packs
I too have ditched my vest. In the process of getting away from it I tried one of those Cabelas chest pack, nice set up, and nice price at $30.00. I found I could cast fine with it on, but fighting fish with it on was tough, always ended up wrestling out of it and tossing it on the bank. I now use two different systems. I have one of those water proof roll top hip sacks from The North Face, which works good, but I find throughout the day I keep tightening it up a little at a time until its darn near cutting off the circulation to the lower half of my body. The second is the small backpack for my hydration system (again from TNF), with the bladder removed it holds plenty. I originally bought it for Mtn. biking, but since I can't seem to find a way to cast from my bike, I rarely ride it anymore. I find with the bladder in and full space is limited. It holds everything I need with room for a big bottle of water. Cool thing about it is that the pocket that holds the bladder is insulated, so the big bottle-o-water stays cool. Bad part is that in order to get at boxes or tippet or whatever you have to remove the pack from your back. I have dropped my rod while doing this (This is when I discovered rods don't float). Another cool thing is the slender design keeps it from catching the fly when I cut a cast a bit a bit close. I like the back pack the best out of everything I have tried. I have been eyeballing those WJ bandlear things also, but haven't tried one yet. A friend has one and loves it, no need to remove the whole thing to access the pockets.
The backpack also has plenty of spots you could hang a net from.