly 2+ hours. At the same time, it was waterproof enough to dry out easily. The polyester and TPU coating guarantees that particular feature. However, it’s important to note that while we were testing these bibs, we were also wearing their floating jacket. So, maybe next time, we should test these bibs alone to get more accurate data.
The reason why floatation is emphasized so much is because you might have a chance of falling into the ice water. In that case, the bibs that you wear, need to provide you with all the above-mentioned benefits. And as we checked this product, we can assure you that this provides those features well.
It also contains lots of belts and straps to make it protective enough during rigorous activities. The only drawback lies in the sizing once again. There is the possibility of it running small. So, you can try one size big.
Pros:
- Excellent floatation makes you float
- Waterproof material helping you in wet conditions
- Usage of straps to make it efficient and protective
- Good insulation technologies for -34 degrees Celsius
Cons:
- Sometimes it runs small in size therefore checking it properly is advised
- The belts can be loose creating problems with walking around
What We Found After Testing These Ice Fishing Bibs
While looking for the best bibs for a convenient ice-fishing experience, we tested a few of them. Mostly they were from the popular brands in the ice fishing industry.
As expected, Striker Ice Climate Bibs were the best among all the ones that we tested. The only brand that was close to Striker Ice was Eskimo.
The Striker Ice Climate Bibs provided excellent warmth unlike any other that we had tested. We could do fishing out there in the open with a -16 degree Celsius temperature. And even with a 25 km/h wind, we were comfortable using it. The Eskimo Roughneck Bib also did a fair job that day.
During the summer, we tested the floating ability of these bibs by diving into the pool. The previously recommended bibs allowed us to stay afloat in the pool. The reason behind testing them in the pool was that none of us agreed to do the same in the winter season, for obvious reasons. Again, the Striker Ice Climate Bib was the winner with the longest floating time. It had the best efficiency and quality. It soaked less water therefore, it was light enough. Meanwhile, the others also passed the floating test quite well.
Although the Eskimo Roughneck Bibs are less expensive than Striker Ice Climate Bibs, their overall quality is pretty impressive. Especially the fact that they were cheaper. Unexpectedly, we found the materials and zippers to be equally good quality. There was not much difference in the quality of those. The material was fairly durable and waterproof and the zippers were smooth.
Such good quality material at a reasonable price is not easily found in the ice fishing industry. Therefore the Eskimo Roughneck Bibs became our top favorites. They provide all that you would need at a good price. It should be noted that Striker Ice Climate Bibs were notably better in areas like insulation, removable hand wipe towels, adjustable inseam, etc. Still, despite that, the former provided great sufficiency.
With 120g of insulation, the Piscifun Ice Fishing Bibs were also warm and comfortable and therefore, recommended. Among all the bibs in our list and the previously mentioned ones, these are the most affordable. However, it also comes with drawbacks. The material of these bibs was not as durable as Eskimo or Striker The construction of the bibs was not as durable as Eskimo Roughneck Bibs and Striker Ice Climate Bibs. It does provide proper insulation, waterproof technology, and float assistance. But it is famous for its affordability. We also realized this after testing it carefully.
Even though we had options for the women’s bibs, the best among them was Striker Ice Prism Bibs. It was rather a personally preferred choice. They come with waterproof tendency, insulation, durability, and also with lots of pockets. It is an obvious fact about the necessity of pockets especially for women. However, the significant feature of them was their buoyancy and drop seat feature. The previously mentioned features are already available in many other bibs. But what makes it stand out is the drop-seat.
The floating tendency is great by far among all the others. And the drop seat makes it especially useful for women, especially when female ice anglers would need to use the washroom. Then they would not have to remove the whole bibs.
In the women’s bibs, we have a few options, but out of all of them, our personal choice was Striker Ice Prism Bibs. These bibs are waterproof, warm, durable, and have a lot of pockets, but these things are available in many other bibs, even in some affordable bibs that will cost less than $100. But, it had two important things that other affordable women’s bibs we tested didn’t have, buoyancy and drop seat feature.
It will help you to stay afloat in the water, we tested that in the pool, and with the drop seat feature, in case the female ice anglers need to use the washroom, they don’t have to remove the whole bibs.
