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Sling pack, Chest pack or Vest

tomfly

tomfly

The only thing left should be foot prints.
More and more frequently I see guys using alternative means to carry their gear rather then use the traditional Vest.

I have been using an Orvis guide series vest for years now. It holds quite a bit of gear. I know where all my stuff is without having to dig through different pockets to find what I am looking for. I use one working fly box that holds my basic patterns that I use on a constant basis. My other boxes and I have quite a few of them, hold my patterns that a specific to hatches or conditions that may occur. I have tried to down size it. It is a hard task. I always have that ominous feeling that if I take something out of the vest and leave in my gear bag in the car. I won’t have it when I need it. I don’t want to have to walk back to the car and get it.
I have looked at alternative gear totes. I have not been overly impressed. The chest pack I foresee a few obvious dilemmas. Having a protruding bulge on the front of you would just give the line something else to get wrapped around. I also think that it would make you sweat excessively behind the pack because of its lack of breathability. It looks like a Chest pack would hold a good amount of gear. The sling pack I don’t get; maybe it is a hipster thing. It is way too small for all the stuff that I carry. I might as well us a lanyard. When I do drift in my canoe I use my gear bag to hold my stuff. So I don not see the advantage using a chest pack or a sling pack when not wading. The big point to switch from a vest is; the vest becomes too heavy on the shoulders. It does on some occasions but for the Vests ability to shed body heat and its versatility, I think it is still the best bang for your buck.

So you have my opinion what are yours? If you have switched to an alternative means. Tell us why. I could be wrong in my assumptions.
 
I haven't been happy with anything I've tried.

Everything has pros and cons, but the problem I often have is not wanting a bunch of stuff hanging off my front, for the reasons you mention - weight distribution and screwing with my line control - but also not wanting to have to swivel a sling pack or lumbar pack around my body every time I want to switch flies.

This year I'm trying something different. An old school, minimalist mesh vest (like this one), that can be added to a backpack or lumbar pack on days when I need extra gear. Ideally, this will be a decent balance. Accessible, frequently used items up front (tippet, hemostats, one or two small fly boxes), and any heavy or bulky items (water bottle, rain jacket, big streamer box, etc.) on my back where this stuff belongs.
 
You missed one. I use a waist pack. Basically a fanny pack. It has other straps and could be used as a chest or sling but I like it as a fanny pack. The nice thing about a waist or sling pack is that you can just push them around to your back and out of the way when you dont need them. I dont carry much gear at all so space is not an issue for me.
 
mudbug201 said:
I haven't been happy with anything I've tried.

Everything has pros and cons, but the problem I often have is not wanting a bunch of stuff hanging off my front, for the reasons you mention - weight distribution and screwing with my line control - but also not wanting to have to swivel a sling pack or lumbar pack around my body every time I want to switch flies.

This year I'm trying something different. An old school, minimalist mesh vest (like this one), that can be added to a backpack or lumbar pack on days when I need extra gear. Ideally, this will be a decent balance. Accessible, frequently used items up front (tippet, hemostats, one or two small fly boxes), and any heavy or bulky items (water bottle, rain jacket, big streamer box, etc.) on my back where this stuff belongs.
Click to expand...

I like the idea of what you're trying - let us know how it works out.

$90 for that mesh vest though is absurd for what it is..
 
Thursthouse said:
$90 for that mesh vest though is absurd for what it is..
Click to expand...

Agreed. Especially since there is nothing innovative about this. I grew up fishing in something that looked like it. And the materials are far from advanced.

I'll find a cheaper version.

Doesn't look as cool as a SIMMS sling pack, but if this were a major concern of mine, I'd ditch fly fishing for a cooler sport.
 
emoussa said:
You missed one. I use a waist pack. Basically a fanny pack. It has other straps and could be used as a chest or sling but I like it as a fanny pack. The nice thing about a waist or sling pack is that you can just push them around to your back and out of the way when you dont need them. I dont carry much gear at all so space is not an issue for me.
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Ditto.......
 
Bought a Simm's large sling last year and didn't like it. I found it was difficult to get things out of the pack and the angle against my body made it hard to look in. It was great having it out of the way when you weren't trying to access it. Sold it for a small loss. For years I've used a chest pack and was trying something different. Just picked up a Fishpond vest pack and I'll see how that works this year.
 
Minimalist - Stick a fly box in your hip pocket. If you know where you're going and what time of year it is, one box will carry more flies than you're likely to use.
 
Pete said:
Minimalist - Stick a fly box in your hip pocket. If you know where you're going and what time of year it is, one box will carry more flies than you're likely to use.
Click to expand...

This approach works great for me when dry fly fishing a WTS in the summer. I usually carry a small box of dries, a spool of tippet, floatant and a scissor/hemostat. I wish fishing the rest of the year was that simple.
 
I'm trying to go for a vintage look this year.

