Your "loadout"

[gfenlikestolosepasswords]

My kids are off to their last year of Scout camp with explicit instructions to return with a spruce sapling to turn into a wading staff. We'll see if they can pull it off.

(then it's two months to complete two Eagle projects they should've started a goddamn year ago)

 

[Bamboozle]

I use three different set-ups for trout fishing to keep things to a minimum and so I only carry what I need for that kind of fishing.

For example, when fishing small wild trout streams it is a British canvas over the shoulder bag with a few necessities and one 4 3/4" x 3 1/2" fly box.

When I expect a lot of hatches or don't know what to expect, it is a Richardson Box for flies and a duty belt with PALS webbing and a few MOLLE pouches to hold gear.

When I do the Tenkara thing, it is a very small 4" x 4" over the shoulder bag with one 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" fly box.

I do the same multi-set-up thing with warmwater & my conventional tackle fishing. Going this route takes a lot of figuring & fine tuning and requires duplication of certain tackle items like thermometers or pocket knives.

However, it beats the tar off wearing a 40lb fishing vest all the time or forgetting to take this or that from here or there...

 

[[WR]]

What kind of large wild cats are you talking about? Snakes?? Why in the world would you have reason to shoot any snake? As far as bears go, direct physical contact with a black bear is an extremely rare occurrence. Certainly not likely enough to warrant carrying a gun. EVERY bear (prolly 15 or so) I've ever encountered ran the opposite direction once it smelled, saw, or heard me. Every one.

Bears, like rattlesnakes, which would probably be your only snake concern, want absolutely nothing to do with a human. Don't mess with them, they won't mess with you.

I've been living and fishing western Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana and British Columbia for the last 28 years. Mostly salmon, char and sea run cutthroats.

Mountain Lion/Cougar attacks are quite common where I went. Bear attacks on hikers and fishermen happened. In Montana and idaho, rattlesnakes are a serious issue when bushwhacking.

I understand those things don't happen here in a more urbanized region, but go west, and things are vastly different.

I grew up in Union County. I've been away from here for over 50 years. I'm currently in the process of renovating a family property so I can move my family out of a seriously declining political situation. I joined this board/site/group/association as a way to catch up on everything I missed. If my opinions and insights differ from yours, you now know why.

 

[[WR]]

There are carbon fiber options from Orvis, Patagonia & Simms. I ordered one of the Simms versions when they first came on the market but was confused after reading a warning in the instructions to not get it scratched... 😕

Knowing how scratched and banged up my Folstafs get from rocks, I returned it unused and stuck with what I trust. Bottom line, I wouldn't trust one, but that's me. Just read the reviews if you ever consider that option.

FWIW - Simms & REC make aluminum staffs with smaller diameter and thinner walled aluminum tubing that may be lighter. The problem is they only come in one length so it may be a wash if your Folstaf is a 50" model. They also don't fold up as small or deploy with one hand.

One thing that helps a LITTLE to lighten a Folstaf is frequent waxing of the joints and/or sealing the tiny gap where the bottom piece that the holds the point, joins the tubing. The idea is to try to keep water or as much water as possible from entering the tubing and adding weight.

Of course you could just tape all the joints but the one closest to the handle (to dump out any water that MAY get inside). This would mean at minimum carrying the staff fully extended at all times and if you wanted to avoid hassles also storing & transporting it extended.

However, Folstaf always recommended storing a staff that way to extend the life of the shock cord which is what I do with mine.

I know a guy who makes custom sized wading staffs from aluminum if anyone is interested. Will dig up his info and share here.

 

[Bamboozle]

I know a guy who makes custom sized wading staffs from aluminum if anyone is interested. Will dig up his info and share here.

Is it the Riverstick Custom Wading Staff made in British Columbia by Rick Humphrey?

If so, I hear good things but they are heavier than a Folstaf.

If not, I'm interested because I have some ideas for improvements to address the shortcomings of a Folstaf but I lack the tools & materials to fabricate my ideas.

