vest or packs

[hunter1]

I have both a vest an a pack. I lean towards the vest, carrys a lot of stuff, i probably carry way to much stuff. What do other fly fishers use. i like the vest but seems to get in the way, what do you like and why.

 

[PennKev]

Pack all the way.
Swtiched a couple seasons ago and won't go back to the vest anytime soon. A decent pack will have more than enough room for everything you need for a days fishing. It also has the advantage of fitting better over different types and amounts of clothing and is more comfortable in warm weather or during long hikes.

Kev

 

[Maurice]

Ahhhhh the evolution of a vest fisherman.

Stage one: get vest fill with unmentionables over time until its so heavy your back hurts at the end of a fishing day.

Stage two: Decide to get a pack...smaller, holds less, straps to back rather than hanging on shoulders. no more back pain.

Stage three: realize pack is too small and holds too little so get a bigger pack, still just a front pack but larger. You become front heavy and tip over easy......

Stage four: Find a BETTER pack that has a backpack on it. Now you can carry a raincoat, water bottles, TP, everything you would ever need until you realize now you are carrying more than you did with a vest and your back hurts again. But less than if it were all in a vest.

The beauty of Chest packs/rucksacks is that they have a deep yoke around your neck, (don't pull on your neck like a vest) and most importantly they strap snuggly to your pectoral area (chest) to take the weight off of your shoulders where a vest focuses it on your shoulders.

My Allen chestpack/rucksack weighs about 20 lbs. I carry everything I would ever imagine needing on a day on the water and rarely does my back hurt because of the design.

However, the zippers are beginning to fall apart making the pockets unusable.

 

[Weible1]

I just received a new fishpond wildhorse tech vest for christmas and I love it. It has more then enough pockets, and I can fit anything I will ever need in it. Cameras, extra clothing, food, drinks, and it even has a h20 badder in it. I haven't used it enough to say if it will ever make my back hurt, but I am young and don't really see that happening. I believe it is very light for the size of it but that is just me.

 

[SkyBlue]

I am a pack guy...this is my 4th one.

 

[sroach]

LOL.. I Love Maurice's post... cuz it's so true.

But I have to say I haven't reached stage 4.

The good thing about a vest is it holds A LOT of stuff, the downside of a vest is it holds A LOT of stuff. Holy Crap I have a lot of stuff I never use in my vest.

Now I have a pretty small pack adn throw a couple things in my pocket (love cargo shorts in the summer time). I bought a UPG day tripper fly box I want to be able to use that to load up for the day and bring one box.

I'm shooting for a minimalist approach this year, who knows if it will work.

 

[troutbert]

Does anyone carry an SLR camera in addition to the fishing tackle? And if so what are the best options for doing that?

 

[just_jon]

I would love tontry a pack paired perhaps with a lanyard. However, I've been joined at the hip to a Richardson chest box since 1973.. Its like a member of the family. I have some major back issues and have been putting off surgery for too many years to count, yet i experience no pain with the leather yoke style harness. Add a lightweight Filsom strap vest and I'm can comfortably carry all my gear to include lunch, water, TP, entomology kit, journal, and do on.

Would love to fnd an ultra small waist pack and a lanyard for my brookie fishing. Just enought for a small fly box full of Royal Wulffs, several leaders and tippet material and a bottle opener. Any suggestions?

 

[salmonoid]

Couldn't state the stages much better than Maurice did!

My personal story:

Stage one: multiple "cheap" dry goods store fishing vests that I used as a youngster; end of day my back and neck were sore

Stage two: bought a closeout William Joseph small front pack from STP

Stage three: bought multiple closeout William Joseph Coastal/Coastal II packs from STP; enough that I could give two away as gifts to brothers

Stage four: bought William Joseph Exodus pack, thinking I had found my Holy Grail; a pack built for fishing, with enough space to do gear for an overnight ultralight backpacking trip. Discovered that the advertised 3000 cubic inch space was a typo :-(

I'll add my own stage five (until the Holy Grail pack is found): Combine a Gregory hiking backpack with a William Joseph Chest Pack.

Maurice wrote:
Ahhhhh the evolution of a vest fisherman.

