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Orvis Chest Pack Gear Review
Mike Heck, Head Trout Guide for Precision Fly and Tackle, reviews the Orvis Chest Pack.
I was way overdue for a new chest pack and much like fly rods, we all have our preferences as to what we like and don’t like. My old chest pack was a bit bulky and sometimes got in the way of my casting. When I bent over, even though it was tight to my chest, it still was in the way of my arms. The backside covered most of my back and that was hot and uncomfortable. Lastly, I had to hang my leader spools off to the side and 80% of the time they ended up getting tangled within the hanging spools when I was changing flies or rebuilding leaders on the stream.
I took a few minutes and looked over the wide variety of packs we have in stock from Orvis, Simms, Fishpond, Umpqua. I packed and unpacked my fly boxes and was immediately drawn to the Orvis Chest Pack. It stood out to me for several reasons:
1. I liked the size of this Orvis Chest Pack. It is much smaller and fit me much better. As a full-time trout guide for Precision Fly and Tackle, I have to carry a lot of fly boxes. Everything fit right into the smaller Orvis Chest Pack and I still had plenty of room for the New Zealand Strike Indicators and my Loon Outfitters Nippers, Forceps, Frog’s Fanny floatant, etc.
2. The built-in spool holder on the outside of the top compartment is awesome. It keeps all your spools out of the way and can hold up to six 30-meter spools. Mine is always stocked with Orvis Superstrong and Rio Powerflex.
3. The back is about half as big as most chest packs, so my back was more exposed to air and I was much cooler during a full day on the water.
Now that I have been using it for several weeks, I can honestly say that this upgrade for me was the right decision, and I wouldn’t want to go back to my old pack. Orvis is on the cutting edge of new and innovative accessories in the fly fishing market.
I suggest you check out the Orvis Chest Pack at one of our 3 Precision Fly and Tackle locations. The Orvis Chest Packs are made of Cordura® material which is lightweight, tear, and abrasion resistant. It comes in colors like Sand and Camo which blend in perfectly with the surroundings of freestone streams, tailwaters, and especially for fly fishing elusive Spring Creek Trout. I selected the Camo because I’m just a country-boy at heart. You can take the boy out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the boy.
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