Image: Alex Stulce
For the previous 5 or 6 years I have actually been an ardent advocate of the chest pack as the leading method to bring and shop deal with while on the water. I have actually never ever liked sling packs, knapsacks are too unwieldy, and all the vests I ‘d used in my earlier fly fishing years weren’t fantastic for my back, neck, and shoulders.
My existing chest pack is on its last leg of life, however, and I’m not captivated with the other alternatives on the marketplace. So, I chose to review the fly fishing vest, primarily to see if any modifications had actually been made in the years I gave up using them.
I’ll have a thorough take a look at several brand-new vests coming out quickly, however in the meantime, I’ll simply state this: fly fishing vests have actually made some good leaps in the previous years, and I believe I’m changing to one full-time.
Lower Profile
The primary factor I’m stepping far from chest packs is my love affair for chicken wings and all the other junk food that’s caused me placing on a couple of (read: method more than a couple of) pounds. The vest is a lower profile method to transport my deal with to the river, and I feel less like a doddering hippo than I do when using a chest pack.
On top of that, my fly line has less chance to capture on the vest because it’s closer to my body than the chest pack. It’s currently caused visibly less circumstances of whining and grumbling while choosing fly line off zipper pulls or tippet caddies.
Increased Storage
A chest pack is fantastic for anglers who wish to take a minimalist method to the water, because they’re so frequently smaller sized than vests or slings. However even with that minimalist method, you still require some spindles of tippet, split shot, indications, extra leaders, floatant, nippers, your fishing license, and some flies. Vests have more storeroom than chest loads typically. It’s a bit more arranged, too, thanks to the bunch of pockets on a vest compared to a chest pack.
Light and Breathable
When I was still utilizing vests, the product was thick and didn’t breathe well. Yes, there were some mesh vests on the marketplace then, however they were either cost-prohibitive, did not have enough storage, or the mesh was of bad quality that likely would not withstand long days on the water. Of the vests I have actually just recently been attempting, all of them are mesh-based and incredibly light and breathable.
I’m thrilled to put these vests to more utilize in the coming months and see if my disposition to ditch chest loads ends up being the best relocation.
