Broodstock
Active member
Does anyone use the C&F large chest pack and have thoughts or opinions? There are not a lot of reviews about it online.
There is indeed a dearth of information on C&F and it takes some hunting to get the products. I have not field-tested it, but I just bought the big chest pack (CFA-830) and it appears to be a keeper.Does anyone use the C&F large chest pack and have thoughts or opinions? There are not a lot of reviews about it online.
The most worrisome aspect of this box for we Americans is the thin, bottom compartment with spool holders that only hold small Japanese spools of tippet. Knowing that going in...
Indeed, I remember when Orvis Superstrong came on spools so skinny they seemed to scrape the monofilament as it unreeled. (Looking back, I hated that but didn't fully realize it at the time.) I was really hoping the Loon spools would fit so I could store home-tied multi-fly rigs in there. A little work with an X-Acto might do it but I'm not there yet. I will be hunting for some small spools but until then will store wound leaders in that compartment. For example, it'll hold a hinged-leader indicator setup (not that I would use one of those!). Photos are for illustrative purposes only--wouldn't usually combine streamers and BWOs. The small slot in the bottom compartment is perfect for a New Zealand strike indicator tool.Every single tackle storage system or leader dispenser that incorporates a space to hold a tippet spool suffers from a similar problem at the onset or later... YOUR brand of tippet may not fit or if it does, the tippet manufacturer ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY change the size of the spool down the road.
While I don't own a C&F Chest Pack, I do have a few leader dispensers I've made that incorporate spools and with those I just refill the spools that do fit with my leader material of choice. If you want to get fancy you can do it with a drill but I've even done it in a minute or two by hand sitting by a creek.
Bottom line, if you can find three empty spools of tippet material that will fit in the C&F box and can deal with refilling those spools occasionally, the size of the spool holders is not a deal breaker.
...I will be hunting for some small spools but until then will store wound leaders in that compartment...
Will check that out!I just got one to try out too - seems like plenty of space for flies, but I haven't figured out how I want to carry my streamside tools yet. Being a minimalist isn't really in my nature, and I usually carry a small backpack unless I'm fishing in sight of the car, so maybe I'll try to rig them up on my pack straps.
BTW, Trout Hunter and Varivas spools fit the C&F spool holders.