John,
I used a FF Vest exclusively until about 4 years ago, when I received a White
River back/chest pack, (Bass Pro Shops) for my birthday. It has a waterproof
insulated compartment for storage, that fits on your back, while the front has
two large pockets to hold fly boxes and two sub-pockets Has adjustable
shoulder straps. In front, there is a heavy duty zipper that holds it
together. I am very pleased with its versatility and how much gear you can get
into it.Another thing is that the back/chest pack is cooler in the summer.
There are many other manufacturers that make similar backpacks - Orvis,
Patagonia, Filson, Reddington to name a few. Cost ranges from $30 for the one
I have to $100 + for the Patagonia. You might also check with Byard at
linesend.com. If he doesn't carry this type backpack, he can steer you in the
right direction.
Cheers,
JIMMY
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[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I am hoping that somebody has some opinions on this issue that may help
> make my decision a little more clear.
>
> I've never used a fishing vest before, but I figure that its about time I
> begin. I've been looking around at some of the vests on the market and
> I've found several very nice ones that I think will work out well for me.
> While looking around though, I stumbled upon something that threw a wrench
> into the works. I've seen that Orvis sells a backpack/vest combination
> sort of thing that has a hydration pack in it. The backpack I'm referring
> to has a waist belt which has several storage compartments.
>
> Has anybody on the list tried the backpack or something similar? Since I'm
> not accustomed to wearing a vest, I figure that I could probably go either
> way without noticing too much difference, but since I havent seen the
> backpack loaded up with fly boxes and tools, I'm not familiar with how they
> load, how they wear, whether or not they're reasonably well balanced or how
> straightforward they are as far as organization. I love the idea of the
> hydration pack being incorporated into the design, and thats what really
> gained my interest the most.
>
> Has anybody on the list got any experience using the backpack? Any
> opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!
>
> John Roth
--
Jimmy D. Moore I FISH BECAUSE I MUST !
" BIGTROUTMAN" But, more importantly, I fish because
Woodway, TX my Dad taught me!
"THE GUY WHO INVENTED WORK NEVER CAUGHT A FISH!"
Scout Exec. BSA,(Ret.) - Outdoor Writer, TOWA, GRTU, FFF
For fly fishing info across the USA world. check out
http://www.BIGTROUTMAN.homestead.com/MainPage.html
World Clock: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
