Chest pack vs Vest

[boreal]

Which do you prefer and why?

or do you sue something else?

[franzenangler]

I personally have used a chest pack through my whole fishing career except for probably when i was 5.... The only thing is they can be bulky which sometimes makes it hard to make long casts.

[luked]

i started out with a chest pack...but i have a Fishpond vest now like it much better

[bekiu002]

I prefer vests. I think they are more comfortable to wear, its more natural like wearing a bulky shirt. I like having the seperate pockets in different places, that way I know exactly where I put things. Plus, my wife says I look cute in it and thats what is really important.
Cabot

[MoscaPescador]

I minimalize. If I could get away from chest packs or vests, I would.

The way that I look at it is that I will use which works best for the situation that I will fish. If I need to carry a lot of gear, I use the vest. If I need to carry a moderate amount of gear, I go with the chest pack. For most trout fishing, I use a Morning Star Lanyard with the important accessories. I keep my fly box in my waders flap pocket or in my cargo pockets if I am wet wading. It helps having waterproof fly boxes.

MP

PS: I have not used a fishing vest since 2002.

[FrankB2]

I ran into a British chap this afternoon, and he carried a bag like this:


It looked fantastic, but I could never get comfortable carrying one. I've tried
a Fishpond Blue River as a fanny pack/should bag, and couldn't get use to that either. I'm still stuck with my $15 Walmart vest.....

[troutdoorsman]

I switched from a vest to a fishpond pack and love it. It has a bunch of pockets in the chest pack and enough space in the back for gear to do a day trip hiking. With my old vest I couldn't carry that much gear without it dragging me down and feeling heavy. The pack is very comfortable to wear on long trips. If you're only going out for a couple of hours you can wear it as just the chest pack for minimal gear.

[flytyer56]

I use a shoulder bag I picked up at a hiking shop. It forces me to only carry what I actually need. When I wore a vest I think the kitchen sink was hidden in there some where, I just couldn't find it. I also have a chest pack, that I don't care for.

[papabearoutdoors]

Originally Posted by bekiu002

I prefer vests. I think they are more comfortable to wear, its more natural like wearing a bulky shirt. I like having the seperate pockets in different places, that way I know exactly where I put things. Plus, my wife says I look cute in it and thats what is really important.
Cabot

i've worn a fly fishing vest since childhood and haven't looked back.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Everyone,

When I was a teenager I used an Articreel and it worked for years. Sling it over a shoulder and go fishing. Then I went with a Vest for many years. The trouble with the vest that I and my partner had was we put way too much stuff in them. I use to carry four big fly boxes and several small ones. Extra spools in the rear pocket and a rain jacket. Just about everything I would ever need to fly fish was in my vest. When I got my pontoon boat the vest was in the way and interfered with rowing. I got a small chest pack and haven't used the vest since.

Frank

Arcticreel