I want a tackle backpack but which one?

[Jim Hill]

So I don't go out in a boat often, but fish off shore almost every single day in the summer.  Not exaggerating either!   Anyway, I went from a tackle box, to a bag and now looking at the backpacks,

That being said, I saw a few and wanted some help in choosing the right one!  I am sure people own them or have had a chance to compare some.

 

The four I have seen and narrowed it down to are as follows:

1. the Nomad Wild river by clc

2. The cabela's advanced angler backpack

3. the shimano blackmoon

4 and the tackle warehouse one, which name escapes me as I type this


I have a tackle bag now, its I think a plano 3700 in mossy oak colors.  I do like it but I find myself needing another bag just to carry other things.  I do not have a lot of gear but enough to fill 4 3700's.  The only thing keeping me from just buying one is they are so drastic in price!  I would LOVE to have a rod holder on the side, which some do, but the Nomad has more space.  Oh whats a fisherman to do!  Help me out!

[Dyerbassman]

My advice...get a backpack not specifically designed for fishing.  I have a no name travel backpack that holds more gear than my bass pro one.  Heck of a lot cheaper too!  

[Jim Hill]

really?  Those named packs I showed have specific things for fishing.  Like storage container holders, things for pliers...etc   I never thought to look for a non fishing pack?

[Dyerbassman]

I thought the same thing too!  But seriously, my "other" backpack holds more.   Look around.  With as much stuff as high school and college kids lug around, backpacks have become pretty innovative

[Cgolf]

When we were at my parents a while back my mom was cleaning out her closets and had a sling pack meant to be used I guess as a purse, thankfully it is black. It actually has better pockets for fishing gear inside and out than my Orvis sling pack. I am a minimalist for shore tackle, so this probably wouldn't work for most since it wouldn't hold even one 3600 size box. 

I am with others, look beyond the branded bags, a good Jansport or other backpack will likely be more solidly built and you should be able to find one with a pocket layout that would meet your needs. 

[Jim Hill]

I'll check around for those also while still holding out for reviewers or help on the others also.  I can afford any of the aforementioned ones its just between 50-150 thats a big difference

 

[nascar2428]

17 minutes ago, Jim Hill said:

really?  Those named packs I showed have specific things for fishing.  Like storage container holders, things for pliers...etc   I never thought to look for a non fishing pack?

They're still just back packs

[Jim Hill]

granted, but all backpacks aren't the same.  Guess I'll go read some reviews on amazon

 

[XzyluM]

The problem with fishing backpacks is that they are tailored for specific things. It is hard to find a backpack that has compartments exactly how you might prefer them. I find most packs tailored to fishing waste a lot of space and have useless components that I would rather not have. Nowadays you can find backpacks with an insane amount of storage that will come in a lot more handy than a binder that has been sewn in. There are some really durable backpacks on the market today. While not a backpack, the Okeechobee Fats packs that can be found at Walmart and most fishing stores are really nice for the price. I picked up the large one that holds 3700 cases and can store about fourteen 3600 cases in it with a ton of room left in all the side pockets. The small or medium could make a nice pack to carry around while bank fishing. Lots of options out there and it is probably best to pick a backpack that fits your specific needs and tackle. 

[Jim Hill]

2 minutes ago, XzyluM said:

The problem with fishing backpacks is that they are tailored for specific things. It is hard to find a backpack that has compartments exactly how you might prefer them. I find most packs tailored to fishing waste a lot of space and have useless components that I would rather not have. Nowadays you can find backpacks with an insane amount of storage that will come in a lot more handy than a binder that has been sewn in. There are some really durable backpacks on the market today. While not a backpack, the Okeechobee Fats packs that can be found at Walmart and most fishing stores are really nice for the price. I picked up the large one that holds 3700 cases and can store about fourteen 3600 cases in it with a ton of room left in all the side pockets. The small or medium could make a nice pack to carry around while bank fishing. Lots of options out there and it is probably best to pick a backpack that fits your specific needs and tackle. 

I actually saw that name while looking around.

