Vest, satchel, or what?

[DFoster 0]

13 hours ago, gadabout said:

I still use my Orvis Super-Tackle-Pac.  I agree with you.  It’s a great layout.  I really don’t think about what it weighs when I’m fishing.  I’m too absorbed in what I’m doing.

It's truly a great design, exemplified by the large number of copies and knock offs that are still being sold by other manufacturers.  I know a young guy who just bought the Field and Stream version from Dicks.  It makes me wonder why did Orvis stopped making them?  I've heard Tom Rosenbauer say that to be more "inclusive" Orvis wants to get away from the image of the sport being comprised of "old white guys wearing flannel shirts and a vest" -  so maybe that's why?  Fine, but last I knew everyone is welcome in to get involved in fly fishing. and speaking as one of those dreaded flannel wearing stereotypes I want to be able to buy another L-Pac vest when mine wears.   Admittedly modern vest are very practical and do have their advantages but to my traditionalist eyes, these vest make an angler look more like their part of some kind of tactical swat team than a fly fisherman, I'm sorry- fisherperson.  I really wish Orvis would bring the classic vest back.  Until then I've decided to start wearing a fedora and smoke a pipe when I go fly fishing. 😆

 

[Steeldrifter 0]

I use to be a die hard vest guy. I started with a vest when I started fly fishing back 30+ yrs ago and I never thought I would ever go away from a vest because it carried everything I could want to carry and then some. But as I got a bit older I started to realize that I carried more than I actually needed. My shoulders/neck/back at the end of a long 8+hr day of fishing told me so.

So about 10 yrs or so ago Bryon on this site had a Allen chest style pack listed for sale really cheap, so I bought it to give it a try. After using it for a couple trips I quickly because a non-vest guy. If I can't fit it in the Allen rig then I don't need it for the day on the river. I will probably never go back to a full vest again. This is what I use https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Gallatin-Ultra-Fishing-fishing/dp/B00MK16SWQ/ref=asc_df_B00MK16SWQ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312142476371&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12169763424146215562&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9016827&hvtargid=pla-433446118760&psc=1

 

[flytire 0]

i tried a chest pack and could not see my feet 🤣

i use a cheap sling pack

[DFoster 0]

18 hours ago, flytire said:

i tried a chest pack and could not see my feet 🤣

i use a cheap sling pack

That's definitely one of the main knocks against chest packs.  My biggest issue with sling packs is all the weight is on one shoulder.  

[niveker 0]

I use the same Orvis vest when trout fishing, must be at least 25 years old, unless I know I'll be fishing really small streams, in which case I carry everything I need in the pockets of my quick dry nylon britches.  

For warm water streams and ponds, its a regular backpack that gets swung around to the front when needed.  Nippers and hemostats on a lanyard.  

[cphubert 0]

1 hour ago, niveker said:

I use the same Orvis vest

I also, my short tackle-pak vest is at least 35 years old. Will never understand Orvis discontinuing this design. I lost this vest once when loading the canoe onto the truck, I left it on the bank of a pond. I was distraught for a while about the vest (it was a Father's Day gift) and its contents but low and behold I received a box in the mail, an honest fisherman found it and got my address from the licenses in the pocket. I sent him a $100.00 gift and a box of my best flies. It is starting to deuterate from use and is seeing repairs more often, but I have not found any other vest I would replace it with.

[tferg 0]

This has been a dilemma for me for over half a century.  It usually comes down to me parring down my gear and then I'm happy.  Gear and too many flies can really get to be a burden.

I either go big with a sling pack or very small with a cheap butt pack.  Love the small butt pack.

[Sandan 0]

Vest for me. Advil before and after fishing. I tried a sling pack. Maybe because I wasn't used to it like I am my vest it was a real pain.  Slinging it around and back, getting to an replacing my net, access to tippet wasn't bad once slung but cutting it with my nippers left me with too much dangling off the spool that had to be rewound. And not enough room for the approximately 1,000,000 flies I definitely need to have. The sling is a Simms Freestone. Maybe it's cause I'm, left handed.  The vest is a Fishpond Wasatch Tech Pack. It's discontinued unfortunately. Oh well, my last one endured about 15 seasons or so. So much knowledge lost when I finally broke down and got a new one.

[cphubert 0]

2 hours ago, Sandan said:

Maybe it's cause I'm, left handed

I feel your pain sometimes simple things made for the rest of the world are at best uncomfortable. How are you with scissors they are my biggest frustration on the bench.

[Sandan 0]

12 hours ago, cphubert said:

I feel your pain sometimes simple things made for the rest of the world are at best uncomfortable. How are you with scissors they are my biggest frustration on the bench.

Being a lefty does have some downsides for sure. I use Dr. Slick razor scissors. I tie with 'em in hand. bottom loop on my ring finger, tension nut towards to back of my hand. They work great, comfortable and don't cut into my fingers like "regular" scissors do. I've tried a bunch of different kinds of scissors. Too many have loops that are either too small to tie in hand or just don't fit me. I've found the Dr. Slicks, all of 'em, have loops big enough to tie in hand.  I highly recommend the razors. I usually use the 3.5" ones but the 4" are almost just as good. The 5" model is good too. I use those mostly to trim material long dubbing loops so I can trim with only one cut. 

[DFoster 0]

On 8/31/2023 at 10:01 AM, cphubert said:

I also, my short tackle-pak vest is at least 35 years old. Will never understand Orvis discontinuing this design. I lost this vest once when loading the canoe onto the truck, I left it on the bank of a pond. I was distraught for a while about the vest (it was a Father's Day gift) and its contents but low and behold I received a box in the mail, an honest fisherman found it and got my address from the licenses in the pocket. I sent him a $100.00 gift and a box of my best flies. It is starting to deuterate from use and is seeing repairs more often, but I have not found any other vest I would replace it with.

Google "vintage Orvis vest for sale".  I got mine for $20 a few years back.  Now there a little more but many of them are new condition.

[MfishP 0]

I also use an Orvis vest as shown and have a Solitude Fly Company vest that almost looks identical to the Orvis but it is a darker color.

[Fruitrollup 0]

Most of my wade fishing is limited to day trips so I don’t need to carry camping equipment, multiple rods and reels, etc… For wade fishing, I use a Fishpond Canyon Creek chest pack which holds a Fulling Mill Max Tactical box, two slim boxes, in the main pocket, streamers in the zip front pocket.  I will occasionally add a Fanny pack for a dry fly box and floatant.  The Max box hold all of my small nymph, while one of the slim boxes holds the larger point flys.

[Philly 0]

A vest usually, the same Orvis vest that DFoster posted.  I don't know how old mine is.  Maybe 15 years.  If I'm trout fishing I only have a couple of boxes that get stuffed in the vest pockets.  Since the creek I fish is stocked and is a warm water creek.  I have an old camera bag that I put the warm water boxes in.  If I'm fishing from shore or a boat, I have a bag that holds 8 or so boxes of my warm water flies.   Throw in a wading stick and a net attached to various parts of my vest.

[Pbass 0]

On 2/11/2024 at 5:44 PM, Fruitrollup said:

wade fishing

I mostly wade fish as well and also use a small fishpond chest rig. I keep other stuff in the truck and just take what I need. I don't get really far from the truck the last few years anyway. 

 

On 2/14/2024 at 7:52 AM, Philly said:

Throw in a wading stick

I have been thinking about trying a wading stick. Maybe I won't fall down so much