I would love to hear how everyone else sets up for a day of fishing. Do you prefer a vest, sling, hip pack, etc? What are your favorite pieces of packing gear?

I've evolved over time from a vest (didn't know any better) to a sling (everyone was doing it!) and now to a backpack with a lanyard set up. The most recent change was after a day of fishing when I left my car and had to hike a mile away. The orvis guide sling is large, but just not comfortable to carry on my back with 1-2 liters of water, lunch, change of clothes, etc. I got to thinking that just about every video or picture I see of professional competition fly fishers shows them wearing a back pack. I then decided to go out and buy the orvis gale force backpack which will have a few fly boxes, dry clothes, water and cell phone. I'll use a lanyard (this may turn out to be a pain) to keep my gear essentials close by and handy so that I can leave pack on shore if I decide.

What set up do you use? What problems have you encountered and what were your solutions?

Good topic , will be interesting to see what others are packing .

heres what I use

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/fly-fishing-vest-front-sling?p=48155-0

I use (now old) Simms backpacks in the day pack and half-day pack depending on the length of time out there. Backpacks are hard to beat, and Simms quality lasts longer than I want it to!

I use a Vedavoo Tightlines Sling for 90% of fishing and love it. https://vedavoo.com/shop/tightlines-sling-pack-deluxe/

It's small, with just enough room for a couple of boxes, water bottle, and a snack. perfect for a morning or afternoon on the water.

If I'm going to be out all day the little pouch on it makes a good chest pack, and I can carry the rest of my gear in a backpack.

I have a fanny pack style with shoulder sling. I too want the backpack. I want a waterproof one to place stuff in it like you said, plus my big camera. I tend to walk away from the crowds and stay AWHILE. Nice to have that option to load it up for those walks. Saving my pennies.

My new favorite is a Nice Pack Co. Midge Neck Pack. http://www.losethelanyard.com/#intro



Great for a grab and go session or all day if partnered will a camel-back. I can fit hemos, clippers, decent box of flies, tippet, leaders, and floatant.

For real big trips and gear I use a Simms sling.

I have the Simms dry creek z hip pack. You can carry lunch, a large bottle of water, several fly boxes, several sizes of tippet, and a rain jacket. The shoulder strap is comfortable. I carry my nippers around my neck. Those packs have 2 straps below the pack to secure a rod or a rain jacket. Completely waterproof. The material is top notch. The zipper is a little stiff.

I use a Simms Headwaters sling pack about 90% of the time.

Day: Conflueance Pack

Couple Hours: Hip Pack

Been using the same vest I made (yes I made my own)when I was in my early 20's. At this point it doesn't fit as well as it did back then and I'm looking for something new. This thread will give me some ideas and options for when I change to something else.

I am personally kind of a minimalist. Most of the time I just throw my fly box in my cargo pocket with a few leaders and a roll of tippet and a pair of foreseps and clippers on a retractable lanyard pinned to my shirt.

I personally can't stand vests because they are to hot and uncomfortable. I don't like the slings or the neck lanyards with everything flopping around and catching on stuff as I'm bushwalking through the woods and brush.

But I do have a Fishpond Arroyo that I really like for extended days or long hikes. It's a chest pack/hip pack that I can easily spin to the back to get it out of the way. There is room for two decent sized streamer boxes and a removable foam fly board that I keep my trout drys and nymphs on and just yank it out to throw in a streamer box. I keep a small knife, stringer, split shot, roll of tippet, couple of leaders, plus room for some snacks, a small pistol, and sometimes my extra spool with a floating line on it.

If I'm out for a long day I may carry a camelback mule with food, pistol and up to 3 liters of water in a bladder in addition to the arroyo. The two don't interfere with each other.

If I'm fishing from my canoe, which is the majority of the time, I use a five gallon bucket with a screw top waterproof lid from Home Depot. Everything just gets dropped in the bucket and I don't have to wear anything.

I've got three setups.

When I'm just flyfishing, I carry my Orvis sling pack, which has my filtered water bottle, a few fly boxes, tippet bar, leader wallet, floatant, and my tools (hemostat, nippers, pocket knife).

If I'm tenkara fishing, I have a lanyard with my favorite kebari and tenkara buggers, a ring of tippet, a few spools of level line or furled line, and my tools. The idea is to have the lightest possible setup I can.

If I'm taking other people tenkara fishing, I have a "Guide Sling" that I like because I can have four rods rigged up to hand out to my fishing buddies, and can carry a bigger fly box and more lines and leaders.

I too am a minimalist and very much prefer a simple chest pack. This is what I've been fishing with the past 15 years. Just bought a new one for Christmas and fished a few times with it. If I need to I'll take a backpack and pack water, etc but this is what I typically take if the car isn't far away or easiliy accessible. Vests get too hot and I don't like to be restricted. Don't like hip packs or slings that can get wet if wading deeper.

Fishpond San Juan Chest Pack: http://fishpondusa.com/product/detail/san-juan-vertical-chest-pack/2424

I can carry everything I need for a day of fishing in this pack including a bottle of water. It has a sorta fly tray, everything is right in front of me, it stays dry, etc. I have nippers on a zinger. Tippet on a clip and dry fly floatant fits in the front mesh area. Wallet, keys, extra leaders and fly boxes inside. I love Fishpond products.