[eaglesfn68]

hello guys. I dont really like my vest and was looking at a backpack. I saw some chestpacks but dont like that you cant see your feet. I was thinking a backpack would be perfect to carry water(hydration pack) fly boxes, tippet, and everything else.

just wondering if after long trips if they get heavy or if you guys have seen any disadvantages with them. I was looking at this one:

Cabela's -- William Joseph Escape Chest Pack

[Frank Whiton]

Hi eaglesfn68,

I posted a picture of the pack so others could see it.

Packs and vest and such things are a very personal thing. What suits one may not be right for another. I have not seen one but here are a couple of thoughts after seeing the picture.

If you are packing in it might be a good choice. I would not want to carry that back pack all day fishing. The shoulder straps are wide and ventilated. I would be concerned about the firm plastic that will be against your back. It allows for air flow (so they say in the add) but it may be uncomfortable. You need to be able to adjust the front packs so they are a lot closer than they are in the picture. If the front packs are not in front of you they can interfere with your casting or walking. There is a adjusting strap in the front but I don't know how close together you can adjust them. I think GeorgeMcFly bought something like this but I don't know if he still likes it.


William Joseph Escape Chest Pack

[wlschindler]

Backpacks can carry a lot of stuff and I use one when I take my young son out. The problem is that they are more difficult to access items, especially in fast water. I usually go to the shore to get stuff out. Also, they can get hot on warm days, I am very warm blooded, so this may not bother you.

I like small chest packs.

[Yukon Jack]

The thing I found with my vest was I carried a lot of stuff I rarely or never used. I was not a fan of the larger chest pack even though I had never used one on the water.
A friend gave me a smaller chest pack and I did not think it would Carrie much until I started loading in my gear and was very surprised. At first I just carried it on my pontoon behind the seat. Last week I was going down to the river for a couple hours and decided to give it a try, It worked great very low profile and I did not even know I had it on.

Another option is a fanny pack, here is a link to one at Cabela's

Cabela's -- Watermark Hopper Fanny Pack

Yukon Jack

[ezamora]

i use a camelbak daypack for carrying things i don't regularly access like jacket, lunch, misc stuff. i use a medium sized chest pack pulled on first for fishing stuff. when i want to stop and fish for awhile, i drop the backpack under a tree. it's my own home version of say, a fishpond shooting star system at a much lower price. you COULD use a waist pack with the main compartment in front in place of a chestpack to open up the area in front of you. i have a medium sized waist pack i picked up for about $15 from target where i usually keep a katadyn water filtration pump stashed. on some rare occasions, i'll stash a flybox instead... just options to ponder.

eric
fresno, ca.