[Robert Engleheart]

Just got back from a trip in to the Kern River Wild Trout area. 90 minutes hiking in over broken shale & granite that shredded my Simms wading boots and the fish were not cooperating. I'll be back, but with a better pack. My old military unit shredded me and I'm lookin at some new ones; day use, carry a couple rods, staff, water and way too much tackle are the only requirements. Any of you guys out there have an opinion on the linked pack? BTW, I just ordered some Cloudveil convertible pants and shirts from this site and the service and goods were excellent. If you need some clothing the prices are excellent and service is good.
http://www.levelninesports.com/Head-Monster-Medium-Backpack

Pictures of the river; 4500 feet elevation, 51 degree water temp, about 550 CFS. Should fish better as summer wanes and flows drop into the upper 300's.

View attachment 33963 View attachment 33964 View attachment 33965 View attachment 33966 View attachment 33967 View attachment 33968

 

[Kent Lufkin]

I hike up to mountain lakes regularly, lugging a float tube, waders, fins, gear plus food, water, pump, etc for a day on the water. I've been using an older Kelty external frame pack that with 30-35 pounds in it simply kills my shoulders by the end of a day.

Acting on a friend's advice this spring, I took a closer look at some of the new internal frame packs, figuring that I'd simply wrap up my wet gear in a garbage bag for the trip back out instead of hanging wet gear from the bottom of the external's frame. I ended up spending a couple hours in my local REI store one weekday afternoon, trying on a wide variety of packs and walking around with them loaded. I was prepared to spend up to $300 on just one condition: that the pack I ended up with would feel nearly as comfortable as not wearing a pack at all.

The winner? http://www.rei.com/product/778468

I lugged just over 30 pounds up a rough trail to a favorite lake several weekends ago and was simply delighted at how easily the pack handled the load, how adjustable it was to shift position and balance during the day and how relaxed I felt at the end of the day.

K

 

[Mike Lee]

What's your budget? The Fishpond Wildhorse has two slots ready for your rods [granted they are multi piece rods], I think the back pack has near 1300 cu in, and a lot of pockets for the tackle in front. Fully adjustable, and you can put a camelback bladder in it too. Great for a day hike and fish. If you don't need that much space there are other models that are more reserved in space [like the Wasatch]. Allenflyco also has a similar vest/backpack at a much more affordable price and pretty good reviews from what I've read. Good luck hunting.

http://www.fishpondusa.com/wasatch.cfm
http://www.allenflyfishing.com/rucksack.html

Mike

 

[Alex MacDonald]

Robert, you also want to have enough room for a forced overnight just in case. Lots of options, but Osprey packs are at the top of my list-we have four. Kings Camo puts out a really nice day pack I use for hunting coyotes, called the Mainbeam. Mine's an older model which was discontinued, but I really like it. Great fit, holds a ton of stuff in two compartments, comfortable to wear, and silent. Plus, it has an attached rain cover and a setup similar to the Fishpond rod pockets on both sides of the pack. It also has the capacity for an hydration bladder. I also have an older Fishpond day pack, but it's really small capacity is limited to relatively short day hikes, and I dislike the fly boxes on the shoulder straps-they're always getting in the way.

 

[Mumbles]

I like the approach Kent took. Fitted and tested packs for a long time until he found one he liked that would carry what he expected he would need. Any modern pack can be configured to carry a rod tube (with two rods inside it) or two tubes. I have several that I've used for backcountry hiking and boarding and after realizing how easy it would be to make them work for rod carrying I kept myself from going out and getting a day, overnight and expedition pack that would carry rods. That lesson, learned here, saved me a bunch of cash on more packs that would clutter my life.

 

[Freestone]

I have a Granite Gear Vapor Trail (plus lots of others) that I love. It is incredibly comfortable as well as light and has huge stretch pockets on the side that are great for rod tubes. It has minimal clutter so it is good for bushwhacking plus I've done everything from a day hike to Mt Baker ascent with it as it is very versatile for a minimalist pack. http://www.granitegear.com/products/backpacks/ultralight/vaportrail.html

But Kent has the right idea. Head to your local shop, load up some packs with wieght and spend some serious time with them on your back. I also like to bring stuff I know I'm going to pack (like rods tubes, hydration bladder or water bottles, emergency gear and clothes, bag/bivy/tent, etc) and see how it all fits and works with each pack on the short list.

 

[slatecreekjohn]

check out www.bruzergear.com I can get you anything you want from there! great packs, lifetime warranty, and 100% waterproof!

 

[Mumbles]

I have a Granite Gear Vapor Trail (plus lots of others) that I love. It is incredibly comfortable as well as light and has huge stretch pockets on the side that are great for rod tubes. It has minimal clutter so it is good for bushwhacking plus I've done everything from a day hike to Mt Baker ascent with it as it is very versatile for a minimalist pack. http://www.granitegear.com/products/backpacks/ultralight/vaportrail.html

But Kent has the right idea. Head to your local shop, load up some packs with wieght and spend some serious time with them on your back. I also like to bring stuff I know I'm going to pack (like rods tubes, hydration bladder or water bottles, emergency gear and clothes, bag/bivy/tent, etc) and see how it all fits and works with each pack on the short list.

