Sling Thing

How to best carry the gear you need on the river in a way that's convenient, functional, and accessible is an ongoing challenge for many fly folks. I'll admit I've struggled.

Vests are fine for summer trout, but when steelheading they're just one more layer to deal with. Plus they seem to be in the way when swinging or centerpinning. They do carry a lot of stuff comfortably, however. I'll definitely keep mine, but it's really mostly a warm-weather thing.

Then I tried a waist pack from Simms. While it was a great design with lots of nice pockets for stuff, it's not for me. Seemed to always want to slip down. If I tried to wear it over the shoulder the straps prevented access to the pockets on my jacket (a quick warm-up is nice during Winter steelheading).

Chest packs are a no-go for me. With both spey casting and centerpinning stuff in the way on your chest is just a recipe for a tangled-up fustercluck.

Enter the Orvis Sling Pack. I've been looking at these for a while and thinking it might be the ticket. I picked one up at the Midwest Fly Fishing Expo. A dealer had a few in a special short-run color on clearance, so I snagged it. Got to try it out the next day fishing the Pere Marquette with my Dad. This thing's perfect. Fits well, slides out of the way for fishing and right back where you need it when you want to access it. Small pocket on the front is ideal for a fly box. Even has a nice holster for forceps/pliers. The asymmetric design makes it fit your body well. I was able to fit some hardware, indicators, tippet, and a turkey sandwich in with plenty of space. Perhaps my only complaint is the the main compartment has only one mesh pocket. Several pockets would help to organize things; but this is a minor issue. We'll see, but I think this could be a nice solution year-round. Definitely ideal for steelheading though.

-Sean-