I've got one of these on my left hip (a Czech aka-47 magazine pouch).
5w0c5s-1.jpg

It holds weight, indicators, nippers, tippet, floatant, etc.

I've got an old camera case like this that fits 3 of the slim profile boxes perfectly.
2evc192-1.jpg

I wear it like a sling pack and slide it onto my back where I barely notice it.

So far i'm really happy with the setup. I just bought a waterproof point and shoot camera that I keep in my breast pocket and my net hangs off the back of my belt.
 
For a classic look, get a wicker creel, find a way to add separators to the inside, and use it to hold your gear.

I think this is a terrible idea, for the record. It would be wildly impractical, as wicker is the opposite of waterproof.

Plus, C&R fanatics in the gorge will throw rocks at you on sight if they see you fishing with what looks like a giant basket of dead trout.

But it would complete the country gentleman / "old sport" look.

Then all you need is a bamboo rod and a tin fly box full of spiders. Those should be deadly in the gorge if you swing 'em right.
 
I'm a vest guy all the way. I carry tons of fly boxes. You never know what you are going to run into and I always seem to have what I need. I would hate to walk far from the truck prepared for hendos and caddis,and the trout are eating midges. I carry less in the summer but early season I like to be overly prepared.
 
I left out a fanny pack by design. A fanny pack is what metrosexuals use in New York City to keep their cosmetics in. Do I need to say more?
 
tomfly said:
I left out a fanny pack by design. A fanny pack is what metrosexuals use in New York City to keep their cosmetics in. Do I need to say more?[/QUOTE
That's hurtful Tom.....my fanny pack say s fishpond on it in......
And Finite...I just had to cut my ears out of my skull after hearing two seconds of that ...mu..crap....
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tomfly said:
I left out a fanny pack by design. A fanny pack is what metrosexuals use in New York City to keep their cosmetics in. Do I need to say more?
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I don't know about that one. Metrosexuals dress well. if I wanted to find a person sporting a fanny pack I'd look in a Walmart in a red state.
 
emoussa said:
I don't know about that one. Metrosexuals dress well. if I wanted to find a person sporting a fanny pack I'd look in a Walmart in a red state.
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Good call. What Tom's thinking of is a murse, not a fanny pack. Like this:
 

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I stand corrected. For me they are still not the best way to haul your gear.
A fanny pack would never work for me. I don't like to get to deep into a stream while wading and the reasons are obvious. I nymph a majority of the time while fishing. That is the type of fly fishing is more challenging and the hardest to master to me. Sometimes the fish are held up on the bottom and that is where your fly has to be. With that I get hung up quite often. I will make every attempt to retrieve my fly before I brake the tippet off. It is not the fly that I am concerned about, it is rebuilding the leader that is cumbersome. So If think I can wade out to where the sang is and kick a rock or log to retrieve the fly I will. With that scenario alone; with a fanny pack on all my gear would get wet and have to be dried out. Who wants to do that?
 
It sounds like what you need is called a "Guide". They can carry all your gear, tie all your knots, make fly recommendations, net your fish, etc... That way you don't have to do all of that mundane fly-fishing stuff.
 
jmoore said:
It sounds like what you need is called a "Guide". They can carry all your gear, tie all your knots, make fly recommendations, net your fish, etc... That way you don't have to do all of that mundane fly-fishing stuff.
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What could a Guide show me? Guides are for are for people who are too lazy to figure it out on their own.
 
jmoore said:
It sounds like what you need is called a "Guide". They can carry all your gear, tie all your knots, make fly recommendations, net your fish, etc... That way you don't have to do all of that mundane fly-fishing stuff.
Click to expand...

More of a gillie.
 
tomfly said:
What could a Guide show me? Guides are for are for people who are too lazy to figure it out on their own.
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I think you are wrong that guides are only for lazy people. You can learn a lot from a good guide.

My point was, that a guide could carry your gear for you. With all your whining about the perfect bag not being invented, I was beginning think you were too lazy to carry your own gear.
 
FIN-ITE 34 said:
More of a gillie.
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I stand corrected.


Ghillie or gillie is a Scots term that refers to a man or a boy who acts as an attendant on a fishing, fly fishing, hunting, or deer stalking expedition, primarily in the Highlands or on a river such as the River Spey. In origin it referred especially to someone who attended on his employer or guests.
 
jmoore said:
I think you are wrong that guides are only for lazy people. You can learn a lot from a good guide.

My point was, that a guide could carry your gear for you. With all your whining about the perfect bag not being invented, I was beginning think you were too lazy to carry your own gear.
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You missed my point. I am not complaining or whining. If it bothered me, I would just downsize my vest. The perfect bag has been invented. It is the vest. I just think the other means to carry gear are not as effective. When Lee Wolf invented the fly fishing vest. He got it right the first time. It's functionality is still far superior to what else is on the market.
 
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