Bag,Vest,fanny pack or combination.

[Highlander]

Been dithering for a number of years as to which combination suits me for carrying day to day kit. You would think that after 50odd years of swishing a rod about I would have "got it right"
Just now I use a 15l Bergaus back pack for most things & carry "essentials" in my capacious pockets of my DPM Army jacket. I still have my Brady canvas bag & love it to bits but just not practical for all day fishing wearing it. If I deep wade the bags gets wet at the bottom no matter how high I ride it up. I just do not feel right on occasion especially on the river as at times I have to leave the water to say change flies,casts etc. Ok for the flask & sandwiches with the back pac I am coming out of water anyway for that reason.
Problem is I do not want to feel like an extra for Full Metal jacket with sticky/diggy in things around my body in say a vest.
Not sure if I want everything "up front" too. I like to be free up front & the pack pack is ideal for that purpose. Thought maybe the back pack in conjunction with say a small waist belt with a few pouchesthat could be carried at the back but swiveled round to access at front when needed. Just big enough to carry a fly box,floatant & the like but not "the kitchen sink"

My Question is what have you guys settled on & why.? Links to kit would be handy for perusal

Tight Lines

[Fishtales]

Normally it is a rucksack for long days in the hills and I carry the essentials in my trouser pockets which is usually just a fly box, and a bum bag, if I need to change the cast then I will be sitting on a rock or the bank so the nylon is in the bag. For short trips I use a bum bag on its own. It is big enough to carry fly box, nylon, snack bars and I can slot a water bottle into the straps for carrying. The waterproofs are in a stuff sack through the webbing straps underneath.

[rannoch raider]

Have a look at the snowbee sling bag. They sit on the back and can be slid round to your front when required. Daiwa are doing one that is similar at half the price.

If you google snowbee shoulder bag you'll see it at Harris sportsmail.

[Billy]

I used the outlander today. Similar to the one in the photo but with one front pack. Lots of pockets in the wee front bit and loads of space in the backpack section.

It is a good piece of kit and well put together.

Billy

[Stonepark]

Another :thumbs: for the Outlander Vest pack, good piece of kit, feels bulky at front till you are used to it, but water, piece, poncho, hat, fish bags etc in back 15l rucksack and everything you need in the front for fishing.

[Guddler]

I've toyed with the idea of one of those Outlander combo vests as a sort of all-purpose lift-and-go thing.
I had been using a small 18 litre rucksack for ages combined with a jacket with cavernous pockets but last season I resurrected a lightweight Airflo mesh vest I bought years ago and would say it was a substantial improvement. Still used the small rucksack for fuller days out but the little vest did the trick for evening wanderings.

[Allan Crawford]

Like Highlander I've also been dithering over the last dozen years or so but I've only been at it for 30 odd years so plenty time left yet to get it sorted.  (I hope)
Used to be a big fan of a waist coats and got a really nice Orvis one, best thing I like about it is the 6 wee pockets for keeping different size tippets. But most the time I never bother to use it these days especially for hill lochs. Instead I have a small Leeda chest pack nothing near as fancy ( or heavy) as todays kit like the Sonik one available. Inside this is the bare essentials needed for fishing( box of flies and couple spools of tippet plus fly floatant) and then carry this in a rucksack, when fishing I dont like too much up front so dont wear it as a chest pack but it fits into the lid pocket of my rucksack. The opposite approach would be to stuff lots of gear into a bigger rucksack including chest waders and walk into a loch making base camp for the day and walking home from the same spot, with such an approach I would probably take the waist cost, but not carry the rucksack when fishing.

The Outlander vest/rucksack looks interesting but as I already own about a dozen different sized rucksacks not something I really need.

[Wildfisher]

I have tired of waistcoat / fly vests for a few reasons. One I am fed up of "dangling stuff"  and secondly there is not enough room to carry sandwiches, water bottle, water proofs, warm clothes etc so  for that you need another bag.

I also want to use my POV camera on a chest harness this year from time to time and a waistcoat flaps about in front of it.  So, I'm trying the waist  bag / small rucksack combo now. I need a slightly bigger waist bag and have ordered this for just over a tenner. I'll let you know how it goes.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=131045141704&ssPageName=ADME:L:OC:GB:3160

This seems to me to be a never ending search for an ideal to cover every situation  and it might not exist.

[Fishtales]

I stopped using my fly vest years ago because it was just more weight to carry. I think each time I go is different and so I have come down to a modular system.

For long days in the hills moving from loch to loch I use rucksack mainly for food and spare clothes and bum bag with fishing stuff.

Like this.

[attachimg=1]

For fishing close to the tent or just a few hours not too far from civilisation I just use the bum bag.

Like this.

[attachimg=2]

The bum bag has everything for fishing, plus snacks and the waterproofs are always slung underneath so are always with me.

[Wildfisher]

I think you have it Sandy and that's the approach I'm moving towards.