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Vests or Slings or Hip Packs or Back Packs??

9K views 37 replies 35 participants last post by  ChubLord 
#1 ·
When out fishing for Trout or Steelhead spring or summer or fall or winter what do you like to use Vests or Slings or Hip Packs or Back Packs?
I find Vest I bit bulky sometimes and to warm to wear in the hot summers. Slings ? I have not tried but have tested them in the Stores and eh?
back packs well I'm old and my back wont put up with them, Hip packs I like ( I have the Fishpond waterdance guide pack )
but when wading In deep water things get soaked!
Most of the time I get to a spot that will take some time to cover I take my pack off and lay it on the bank, but then if " other people " come then I worry if it is going to
grow legs and walk away or that five finger discount some people look for

So what do you like to use?
or has anyone tried all of the above and have found something that work best over all year round??


:smile2:
 
#3 ·
Hi :)

I've been traveling really light for years up here likely because of my use of boats. With the boat as base camp I haven't had the need to carry much at all, you just walk back to the boat for things if needed. But......… that began to change these past few years as I've been fishing some venues where you either fly in or walk only and that means no boat, so..

Last year I bought a Waterproof sling from Simms. I still don't carry much but I can drop in a water bottle, some flies, food and the really cool part is the pack is small and has one of those net holster deals on the back. I can slide my Nomad / Fishpond Boat Net with the long handle in the holder and after a little while you forget it's there.

I don't wade deep enough to get it wet but it is watertight so if you did your stuff would remain dry. I'm not going to say it's like going without any sort of pack but they are not an uncomfortable thing to use if not overloaded.

Ard
 
#19 ·
I have two packs, a Patagonia sling for my single hand fly fishing and Fishpond waist pack (the older water resistant style) for spey. I've used the Patagonia sling for years and like it as much as any pack I've used. The size is right (small) and wears quite comfortably. I carry less in the spey pack, it's just a big open compartment but holds a couple boxes, tips wallet, a couple spools, snack... I've had other hip packs and I'm not crazy about how they wear. You either have to cinch the belt tight to hold it up or use a cross body shoulder strap. I wish I could get away with carrying so little to not need a pack, but even one box, tippet, is too bulky for a couple of pockets.

Anyway, I recommend the Patagonia sling pack.



Hi :)
Last year I bought a Waterproof sling from Simms. I still don't carry much but I can drop in a water bottle, some flies, food and the really cool part is the pack is small and has one of those net holster deals on the back. I can slide my Nomad / Fishpond Boat Net with the long handle in the holder and after a little while you forget it's there.


Ard
Hey Ard, which Simms sling is it, do you know? Seems like every other year there are three new models and the rest discontinued. It looks like the waterproof models--Dry Creek Z, have a net loop not the holster thingy.

Question: when carrying a net in that holster is it still possible to swing the sling under your arm and access the contents? Or do you have to pull the net out? I have the same question about the Fishpond waist packs with the net sleeve, it's convenient to carry the net but you can't swing the pack around without pulling the net.
 
#28 ·
I have one of those and have been using it for about a season and a half. I think it's pretty much perfect...until i put it on and go fishing. I really want to like it, but I can't seem to get it to stay put on my back throughout the course of the upper body rotational movements that take place when two-handed casting. One pickup, snap-t, sweep and cast and the strap is now riding up my neck. I constantly have to reach around behind me during the swing to reposition it.

I've tried adjusting the strap length in both directions to no avail. I usually carry 2 Plan D boxes, a sink tip wallet and a water bottle.

Have you experienced anything similar?
 
#8 ·
Me too, I evolved from old chunky vest to thin technical vest to backpack then to slings.
I found slings would affect one shoulder by the end of the day
I got tired of worrying when leaving a pack at the head of a run, so I went to hippacks, got an Orvis watertight hip pack, but as time went on, I moved to less is more. Two fly boxes, two spools of leader, one nipper and forceps clipped inside wader bib, water bottle, granola bars, cell phone, all tucked away in pockets on wader and jacket.
No more packs for me!
Of course that's for when car is relatively close, I keep a waterproof backpack for days that involve a hike or need for extra gear or food.
 
#9 ·
I've switched to a sling pack as well. Used a hip pack for years but step into a hole and everything gets wet. Usually fish alone so depending how far and how remote I'm hiking I modify what is carried (coffee, food), and at times I've even packed a orange survival blanket. I agree with those that less is more but sometimes more is prudent and coffee always taste better alongside a river.
 
#10 ·
I've been using the Vision Aqua Sling now for 4 seasons and haven't looked back :)
It fits my line wallet, two fly wallets, tippet spools, poly wallet, tip wallet and a big sandwich :D
I two-way taped a foam fly patch to mine because it didn't come with one.


