What vest do you use ?

[fdfretes 0]

I was wondering what fly fishing vests you guys use, have tried, and what you liked/didnt like about any that you have tried.

So far I have been fishing without a vest just using pockets and a hip pack but am looking into getting a new vest and welcome your feedback.

 

Pictures are always welcome!

[flytire 0]

[Piker20 0]

I use a simple Shakespeare vest where bottom zips off for deeper wading. Has elasticated shoulder bits which makes it comfortable. Zips work ok. Velcro works ok. Cheap and cheerful.

[Crackaig 0]

Have never found one I can get on with. After my first one I decided that I would not have another were a fastener opened more than one pocket at a time. Velcro is great stuff. Now can we please have "selective Velcro". Colour coded would be good, red only sticks to red etc.

 

Usually I fish quite light, the heaviest piece of kit being a small thermos. Put it in the back pocket of a vest and the front rides up and tries to throttle you.

 

Just how much kit do you need?

 

Living where I do, fishing conditions vary from shirt sleeves to down jacket and thermals. One vest will not do. With the speed the weather changes here, layers go on and come off at very regular intervals. There is no point putting layers on top of a vest, it rather defeats the object. That means I'd need two at least for a full days fishing. Now do I take 1/2 hour off to change everything over in the pockets, or do I carry 2 fully loaded vests? If I do the former the weather will have changed again before I'm ready.

 

Also there is the fear that kit will always increase to fill the available storage, and beyond.

 

As you can imagine there are some amusing stories behind that lot. Well they are now. They were not at the time. Joking aside there are really three kinds of vest to consider.

 

There is the traditional waistcoat type. Many varieties of this are available. You may find something that will do, but all are someone else's' idea of what you need.

The rucksack based ones. Brilliant if you want to carry a lot of kit, though not big enough if you are camping and fishing.

Then there is the Marc Petitjean vest. This is more like a tabard. It is the only one you can easily access the large back pouch on the back. Undo the snap buckles on the side and spin it around. It is also the most variable. You can set the configuration to your needs. I've fished with Marc, and I can see that it works for him. It is also adjustable, so would overcome the layering of clothing problem. The reason I don't use one is I just don't find it comfortable. The whole thing sits too high for me.

 

As we fish in wild and remote places we have been considering the prospect of something going wrong. It wouldn't take much to go wrong for us to have to spend a night out. A small amount of kit can make a huge difference in these situations. If I was looking for something for this now I would be considering the rucksack type. Currently I use a lanyard, sometimes a waste pack, and a day sack. If needed I have a larger rucksack which will even take an outboard motor (2Hp).

 

Of course this is a nightmare for the beginner. Having a few years experience I can choose the kit I will need for a situation with confidence. If you are not confident you will either carry far too much or not enough. Try to manage with whatever you have until you know what you need. Then you can find a system to carry that.

 

Cheers,

C.

[EricF 0]

I have to admit, for decades I've used a $20 vest from some big box type sporting goods store. It is far from perfect, but it has certainly met a lot of my needs. My only complaints are the velcro tabs - which work fine as long as you don't have a shedding dog to fill all the velcro with hair. I've lost a few boxes in the woods that way.

 

A few years ago, I got a chest back from LL Bean. It is OK. I use if for striper fishing. It is a little small for striper boxes, and I miss all the options of the vest. I think one of my disabilities is the need to be prepared for every situation I could possibly come across. I do it all the time, take 100 files, use 5.

 

All that said, I have to admit, lately I've been doing more lake fishing and I just have a tackle box full of flies. In some ways I'm happiest with that.

[utyer 0]

I haven't worn a vest in the last 28 years. I started with a Columbia "Shortie" vest that had only 4 pockets. It worked fine for quite a while, then I got a huge vest with dozens of pockets. Thats when I found out that vests (any vest,) would agravate my neck injury. Stopped wearing a vest, and switched to some of the early pack (chest and back,) options. They didn't seem to bother my neck the same way, so I have worn one ever since. I have a small W Joseph chest back, and combine that with a SMALL back pack for most day trips.

 

There are times when I only use a waist belt with very small front mounted set of 6 pockets, not a huge waist pack. The pockets are for small fly boxes like an Altoid can. Works as a wading belt as well.

 

While I tie hundreds of different flies, I only carry a few on any given day, so most of them stay home or in the car.

[Bennabors2007 0]

I have used three diffrent vest from fishpond. They seem to get into my way while fishing but had ample storage. A friend from my TU chapter turned me on to the Magnum Sling Pack from Orvis and I love it. When you need it all you have to do is slide it around in front of you and when your not using it the packs at your back. There seems to be ample storage for me in this sling pack.

[ditz2 0]

I am a warm water FF and depending on area fishing I will normally carry 2 or 3 fly boxes. These boxes are normally in the 4 x 6" boxes and the panfish box is double sided. I carry a bass box, panfish box, and carp box just in case I find ole wisker face. It is far too hot here to wear a vest so I use a shoulder bag that has 2 to 6 pockets for odds and ends. The bag easily slides to the back to get out of my way or out front for easy access. I used to U.L. spin fish some and the shoulder bag works great for that as well.

 

On occassion I will wade with only one small 4x4 box in a shirt pocket. A couple of tools and spare leader and tippet material and it is enough but I do feel naked when I do it. Makes me feel naughty

[Jaydub 0]

Filson strap vest. For me, it holds the right amount of stuff. When I wore a full vest, I had a tendency to pack it full. It ended up too heavy and bulky. I tried a chest pack but couldn't get used to it.

[netabrookie 0]

I use a Yellowstone Pro Series vest from Jackson Cardinal Flies out of Montana I think. It is very adjustable with straps on either side at your waist and at the shoulders. I can adjust it to fit good over just a tee shirt in hot weather or let it out and wear it over a jacket on the cold days. It has a bunch of pockets that zip and has more than enough room for just about everything that you think you might need, plus room for what you know you don't need, but take with you anyway. It is mesh inside and has a roomy pocket on the back. I like it because of the things mentioned but my favorite thing is that it is gray instead of a light color that makes you soooooo visible to the trout. Stalking spooky brookies on a mountain stream is hard enough in the gin clear water without wearing a khaki or light color that makes you look like a bill-board coming up the creek. I bought an olive Orvis vest a while back, but I haven't tried it out yet and it only has a fraction of the room of the other one. I started all this obsession with my grandfathers old Ausable vest, but it just hangs now as a reminder of a great man to me. Sometimes its fun to just stick a flybox and a spool of tippet in your pocket and clip your hemos on something and leave the vest laying in the vehicle and head up the creek. Take Care.....

[Piker20 0]

I agree with the colour thing. Never seen an olive heron.