My thoughts behind the purchase of these bibs were from reviews I had read online about how well they block the wind, how well they held out water and basically how warm they were. As someone who has used your products over the years on many different occasions, on a whim I made this purchase because waterfowl season on Lake Erie was just around the corner and it gets fairly windy and cold out in the Duck Blind that we have on Lorain Harbor. So the bibs arrived the day before the season opener and I was a bit more than ecstatic because I did not want to have the opening day ruined by getting cold. The day started out very windy. Initially I was impressed with their ability to block the wind and how well they moved and the Comfort level that they had. But little did I know that by the end of the day I would also test thoroughly how waterproof they were. Early in the afternoon the wind started to pick up a little and the waves were hitting the back of the breakwall and throwing a decent amount of water over top of the blinds into the boat. after a while the wind started to die down a bit but the sky turn very very dark behind us and from inside the blind you can't really determine what's behind you. In a matter of minutes the sky was blue and clear in front of us and the storm that blew in from behind us developed what we call a waterspout which is basically a tornado made of water. Now this waterspout was formed just to the west of us behind the break wall. It slowly traveled the length of the wall and seemed to linger over top of our blind for several minutes. Then almost as soon as it arrived it was gone we watched it disappear out of sight on to the dry land. Now what we weren't expecting even after that was the fact that the waterspout had pushed the waves back out to the north and prevented them from hitting the wall like they were and then we got smashed by two massive 10 to 13 foot waves that then completely filled our boat. At this point a bit more than Panic had said in for the three of us. and at the same time it left us with no other choice but to waive the blind get in the boat and make an attempt for sure which was about a 450 to 500 yard treck over 3 and 1/2 to 4 ft waves in the harbor. as we pushed off from the deck of the blind a third wave that would have surely sunk the boat came over and pushed us farther away from the breakwall and into the rougher water. my father-in-law who is the captain of the boat managed to slowly turn the boat and avoid taking on any more water at which this point was only out of the water for its entirety about 3 and 1/2 to 4 in. The Trek across the harbor was very slow and scary all the while I'm standing nearly a foot-and-a-half deep in water at the front of the boat trying to help steady and rocking it back and forth in an attempt to keep more water from coming in. Just as we reach the slips at the dock we take one good wave over the back of the boat that pushes Us in but also puts enough water in the back of the boat for it to go down where in roughly 4 and a half to 5 feet of water at this point and three quarters of our boat is now in the water a friend of ours that was with us and myself are standing on the dock holding the ropes keeping the boat from being pulled back out into the water but one of us had to take the plunge to go in and lift the engine so we could pull the boat out of the water with a chain once the truck had made its way down to the edge of the water now this is where my Venator Prohunter bibs come into play. I've been standing in water roughly knee deep, my phone and several other items that could be damaged easily by water or inside pockets under my clothing under the bibs. without a second thought or another minute of waves overtaking the boat I jump in and I'm standing a little bit below chest deep which is almost at the rim of the bibs. I begin throwing our gear and things like that that are floating up onto the dock and then I have to climb into the back of the boat and pull the motor up manually because the engine is now under water and we have very little power left. as I'm fighting with the motor they get the chain hooked up to the front of the boat and I grabbed onto the nearest thing that I can which is the side of the boat and I hang on as they drag it out up onto the ramp. At this point the chaos has subsided and the shock is starting to set in a bit as to what we have just survived and I have to go sit down in my truck and try to get warm because my extremities are very, very cold. The water temperature that day was only in the high 60s and the wind itself made it seems much, much colder. I start my truck and as I'm waiting for it to warm up a bit I unzip the bibs and I slide them off and to my utter surprise I am completely dry under the bibs. So I thoroughly believe that these bibs not only kept me warm and dry, but they helped me save not only our gear and guns but also our entire boat. For that I have ordered almost every item in my size with the Venator camo. I will forever be a loyal customer and can't put into words a thank you gracious enough for making the products that keep our outdoor world rolling but also ones that exceed expectations when conditions become as real as life or death.