Stage one: get vest fill with unmentionables over time until its so heavy your back hurts at the end of a fishing day.

Stage two: Decide to get a pack...smaller, holds less, straps to back rather than hanging on shoulders. no more back pain.

Stage three: realize pack is too small and holds too little so get a bigger pack, still just a front pack but larger. You become front heavy and tip over easy......

Stage four: Find a BETTER pack that has a backpack on it. Now you can carry a raincoat, water bottles, TP, everything you would ever need until you realize now you are carrying more than you did with a vest and your back hurts again. But less than if it were all in a vest.

The beauty of Chest packs/rucksacks is that they have a deep yoke around your neck, (don't pull on your neck like a vest) and most importantly they strap snuggly to your pectoral area (chest) to take the weight off of your shoulders where a vest focuses it on your shoulders.

My Allen chestpack/rucksack weighs about 20 lbs. I carry everything I would ever imagine needing on a day on the water and rarely does my back hurt because of the design.

However, the zippers are beginning to fall apart making the pockets unusable.

 

[ryguyfi]

I use this LLBean pack and love it.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/45399?page=rapid-river-vest-pack

I am in the "I carry everything I own" stage of fly fishing on a normal day of fishing. The LLBean pack is perfect for that, and also has a waist belt to give a good amount of back support. Mine weighs a metric ton, but I hardly notice it after a full day of fishing.

I also just bought a small pack on Ebay. It's not a "fishing" pack, but will be perfect for the small amount of things I need for those small remote streams I fish fairly often now. I'm cheap and this fit my needs perfectly.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/270838671160?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Go pack or go home IMO.

 

[beerbyrnes]

I like the looks of this new pack...

 

[PatrickC]

I've used several packs and vests over the years. As of late..I carry one box of flies and some tippet. I'm down to the wading jacket and am much more comfortable.

 

[brain]

used to have a vest with enough stuff to stay on the creek for a month straight.
realized i don't normally fish for more than a few hours.
now have a small pack, that is like a necklace thingy.

 

[Preamble]

Chest pack, on my 2nd in a years time.

I tried just using the wading jacket too but I don't wear the jacket most of the year and I got tired of swapping out my stuff.

 

[Swattie87]

It's amazing how accurate that progression is! Mine is more or less the same...

Vest came first...too much junk, too much weight. Chest pack came next...was adequate from a fishing gear standpoint, but wouldn't fit a sandwich and a bottle of water which was a problem for longer outings away from the car and fishing on hot days. Got back to the car with nasty headaches from dehydration a couple of times. Landed on a sling pack as a happy medium for now...plenty of room for gear, sandwich, and a couple bottles of water. Sling packs are the most comfortable of everything I've tried so far too...they distribute the weight well and evenly across your shoulders and upper back, if you wear them tight to your body. I've got a bum right shoulder from years of golfing abuse in high school and college and the sling doesn't bother it at all.

I'm a firm believer that there is no "perfect pack." Everything is a tradeoff, and your preferences evolve and change over time. I like the sling for now, but I'm sure I'll find something else at some point that I'll think I'll like better and buy it and give it a try.

 

[Fredrick]

Best pack ever mad IMHO double as a vest and pack

 

[Tiltaxp]

Used a vest as a kid, got a couple fishpond packs and just loaded them up way too much for a normal day of fishing, I mean extra boot laces, patch kids, extra tippet spools, etc. Currently I use a small sling pack that fits the essentials and I leave the rest in a gear bag in the car just in case.

 

[hughzar]

I still use a vest, but then again I am only a few years into fishing. My back and neck kill after a +3 hour fishing hike so I could be easily persuaded by everyones reasoning here to switch to a pack. Due to a cashier error when I started fly fishing, I got my vest for free and am thus attached to it all the more.

 

[troutpoop]

I've always used a pack and really liked it but thought i should have a vest so my wife got me a Fishpond for x-mas. It's very nice but I still like the pack better. It has two water bottle holders and plenty of room.
I'll be switching back to the pack with only 4-5 trips with the vest.

 

[Biggie]

I use the same LL Bean pack as ryguy. The best I've own to date. And the belt/back support is a real plus......