Mike
 
#11 ·
When I first stared fly fishing, my dad got a really nice vest for me, I only had it out a few times until I decided a vest was not for me. So, I went into my local fly shop, and after chatting with them for a while I settled on a Umpqua sling pack. I will admit, it took a trip or two out to grow comfortable with it. Even so, I found that it worked quite well for me, but then I started getting into the two handed steelhead game. I was finding myself wading consistently deep enough to get the bottom of the pack wet; after a while, having wet gear and a slightly stinky pack I had to find something else. So, I got myself a FP waterproof sling, and it was one of the better decisions I have made so far. No more wet gear, and it's small/big enough for a whole day but not be cumbersome. I've become a big fan of Fishpond in general, as all their stuff seems to be made well. Whether you go a backpack or sling route, I would recommend them.
 
#12 ·
The search for the perfect fishing bag for me is like trying to solve Fermat's last theorem.

I've got a vest that I use for trout, because I tend to carry more flies, floatant, leaders, tippet and various other bits for that. It's not perfect, I'd prefer something lighter and less traditional, but it works well enough that I live with it.

For steelhead/salmon I've tried sling packs, hip packs, game bags and back packs. I like the back pack if I can put it down to fish. I like the hip pack for the additional lumber support/counterbalance but I find if I try to carry more than a small bottle of water it slides down (non-child bearing hips I guess). The sling pack is a reasonable medium, but it is awkward if I'm carrying a net - and I like to have a net, especially when fishing alone.

The search continues.
 
#13 ·
Call me the outlier. I have worn a vest for over 40 years. For the last 15 or more it has been the Patagonia version that converts between just a vest or a vest and backpack. I would just vest it except if I was out for the day walking (like on the Thompson) when I would go the backpack route. The pack wasn’t waterproof though so that became an issue. When Patagonia came out with the new version of the vest I retired my old one and matched the new one to their zippered waterproof bag. I love it.

I admit I’m a pack rat but the weight of the pack doesn’t bother me. It holds a couple dry pair of gloves, two pairs of glasses (one low light and one bright), TP, a fleece hat and a ditty bag with a priest, rope stringer and a garbage bag for those rare occasions I keep a fish. The vest side has two boxes, tippet, head light, fabric tape measure, nippers, Abel pliers, tip wallet and leader wallet.

I know, it is overkill but it’s how I roll.
 
#14 ·
I am a sling pack guy using a small Cabela's for minimalist trips and a larger Umpqua if multiple fly boxes and spare reel spools are carried. Vests are ancient history and waist packs always get dunked when I'm faced with wading through a deep spot. Started years ago with a sling for day hikes carrying a camera, jacket, water, etc. and it worked great so I used it for fishing and liked it. Now there's a wide choice of fishing designed packs, bags and modular stuff that can meet just about any need.
 
#15 ·
I was a vest guy for 30 years, the last 5 with a top-of-the-line Simms. I also tried waist packs. I gave them both away after getting a sling. The sling offers the best of all the other options.

1. Comfortable - even more so than the vest after a full 12+ hour day, plus it's not nearly as hot
2. Super easy access - not quite as fast as the vest, but I'm never left wondering which pocket I left something in
3. Unobtrusive - nothing out in front of me around my chest area, which I LOVE when two handed casting
4. Rides much highwr than the waist pack, so it stays dry while wading

It doesn't hold as much stuff as the vest, but that just forced me to be more thoughtful and efficient with what I carry. After 4 seasons, I have not encountered a situation where I wasn't able to carry what I wanted or needed for the day.

There really isn't anything not to like.
 
#16 ·
Outlier’s outlier

I’ll add an offbeat addition to the list. I’ve used a Fishpond sling for the last 3-4 years, which has been fine but hasn’t held up as well as I’d expected. When I toss it, I’m going back to an old school Articreel - they hold everything I carry including a couple fly boxes, an extra spool, and polyleaders / tips, plus can keep a beer moderately cold and are waterproof as long as you don’t ship water over an open top. It’s what I used prior to the Fishpond.

They’ve gotten pricey, by the way.
 
#17 ·
Depends

If I am heading to my river for the evening, which I know well, no vest and what I need is with me, in my wader pocket. A couple flies, some tippet, hemostats and nippers.

If I know, it will be a little more complex - longer or more flies to changing trout flies for a spring hatch or supporting my other half, I probably have my Fishpond Blue River Pack. https://raspberryfisher.wordpress.com/2015/09/13/small-fly-fishing-kit/

Gone for the day, need to include food, water, thermos of coffee and possibly some spare gloves, hat, et cetera, then my large Umpqua Ambi-Sling.