I'd also LOVE to find someone to fabricate one from titanium...

 

[dudemanspecial]

I have used these enough now to say they work great. 35 dollars for 2. I hang it off my wading belt with a gear keeper net retractor.

Yes, they get some water inside them. No, I don’t think it makes a noticeable difference in weight, or anything for that matter. Yes, they are pretty darn sturdy


Edit: apparently you can't post a link to D-icks website due to the naughty word filter

https://www.publiclands.com/p/quest-cork-quick-lock-trekking-poles-23queucrkqcklcktrcac/23queucrkqcklcktrcac

 

[[WR]]

Is it the Riverstick Custom Wading Staff made in British Columbia by Rick Humphrey?

If so, I hear good things but they are heavier than a Folstaf.

If not, I'm interested because I have some ideas for improvements to address the shortcomings of a Folstaf but I lack the tools & materials to fabricate my ideas.

I'd also LOVE to find someone to fabricate one from titanium...

Yes!! That's it. Great guy. Still trying to find his contact info to post here. (Have gotten disorganized recently).
As for alternative materials, I guess just ask him.

Edit: here's his email
rhumphrey@telus.net

 

[wildtrout2]

I've been living and fishing western Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana and British Columbia for the last 28 years. Mostly salmon, char and sea run cutthroats.

Mountain Lion/Cougar attacks are quite common where I went. Bear attacks on hikers and fishermen happened. In Montana and idaho, rattlesnakes are a serious issue when bushwhacking.

I understand those things don't happen here in a more urbanized region, but go west, and things are vastly different.

I grew up in Union County. I've been away from here for over 50 years. I'm currently in the process of renovating a family property so I can move my family out of a seriously declining political situation. I joined this board/site/group/association as a way to catch up on everything I missed. If my opinions and insights differ from yours, you now know why.

My apologies. I thought you were referring to Pa when you mentioned big wild cats and bears. I could totally understand packing while out west.

 

[Bamboozle]

Yes!! That's it. Great guy. Still trying to find his contact info to post here. (Have gotten disorganized recently).
As for alternative materials, I guess just ask him.

Edit: here's his email
rhumphrey@telus.net

Here is his business card:

And a happy customer, Kms here on PAFF.

 

[[WR]]

My apologies. I thought you were referring to Pa when you mentioned big wild cats and bears. I could totally understand packing while out west.

We're good. Sorry I got a bit aggressive. I've had to deal with some serious reactionary freak outs over the years when people find out I occasionally carry when fishing.

My advice to anyone headed west is to check with a guide service and check local laws on reciprocity if you want to carry. A couple of those states have zero reciprocity. Depending on where you go, bear spray might be a better option, even for mountain lions and coyotes or wolves.

In western WA, within the last 5 years we've had several attacks on people and pets by coyotes and large wild felines. In one case, a cougar attacked a woman by biting her head. Like, the whole top of her head was in this cats mouth. In the middle of a group of 8 hikers. None of whom were armed or knew what to do. Thankfully someone ahead of them heard the screaming, turned back and managed to get the cat off the lady, but also suffered serious injuries. This happened on a well known, high use, recreational trail.

Pay attention to rest stop signage when traveling too. a few places in Montana along I 90 have warnings to stay on the paths because of rattlesnakes, for example.

Not trying to scare anyone off. Go, enjoy it. It's stunning. Just be prudent about safety and don't become a member of Tourons of Yellowstone.

 

[poopdeck]

My apologies. I thought you were referring to Pa when you mentioned big wild cats and bears. I could totally understand packing while out west.

Why? According to the mountain lion foundation, you have a 1 in a billion chance of being killed by a mountain lion. 1 in 2.1 million chance of being attacked by a bear. Yet, 6.3 people per 100,000 will be murdered by another person. 22.5 people out of 1000 will be the victim of a violent crime. You’re far far more likely to have a dangerous encounter with a crackhead than every form of wildlife combined. Knowing this, I can totally understand packing wherever you like.

