looking for user reviews (vest vs. sling pack)

[Bryon Anderson 0]

As some of you know, I've recently been paring down my growing collection of various kinds and sizes of chest packs, sling packs, pack vests, and such like, with the goal of ending up with only two of these things: one smaller pack for shorter outings, and/or days when I know for sure that I can get by with one or two fly boxes and minimal "extras", and a second, larger pack (or pack vest/"tech vest"/whatever-type thing) that will be for those long days on the water when I want to bring everything and the kitchen sink, so to speak.

 

I have my smaller pack already -- it's this one: http://shop.fishpondusa.com/blue-river-chest-lumbar-pack.html It is, in my mind, the ultimate small pack and it has earned a permanent place in my gear collection.

 

Now I've narrowed down the hunt for the larger pack/vest/whatever to two contenders:

 

The Vedavoo LT Beast Sling Pack https://vedavoo.com/product/beast-sling/

 

and the Fishpond Vaquero Pack Vest http://fishpondusa.com/vaquero-waxed-canvas-vest.html

 

I love how well-thought-out the design of the Vedavoo pack is -- it seems to have more than enough room for everything, and it's clearly designed for all-day comfort and utility. I was pretty much sold on this one until I saw the Fishpond pack. It looks like it would hold about the same amount of stuff, and I LOVE the vintage look/feel of the thing. The waxed canvas, the metal snaps--it's just cool.

 

I would be very interested to hear from anyone here who has used either of these products. My goal is to end up with something that will hold a lot of stuff (I fish a lot of streamers and bass bugs, so I've been known to carry up to 4 Bugger Barn-size boxes at a time), and that will do it as comfortably and with as little hassle and distraction from the job at hand (fishing) as possible.

 

Just so you know, I have already done some Googling and YouTube-viewing for user reviews on these packs, but I'd still like to hear what anyone here has to say, if anything. You guys frequently mention things that other online reviewers don't.

 

Thanks in advance -

Bryon

[tjm 0]

If you want a pack, you want a pack and you seem to be settled on one, but if you want a vest, I bought this one last year and it will hold about 12-15 fly boxes, two spare reels and has room for your lunch and raincoat in back.It looks very like the Simms Guide vest except the logos and at half the cost.

https://caddiswaders.com/product/northern-guide-breathable-vest/

[feathers5 0]

If you want a pack, you want a pack and you seem to be settled on one, but if you want a vest, I bought this one last year and it will hold about 12-15 fly boxes, two spare reels and has room for your lunch and raincoat in back.It looks very like the Simms Guide vest except the logos and at half the cost.

https://caddiswaders.com/product/northern-guide-breathable-vest/

That looks great. What kind of pockets are in the back? Are they zippered?

[vicente 0]

I own one of the Patagonia sling packs I very much doubt I'll ever go a non sling pack route for my fly fishing gear, the ease of access to my whole bag is just way too nice to give up.

[tjm 0]

@feathers5

can click rear view here https://www.amazon.com/Caddis-Waders-Northern-Breathable-Fishing/dp/B01G1YAK08?tag=pda0ea-20

 

It has inside zippered mesh pockets too, and I think three pockets on back. Can bring in from the shed and measure pockets tomorrow if you want, get a count of pockets...

I was looking for replacement of the 40yo Columbia vest and really kinda settled on the Simms Guide at the local C's when I came across the Caddis at a local bait shop. After examining both closely I think they came off the same pattern and factory. Being it isn't shown on the main page of Caddis site, and is out of stock on other sites, I'm guessing it is being discontinued, idk

[flyty1 0]

For me, it has always been vest is best. I figure if it was good enough for Lee Wulff, it is good enough for me. I have had a fee over the last 50 years...but my current one is an Orvis Tackle Pack I picked up in the 1990s.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

flyty1 I hear you -- I've had several vests that I liked over the years myself--very traditional ones from Bass Pro, and more tech-y ones made of super lightweight materials with special yokes for proper weight distribution, etc. Over the 20 years that I've been fly fishing, I have slowly evolved (if that's the right word) into more and more of a streamer fisherman. I'll carry a box of dries and wets if there are potential hatches going on, but here in Michigan the bug action is pretty much over by July. I also fish a lot of smallmouth bass rivers, so I carry a lot of bass bugs, poppers and sliders and such. The upshot of this is that most of my fly boxes are larger, about the size of a Cliff's Bugger Barn. Most vests won't accommodate more than two of those very comfortably. That's why I've moved toward sling packs -- I want something with more capacity like a backpack, but I want it to be more accessible on the water than a backpack would be.

Lee Wulff is said to have invented the modern fly vest. He was obviously an innovative guy with an eye toward utility in his gear. I wonder what he'd be wearing if he had access to all the different kinds of packs and vests on the market today.