If I am hiking in for the day, being dropped off on a flat or want to carry as a secondary element my camera equipment (ND filters, et cetera), a waterproof 35L Backpack. Inside is probably, the aforemention Fishpond Pack and outside may be some rod tube. Example my day in Algoma, blending photography and fishing > https://raspberryfisher.wordpress.com/2019/11/25/algoma-brook-trout/

This shows two of the packs on my rack, but also lights. Since, I will fish into sunset and my return home, to the paddle board, car or walk along the trail can be dark, I have some lights. It may be to walk along the trail or to mark where I left the paddle-board on the flat.

 
#18 ·
I went vest for many years, then Simms wading jacket with pockets carrying flies leaders pliers etc.
The older I get the less I seem to need.

This season I'm trying a Simms backpack that has an optional chest pack
If it's a big hike or a day in a boat I'll take the backpack and chest pack combo then put the backpack down somewhere.

For shorter hikes I'm going to try the chest pack only.
It looks large enough for everything needed plus it keeps everything in front and out of the way.
 
#20 ·
I use a Patagonia sling pack. At first it annoyed me because it didn't want to stay in one place. I added another short length of webbing across my chest and that solved the problem. When I unbuckle this, I can slide the sling around without having to take it off. With it sitting horizontally on my left side, I can get into it without taking the whole thing off which would mean wading back to the bank. I added clippers and hemostats on two straps so one set is available when the sling is behind me the other when I have it horizontal to access my tip and leader wallet, fly box, or bug spray.
 
#26 ·
This bag. Quite honestly it has been one of the best buys on a piece of gear ever. Roll top waterproof hip pack similar to a Patagonia dry bag. It fits my MFT camera, a few boxes of flies, cell phone and misc tools with room for more. I have beat the hell out of mine for two seasons and it's still totally waterproof.
 
#23 ·
All well and good, but everyone else is wrong.:grin2:

If I'm road fishing or out for an hour or two, I just jam stuff down my waders.

If longer, especially hiking in, I've tried just about everything available. Tried and resold and moved on. The Sagebrush Dry Hip and Deck, with the option of the double shoulder strap.

Enough room for a rain jacket, tip wallet, couple boxes, sketchbook, camera, lunch and a beer (ok, three). It's available with single strap, but the double strap option makes it way better/more comfortable for all day.

The Sagebrush dry gear is tough, long-lasting, and really waterproof. Ive had my hip pack for twelve years and a daypack for at least ten, and they are still excellent condition. Keep the zipper lubed, and they'll keep your gear dry.
 
#24 ·
I go back and forth between three options:

1) a couple mini boxes of flies and couple tippet spools stuffed into my pockets. Or in winter a few sink tips added in my rain jacket pockets.

2) Patagonia sling. Really love the amount of stuff I can carry with this and how easy it is to get stuff. If anything, I find that it lets me bring just a bit too much along. Even stuffed full, it’s still small and stays out of the way. The only issue I have is I’m not crazy about how it rides, but I am kind of getting used to it as it is much more comfortable than any vest or backpack I’ve tried. I like that it secures a variety of different sized water bottles, with zero worries about them slipping out. The rod tube holder straps haven’t really been helpful, but I rarely have any desire to haul around an extra rod tube while wading.

3) Simms G4 hip pack. I use the shoulder strap so I can spin it around for access much like I do with the sling. I really like the fit and function of this pack a ton! My only issues are that it does get wet wading deeper, and has a smallish amount of space with few options for separating/organizing stuff. Works really well with one mid sized fly box, and so-so with two, along with a couple tippet spools and just a few odds and ends. I like this pack if I’m needing to move a bit faster at times (beaches), and when I really want to go light but still need to carry water and maybe a few bars and sunscreen, etc. The water bottle holder is ok, but cannot be completely trusted like the one on my Patagonia sling.

All three options work nicely at certain times, but all three have their issues and limitations too. I’m very much interested to see someone like Patagonia or Fishpond, or Simms, come out with a significant improvement in the future. I have faith that any of those three companies have the ability to do better... of course it will probably come with a $400 price tag 🙄
JB
 
#25 ·
Jason,

Here is how I modified my Patagonia sling by adding one more strap. By tweaking the three straps, I can make it ride just about any way I want and it stays put. With the two original straps, it would drift all over and get in the way of my casting. Like most Patagonia stuff, the zippers don't like salt water and I have to rinse the sling from time to time to keep them from corroding up.
 

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#30 ·
I walk at least a few miles as i have number of pools i visit each time i visit the local. I walk to the river 4 to 5 days a week as i live 500 meters away. I use opst water proof rainforest sling pack. A cheap light fully water proof option.

I carry phone,vaporizer ( i used to smoke) wader pouch

jacket 1 tip wallet i sorted out for likely conditions+tippet+pre sorted for likely needed patterns flybox in jacket pinned slingly cutters+hemostat

the pack carries all optional stuff. Lunch,water bottle, extra intermid skagit head, Large flybox with a ocd amount of patterns

imo the jacket items is all you really need + water bottle maybe.
 
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