Packs.

[David Anderson]

Sorry for this post, but it’s winter here and the only trout fishing is between the ears… ::)

I was thinking of leaving the cameras at home and doing a little more remote trout fishing this summer.
Obviously, the cameras need a lot of special care in a pack and the weight of it all including tripods is too much for anything real serious on day trips.

This summer all trout photography will be conducted with a G10.. 😎

What I’m after is a new pack situation for extended day trips to very small streams where I only need a couple fly boxes and limited range of extras.
I will need room for the camera, GPS, water, lunch, light rain jacket and maybe a fleece for quick high country weather changes.

Some things I’ve been looking at on-line –

LL Bean Rapid River vest pack.

I love the look and design, but  wonder is the pack part too small and the vest part more than I need ?
From what I read, they’re very comfortable on the plus side.

Fishpond Piney Creek vest pack.
I like that the chest pack is small and simple and shouldn’t obscure my view below and think the pack looks about the right size.
Fishpond stuff I’ve reviewed in the past was well made and light.
I don’t like the modern look of this sort of stuff or the blue (?) color, but maybe that’s just me being old ?

William Joseph Exodus.
HATE the look of it.  😀
But – seems to be well set out judging by the pictures only and like the Piney Creek looks ok for deeper wading.

Filson foul weather vest.
I love the solid look and would feel less a dweeb in this, but am worried the pack section is too small.
Again, very hard to tell just off pictures.

Patagucci vest pack.
Lots of good reviews of these around – mixed feelings on the look of them.

Orvis Tri pack.
What’s with the color ?  😕
The design looks ok though.

Techvest.
http://techvest.biz/
Came across this, and it looks interesting and a little different.
A little unsure of the stuff sack idea, but maybe simple is best ?

Any comments on the above, or on something I might have missed greatly appreciated !  😎

www.dsaphoto.com

A picture is thousand words that takes less than a second while a thousand words is a picture that takes a month.

[Simon Chu]

Yes, definitely Winter

[Simon Chu]

Heres a pic of Chris Dore and me with overnight packs and the Lanyards.
The “old man” sticks make a huge difference on the formed track and for hoofing it back to the car for coffee and beer after. The walking pole with camera attachment might be a goody?

If you don’t like it dangling I leave one of the snap swivels for connecting to my shirt through a button hole.

[anonymous]

Outside the box.

[wraysinclair]

http://www.simmsfishing.com/site/dry_creek_day_pack.html

The simms dry creek daypack is great! I use it all the time throwing in a rainjacket, lunch, a few large C&F boxes and the dslr w/50mm. You can also use any of their dry creek chest packs attached to the front of it. But i perfer just the pack. I really like how you can store your fly rod tubes in it if you have to hike through some bushy stuff or are like me and use it with a bike sometimes.

here is a picture from a bike fishing trip the otherday i used it on!

[callum ross]

David,

In my opinion, a proper daypack from a known manufacucturer of outdoor gear is the best option. Generally well made and comfortable, you can try different styles etc at the specialist shops rather than taking a punt on ordering online.

In a continual search for the best combination, I combined a daypack with a Goertzen lanyard last summer. I am really happy with the set up and can still take the lanyard by itself if the chance for a short session comes up.

http://www.leatherandcanvas.com/html/lanyard.html

Cheers,

Callum

[Mark Schafer]

I have an Osprey pack that I bought off steepandcheep.com and the same lanyard as Callum works out fine for me. I also use a Mother tech bird hunting pack if there is a chance for a cast and blast.

[Neal Osborn]

David,

Answer these 3 questions and you will narrow your search considerably.

1.  Are you a “pack” vs “vest” vs Lanyard guy.  I go back and forth between all three based on the seasons (literally).  Winter = Vest, Fall/Spring = pack, Summer = lanyard.

2.  How do you want to carry your water?  Do you need a whole day of water and will you be hiking long distances from the car?  Then consider a larger pack.  If it’s only small day trips close to the car, then a water bottle is enough.

3.  What type of water will you be fishing?  Large water with deep pools, consider a high riding pack vs a vest.  Shallow water and smaller fish, use whatever you have.

I personally love my lanyard setup because it allows me to clip all the essential gear and things in one place and then I can simply change the pack/vest as needed based on the length of hiking/fishing, the season/weather, my moods, my water needs, etc.

FOR THE SITUATION you described above (extended day trips with minimal flies/gear) I would suggest trying a day-pack-bladder setup.

[Colin M.]

I will say that i absolutely love the willy J exodus pack.

[Curtis Bias]

I carry an inexpensive hydration pack made by a company called Outdoor Products. It holds 835 cu. in. of gear. I pulled the 2 L hydration bladder out of the bag and use the space to carry a load of gear. The price of the bag was around $20. It is well made. I have been using mine for approximiately 9 years. I believe the price has jumped to around 50 dollars for these packs.

[David Anderson]

Thanks for that input everyone.
(And photos!)

To start with, the Lanyards look like something I would get tangled up on the overgrown she-it fight creeks I like and normally, I don’t have much gear hanging off my vest or current pack when I fish.
You should see what sort of trouble a tiny tripod has caused.. 😀

That said, I saw a small bag from Goertzen, the lanyard mob mentioned above and it looks very awesome, but at $350 might be a stretch with permission from the wife.. 😮

I have looked (on-line) at some day packs from Gregory and a couple other places, but still need to have a look at them next time I go to the city to see if they’ll work for what I want.
FWIW, I like the look of this one –
http://www.gregorypacks.com/products/mens/technical/261/miwok-18
They are a cheaper option then fly fishing stuff and one would work over one of my vests I already have.

Neal’s question about water is a good one and in answer, I normally just carry a 1 liter or less water bottle and that’s generally fine, but I have been caught out a couple times on long days with bigger walks where I wouldn’t mind more.
For that I could add a second bottle, and I also have a 2 litre soft bottle from Platypus, but I’m not sure about a ‘hydration’ system as such.

Last, the Simms pack shown above has been added to the short list !

www.dsaphoto.com

A picture is thousand words that takes less than a second while a thousand words is a picture that takes a month.

[Curtis Bias]

I’ve got one of the expedition grade Gregory packs. It is bombproof. I lived in the woods from August of 1997-August 1998 (illustrating textbooks – science, ecology texts). The Gregory packs deliver the goods. They are worth every penny. I am still using the same pack. Lately I have only been testing it 2 times a month on weekend fishing trips. Prior to having children, it saw very heavy use. The Gregory packs are worth the expense.

[Author]

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