[Bryon Anderson 0]

If anyone is interested, the primary reason (other than carrying capacity) I landed on the Vedavoo "Beast" as my sling pack of choice out of all the ones on the market right now is the fact that Vedavoo makes them for both left- and right-handed casters; that is, they make models that hang over either shoulder. With one exception, every other sling pack out there right now is available as a right-shoulder sling only. To me that makes no sense -- as a right-handed caster, why would I want extra weight on the shoulder of my casting arm?

 

The exception that I noted above is the Umpqua Ambi-Sling Pack, which actually allows you to re-orient the primary shoulder strap to go over the shoulder of your choice. They even made it with identical access to zippers and gear pockets, tool ports, etc. from both sides of the pack so that you can wear it either way. This pack looks like it will hold just as much gear as the Vedavoo pack, so it has now replaced the Fishpond Vaquero (mentioned in my original post) as the other contender for my choice for a large pack.

 

Additionally, every sling on the market besides the Vedavoo Beast (including the aforementioned Umpqua Ambi-Sling) utilizes a secondary strap to keep the pack in place when the angler bends or leans over. The Vedavoo pack is designed to hang in a vertical orientation on your back, not at an angle, and it was specifically designed for your water bottle to sit in the small of your back, with the idea that the combination of this weight and the vertical orientation of the pack will keep the pack from flopping forward when you lean or bend over. That's why it doesn't need that second strap to keep it in place. That, to me, is a huge selling point--true one-handed operation. You don't have to unbuckle and then grope around for and re-attach a secondary strap every time you need to spin the pack around to get something out of it or to replace it on your back.

 

Just some thoughts as we edge into the gear-shopping season.

[flyguy613 0]

I would definitely consider that sling pack it looks pretty good. Ive been using the Simms sling pack this one :https://www.google.ca/search?q=simms+sling+pack&client=ms-android-rogers-ca&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiz5J2b_rnZAhVObK0KHUgxCtAQ_AUIESgB&biw=412&bih=718#imgrc=8K9Ghx0xk_I56M:

 

Had it for several years it is comfortable, practical and holds more than I need it to

[Bryon Anderson 0]

thanks for the link flyguy; I have looked at several Simms packs --notably the G4 Pro Sling and the Waypoints Large Sling-- and they both appear to be really well-made, as all the Simms gear I've ever used has been.

[tmartin412 0]

I fish a Patagonia Atom Sling pack. I'm not much into the vests. I've been very happy with it. Be sure to check for watertight/waterproof compartments. From a weight distribution perspective, I'd rather fish with something behind me than in front of me.

 

http://www.patagonia.com/product/stealth-atom-fly-fishing-sling-pack-15-liters/48327.html?dwvar_48327_color=FGE&cgid=sport-fly-fishing-packs-gear#tile-13=&start=1&sz=36

[Bryon Anderson 0]

Thanks tmartin412 -- I did check out the Patagonia Atom sling pack as well. It looks like a very nice pack.

 

Waterproof or watertight compartments are a nice feature. When I first decided that I wanted a new pack, I thought I would go for one of the newer "fully submersible" ones, but I ended up veering away from those because a) they're crazy expensive (all the ones I found were over $200) and b ) I'm not a fan of waterproof zippers, which I've found to be difficult to operate, especially one-handed. My answer to the problem of potential accidental dunking has generally been to use waterproof/watertight fly boxes to keep my flies dry, and small Ziploc bags for my wallet, keys and phone. It works well enough.

 

I, too, prefer to fish with my gear behind me rather than in front of me. With me, it's not so much a consideration of weight distribution as of comfort and convenience--I like to keep my front as free of "clutter" as possible.

[shoebop 0]

I have a sling pack that I use most of the time. But the reason I use it is different from what everyone else says. True, it swings out of the way when fishing and then swings back in front of me when I need it. But more importantly, I pretty much know exactly where everything is in my sling pack but if not, it is just in the other zippered pouch...right in front of me. But, In my vest, I had to look in one of 4 or 6 pouches to find what I was looking for because things were all the time being moved around from one pouch to the other. I could never find the right flybox with the right size nymphs/wet flies/emergers/dry flies/ streamers/ tippets/ floatant...etc. You get the idea. If I could remember where everything was in my vest everytime I went out, I wouldn't have an issue with the vest.

[chugbug27 0]

I've never used a sling pack and I'm wondering if knowledgeable ftf's could chime in on whether it will make a difference on lower back pain, which I have regardless but extra amounts when fly fishing. I tend to over pack my vest, and that won't change, and I also tend to hunch over forward while fishing all day, and that won't change. Will changing from vest to sling help, or not really?

[shoebop 0]

I have a bad back too and there is no difference between the slingpack and vest as far as back pain goes in my experience.