[rebelfly]

It is time to retire my old vest. Anyone care to recommend a brand or type of new vest?

[Fly2Fish]

Originally Posted by rebelfly

. . .Anyone care to recommend a brand or type of new vest?

I kind of like the William Joseph Fusion Vest. They have plenty of pockets - many molded, which helps in retaining fly boxes - and a fold-down workstation. They come with two tool holsters with built-in retractors, and handle a 35 oz. hydration bladder well (it will take up to WJ's 100 oz, but I found that the weight of that full pulled the front up to an uncomfortable degree). And I would add, WJ's sizing runs large, so I'd be looking a size smaller than you'd usually get.

I've seen some of these on clearance lately, and Steve Robbins' Full Creel is usually pretty competitive, so you might be able to get a buy.

[BigCliff]

I've got a older Patagonia Reinvest that has served me well. Its looks pretty traditional, but has dozens of pockets and works very well. After dropping some weight, its a bit too big for me, so I've ended up using a large waist pack most of the time.

Its a XXL if you're interested, and I'd sell it for $40, shipped free.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi rebelfly,

I have had several Orvis vest and they were all well made. I really like the Simm's Guide Vest but they are not cheap especially the G3. Here are some of the features I look for in a vest:

1. A metal ring on back of the neck to hang a net from.
2. A compartment on the back to keep lunch or rain jacket.
3. A shorty vest if you wade deep.
4. Nylon material that breaths.
5. Zippers on the lower front pockets that go all the way down on the center end. This allows you to remove a fly box with out un-zipping the whole compartment.
6. Built in zinger compartments.
7. A built in compartment where you can clip your forceps hanging upside down.
8. Inside pocket with chain to hold scissors sheath.
9. A front chest pocket big enough to hold leaders in the package.
10. A padded collar.
11. A D-Ring to hang floatant bottle up side down.
12. A green, tan, or blue color, I prefer green.
13. You can never have enough D-rings or spots to hang zingers. If you hang Zingers on a thin nylon vest you should have a heavier material on the back of the vest to support the Pin.

These are thing I have found useful on a vest.

Frank

Simm's Guide G3


Simm's Classic Guide Vest


Orvis Classic Tac-L-Pac



Orvis Super Wading Tac-L-Pac

[fyshstykr]

There are several great vest out there, as Frank mentioned above, I also have an older Simms guide vest that has served me well for many years.
I don't use my vest a ton anymore but it's always in the boat with me, and there are still places that it will be used.

I have seen some of the Fishpond stuff lately that really looks nice too.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi fyshstykr,

I have not seen the Fish Pond vest but some of their other stuff (bags) are excellent. Here are a couple of Fish Pond Vests for those who have not seen them. The Tech Pack looks interesting if you like vertical pockets.

Frank

Fish Pond Mesh Vest



Fish Pond Gore Range Tech Pack

[MtnGrouseHtr]

I recently purchased a chest pack type vest from Gander Mountain for 39.00 bucks on clearance that is really nice. Lots of storage but none of it is in your way the way some other vests/packs can be. I looked for a link to a picture but could not find one.