Thats the thing that I wanted most in a bag/pack was specific places for specific things.  Searching backpack on amazon could take me all week!

 

EDIT: oh, I all ready have a tackle bag, I don't like it much.  Could fit my 4 3700's in it but hardly anything else on the sides or front pocket.  I figured it would be much easier to grab the backpack, throw it on, walk the banks ya know?

Its not REALLY about the money as I just got back my tax return, its more about bang for my buck with a bag.

 

Edited February 23, 2016 by Jim Hill
clarify

[GoCougs14]

I have a spiderware pack that holds about 5 3600 boxes. Nice backpack yeah, but worth 70 bucks? Na

[XzyluM]

The Okeechobee Fats packs are a bargain for what they retail for in my opinion and are well made. They have a ton storage and a lot of compartments to let you organize things which is what I prefer rather than gimmicky options most fishing specific backpack or packs tend to have. I was impressed after I decided to pick up one and try it out. There is a few videos on YouTube of the TW backpack that you might be interested in.  Also a lot of brands that aren't fishing specific that make very durable backpacks with a ton of storage when you get into the price range of some of those you listed. Worth looking around before you limited yourself to fishing brands. 

[Jim Hill]

That bag is way better then the one I am currently using.  But i'd rather go with a backpack style, not fun trying to carry one of those around.

[Further North]

I have three sling packs for my wading river fishing - all happen to be Orvis, but good ones are made by plenty of other companies.

I like the following:

• They go over one shoulder out of the way of my rod hand
• They have a secondary belt that keeps them from slipping around when I bend down to net a fish
• They have a place to attach a net (I use a large trout net for smallies in rivers)
• They pull around front to access what I need when I need it without having to wade to shore
• Two of them have flip out places to hold lures, etc, while I tie on a new one.
• They have places to hang the wet lures for drying
• Two of them have good spots to tuck a water bottle or two
• They ride high up between my shoulder blades and keep the weight off my lower back...I mostly forget they are there.
• They come in all kinds of sizes, depending on what you want to do for the day...I keep one set up fro trout, one for smallies, one for toothy fish.

Here's one that's better than the one's I have, IMO: http://www.orvis.com/p/safe-passage-guide-sling-pack/14zh

Here's another from Simms: http://www.simmsfishing.com/headwaters-large-sling-pack.html

Here's one from Fishpond: http://www.fishpondusa.com/product/detail/thunderhead-sling/2427

 

[Jim Hill]

sounds nice, but what about comfort with a sling?  Gonna sound odd but I have a bad back and when carrying around my current tackle bag, it hurts eventually.  Thats why I figured a backpack with support would be better.  I carry everything I own in my current bag, which isn't a ton, but the space is super limited!  I can only walk short distances so I figure a pack of some sort would be best.

 

[Further North]

Jim, I love the comfort - as I mentioned, the weight stays up where it doesn't bother my lower back at all.

I often spend all day on the river, fishing, wading, etc...and I'd take the sling pack over anything else I've tried.

Works great for me.

[Cgolf]

31 minutes ago, Jim Hill said:

granted, but all backpacks aren't the same.  Guess I'll go read some reviews on amazon

 

Best thing to do is go to a sporting goods store like DSG that caters to more than fishing and look at both fishing packs and standard backpacks. That way you can see how the fit and how the pockets are set up in person. REI stores have a huge variety of packs if you have one nearby. 

[Jim Hill]

also, now that i've been told to check on other things, my main concerns were carrying it of course, space, organization and durability.

Mine now can carry 4 3700's and almost nothing else on the outside pockets.  I have things like my scale, camera, line spools, pliers, plastics..etc  If I got some jansport, imo, just toss it all in the bag and its an unorganized mess I will have to dig through.

 

I suppose i'd be open to a different tackle bag if it was better.  I got mine at walmart.  I had bought a plano softsiderx 3600 but it was too small so I went with a mossy oak colored 3700.
 