I did this when I was starting splitboarding. I brought everything that I expected to carry for overnight trips. That is how I settled on one of my packs, even though the staff at the Seattle REI thought I was damned insane. I think I went there on a day off and spent the whole day there. I can recall packing the pack, browsing about the store for hours, unpacking, setting out my gear, looking it over and repacking it for a few more hours around the store. I even wore my snowboard boots.

 

[Mike Lee]

Splitboarding Mumbles? You cease to amaze me. I wish that concept was around back when I was on Baker day after day after day. We used to hike up Tabletop just to get a nice steep alpine powder run. Snow shoes were golden, but the split would of put us into many more otions.

 

[Leopardbow]

Personal facourite as we all have.

http://www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Silo-40

 

[Mike Lee]

Personal facourite as we all have.

http://www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Silo-40

Arcteryx packs are very comfortable. I still have mine from many years ago. Not as sizable as the ones now, but the old packs were originally for light climbing trips.

 

[Leopardbow]

I agree. I also have a Bora 65 and was able to stuff a week's worth of camping supplies, food and clothing for a week portage and canoe trip and never complained. For me the key was having them show me how to fit it properly.

 

[Mike Lee]

True, there is definitely a skill to packing.

 

[FlyFishNeahBay]

Mystery Ranch Backpacks

these guys (made in USA) might have something that would work.

 

[JesseC]

I'm an avid backpacker.

There's not 1 right backpack. It's even more selective than fly rods in my opinion.

Kent has the right idea - head to REI and have one of their super helpful people dial in a pack for you. They even have bean bag weights to load the packs up for you to test how a full one would actually feel. They will help you dial in all the straps and also teach you some methods on how to load your pack for a comfortable weight distribution. One of the biggest mistakes newbie bacpackers made is loading the pack wrong. You want to load it to basically fall forward. This keeps the weight cooperating with your back instead of pulling on your shoulders causing pain.

 

[Chad Lewis]

Guess I'l throw in .02, although it's already been said several times. Getting a pack that fits you right is the most important part. There are several packs I'd love to have, but I just can't get comfortable with them. It should take you several hours, if not a few days of shopping, to find the pack you need. Even if the first one feels great, try a few more for comparison. You might get lucky and have a few to choose from. My one bit of advice that hasn't been mentioned - I don't get top-loaders anymore. Being able to access gear in the pack without pulling everything out is a great feature. Smart packing will take care of a lot of that, but if given an option I'll take a pack with a zippered main compartment every time.

IMO, some of the fishing specific packs aren't bad, but are really good for day use only. Also, most are needlessly cluttered with junk that amounts to nothing but eye candy. That also adds a lot to the weight of the pack, something else you should be paying a lot of attention to. If you buy a "serious" backpacking pack you'll be much better off, and you'll have a pack that's way more versatile than a fishing specific model.

 

[Kent Lufkin]

. . . My one bit of advice that hasn't been mentioned - I don't get top-loaders anymore. Being able to access gear in the pack without pulling everything out is a great feature. Smart packing will take care of a lot of that, but if given an option I'll take a pack with a zippered main compartment every time.

The convenience of a pack that allows outside access to the lower main compartment is a real plus. But like everything in life, it comes at a price: additional weight and complexity of design/construction. Although an extra zipper of two and some more cloth don't weigh much, it all adds up in the end.

For instance, my trusty Kelty external frame pack tips the digital scales at 7.5 pounds while my new REI Flash 65 weighs a svelte 3.1 pounds - almost 4.5 pounds lighter. Some of that weight savings was gained by not offering external access to the lower main compartment. Since a liter of water in a Nalgene bottle weighs almost 3 pounds, switching to the new pack was like carrying a bottle of water for free - a benefit I didn't mind giving up the convenience of external access to gain.

I was a bit concerned initially about not being able to gain access to stuff at the bottom of the new pack. But after spending some time thinking about how I packed gear, especially small stuff like reels, fly boxes and clothes, I decided to concentrate that stuff in slightly larger zippered or mesh bags, which I kept at the top of the pack, leaving big stuff that I'd only need when I got to my destination (like float tube and waders) at the bottom.

Again, I'm not suggesting that the REI pack is the end-all be-all backpack. Instead of recommending a brand or model, I suggest you think of your decision to buy whatever pack you choose as the last step in a process in which you explore a lot of options that end up with the one that fits and works best for you.

K

 

[Mark Walker]

Robert,
If you can find one of these, I think it will may fit your needs.:thumb:
I picked one (NWT) up off fleabay not too long ago for $50 and $15 shipping.
Lightweight, lots of straps, lash points, top/side entry, etc. Also has lots of space for a good 1st aid kit for guys that venture too far alone.:rofl::rofl:

Here's a link to some info/specs. Unfortunately, they don't have any.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/...IXf8dfj5qMCFSE1gwoddg590w&codesProcessed=true

Maybe someone here has one they're not using.

 

[2506]

Might want to look at Eberlestock as well.

 

[Mike Lee]

Robert Engleheart.........day use, carry a couple rods, staff, water and way too much tackle are the only requirements.

Robert, Are you looking for a daypack or a back country pack? I think everyone's advice here has been great, but do you guys pack all of that for a day hike too? I can see how having the extra space would make it easier so one wouldn't have to hike in waders and wading boots.