 

[ROVERT]

Why? According to the mountain lion foundation, you have a 1 in a billion chance of being killed by a mountain lion.

That's priceless. As a world citizen, you may very well have a one in a billion chance, each year. As a US/Canadian citizen it would be more like one in 75 million.

Since that's per year (5 attacks on average annually amongst 380 million people). Virtually no one is getting attacked twice and in a lifetime so you need to multiply those odds by the years in a lifetime. Now we're at better than a one in a million chance.

The thought that everyone in the US/Canada spends time outdoors in lion country is absurd. Let's assume everyone who lives west of the Mississippi does, still absurd but let's go with it. Now we're at one in 200,000.

So, if you spend time outdoors where mountain lions live, your chance of being attacked in your lifetime compared to your peers is greater than one in 200,000, probably a lot greater.

People are still more dangerous, especially if you're thing is selling drugs in Chicago on someone else's turf.

You've got to love what people do with statistics.

 

[poopdeck]

You've got to love what people do with statistics.

If you live in crackhead territory your chance of being attacked in your lifetime compared to your peers in big cat country is greater than one in……………….. whatever, I suck at statistics.

 

[ROVERT]

If you live in crackhead territory your chance of being attacked in your lifetime compared to your peers in big cat country is greater than one in……………….. whatever, I suck at statistics.

I just found it funny that the mountain lion foundation would use that statistic. They are assuming that people won't take a second to think about the world population, how relatively few people coexist with mountain lions, and the fact that there are multiple mountain lion attacks each year.

 

[JoeE]

My luck I would win the lottery (and be that person). It is an individual right to carry or not, and I always try to keep an eye on my 6.

 

[[WR]]

So, my fly fishing loadout is currently a $14 Walmart sling bag of about 10 litres (don't ya hate metric volumes?) and a 8ft 6 5wt from a big box store. At least that's what I'm traveling with.

In it I'll have 1-3 boxes of mixed flies ( I'm not good at organization by type or style), various leader and tippet materials, nail clippers for nippers, some line dressing , tippet rings, a few commercial leaders, and maybe a small bottle of water or two. A hat on my head, my phone and keys in a small purpose built dry bag on a lanyard around my neck tucked into my shirt or jacket. That's it.

If it starts raining, or I get hungry, I go back to the truck, which has a bag of dry clothing, a small backpacking one burner stove, a micro kitchen and a small transportable fridge plugged into the 12v outlet.

These days I fish to get away and clear my head. Doesn't mean I have to rough it.

 

[Fishmore]

Doesn’t go in your chest pack, but don’t forget a towel and FULL change of clothes in your car….. just in case you slip and fill your waders. Really important on colder days.

 

[Kms]

Is it the Riverstick Custom Wading Staff made in British Columbia by Rick Humphrey?

If so, I hear good things but they are heavier than a Folstaf.

If not, I'm interested because I have some ideas for improvements to address the shortcomings of a Folstaf but I lack the tools & materials to fabricate my ideas.

I'd also LOVE to find someone to fabricate one from titanium...

The Riverstick is tough as can be, and I guess a bit heavy, but I don’t really notice it. Once I’m in the water I extend it and just let it drag behind on a heavy duty gearkeeper until needed.

I use this one, purchased for $10 or so on the ‘bay.

Retractable Sidearm Tether, Super Force Clamp-on Belt Clip » Gear Keeper Retractors by Hammerhead Industries

High spring tension prevents the firearm from hitting or dragging on the ground. Provides a stabilization force while aiming and suspend a fully -loaded handgun. Prevents loss of weapon. Rotating Clamp-on belt clip is very secure. Retractor case is black in color.

gearkeeper.com

 

[CRB]

Always have my debit card with me for gas and food on the way back home.

 

[wildtrout2]

Always have my debit card with me for gas and food on the way back home.

I'd NEVER use my debit card at the pumps, credit card only. Skimmers are everywhere.