3 minutes ago, cgolf said:

Best thing to do is go to a sporting goods store like DSG that caters to more than fishing and look at both fishing packs and standard backpacks. That way you can see how the fit and how the pockets are set up in person. REI stores have a huge variety of packs if you have one nearby. 

I think about an hour and 15 min drive there might be a DSG.  I live in the middle o nowhere lol

[Cgolf]

1 minute ago, Further North said:

Jim, I love the comfort - as I mentioned, the weight stays up where it doesn't bother my lower back at all.

I often spend all day on the river, fishing, wading, etc...and I'd take the sling pack over anything else I've tried.

Works great for me.

Knowing the Orvis bags, I have one, can you get a couple of 3600s in yours? The one I have wouldn't do that. If price is not a big deal fishpond usually makes bulletproof gear, you do pay for it, but the quality is really good. 

Saying that Jim if you have a fly shop in your area take a look there, they should have lots of solutions for bank and wading anglers. 

[Jim Hill]

Im lucky to have a walmart in my area lol    I checked out some orivs slings and they don't look like they can carry my 3700's or if I downsized to 36's.   I think somewhere if I traveled I could find a shop.  We do have over 15,000 lakes here

 

[Further North]

cgolf...one of my sling packs (no longer made, but you can find them around on Amazon or eBay if you look) will hold a couple 3600s.

I use smaller boxes - again, swiped from the trout guys ans they've pretty well got this stuff nailed - because I find them easier to use.

I like the bigger fly boxes for streamers - they are usually waterproof and easy to hold with one hand while standing fanny deep in a river.

I keep an eye open at Sierra Trading Post and snag them when they come up for nutty discounts.

Here's a "regular" fishing pack at Sierra Trading Post, also by Simms: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/simms-headwaters-1and2-day-hydration-backpack~p~104tj/?filterString=fishing-bags-and-tackle-boxes~d~43%2F&colorFamily=02

Hard to beat for $70....

Simms makes GREAT gear, really made with fishermen in mind, IMO.

[Cgolf]

This is a bag I have that I got a long time ago that had I fly fishing chest pack that strapped onto the front straps. Attached some pictures, it has two side pockets that are pretty spacious along with 2 bigger front pockets one having 2 small pockets integrated into it. In the main pocket I have 2 4700 guide series double decker boxes in their. Something like that would probably work pretty good for ya. 

[Jim Hill]

yeah that looks pretty solid and I think the two boxes are equal to 4 3700 singles is it not?

[Cgolf]

3 minutes ago, Further North said:

cgolf...one of my sling packs (no longer made, but you can find them around on Amazon or eBay if you look) will hold a couple 3600s.

I use smaller boxes - again, swiped from the trout guys ans they've pretty well got this stuff nailed - because I find them easier to use.

I like the bigger fly boxes for streamers - they are usually waterproof and easy to hold with one hand while standing fanny deep in a river.

I keep an eye open at Sierra Trading Post and snag them when they come up for nutty discounts.

Here's a "regular" fishing pack at Sierra Trading Post, also by Simms: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/simms-headwaters-1and2-day-hydration-backpack~p~104tj/?filterString=fishing-bags-and-tackle-boxes~d~43%2F&colorFamily=02

Hard to beat for $70....

Simms makes GREAT gear, really made with fishermen in mind, IMO.

I am with you on smaller boxes, I use 3500 size max for shore fishing, so for me sling packs are awesome. I know a lot of guys though don't like the smaller boxes which rule out a lot of sling packs.  

[Further North]

7 minutes ago, Jim Hill said:

Im lucky to have a walmart in my area lol    I checked out some orivs slings and they don't look like they can carry my 3700's or if I downsized to 36's.   I think somewhere if I traveled I could find a shop.  We do have over 15,000 lakes here

 

I have this one, not sold any longer by Orvis...but they're around if you look: http://www.orvis.com/p/gale-force-sling-pack/4h1p

16" x 10.5" x 6"...I use it for my toothy fish wading.  It'll hold a couple 3600s...but as above, I've switched over to smaller boxes as I find them more user friendly for me.