C&F chest pack

[Broodstock]

Does anyone use the C&F large chest pack and have thoughts or opinions? There are not a lot of reviews about it online.

 

[Peter Ross]

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.

After much handwringing, I ordered the big one (expensive!) with the magnets on the front. The two large foam inserts pop in and out, great for a C&F addict such as myself. In less time than it takes to read this sentence, I can pop in two large panels of flies appropriate for the next outing. So I can in moments be busting at the seams with large articulated streamers or a massive number of nymphs or both.

Permanently mounted are a slender panel with threaders, useful for regularly used small flies; three compartments of split shot and yarn, a bit more than needed, and a two-sided page that can hold a lot of flies—have never been into page-type inserts but intend to keep an open mind. I plan to set the permanent inserts up with frequently used small nymphs, scuds, San Juan worms, with BWOs and midges on the threaders.

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, I was pleased to discover foam spools from Loon fit but then saddened to decide they're just a shade too thick. Rather than modifying the box, I decided to store extra leaders in those spots, with a piece of paper describing the leader that serves to hold the leader under the little tabs. This eliminates my old bulky leader wallet made of cordura. Should work well but we shall see. This thin bottom compartment also has two more compartments for yarn and split shot, just a bit more than needed, especially if you're trying to get away from split shot and yarn.

It's a big unit but seems to hang nicely, even while wearing my Simms vest, so I can carry way too many flies! My kind of outing! Or I can take just the chest pack and be sort of a minimalist guy. Sort of. A clip keeps the box from dangling when you bend over. On top of the box is a handy tippet cutter. It's super light weight, slightly heavier than a fly box. It wasn't cheap, mind you, but I have C&F boxes in all three sizes so it was only a matter of time. I had to have it. Upon its arrival I pulled off the C&F Design sticker. I ain't the Dupont Chevrolet—they need to give me the box if they want free advertisin'! But I dig the box. Looking forward to testing it out.

And, man, that's a nice fish!

 

[Broodstock]

This is a great post. I watched Corey’s video (Old Dominion Trout Bum) and he seems to like it. He’s modified it a bit. His is the older style. The newer one seems a bit less refined. I’m a vest wearer and have been for 27 years. Now that I’m feeling the weight in my back and shoulders after a long day I’m looking to shed unnecessary weight.

I’ll plan to fish it and then report back here too.

 

[Bamboozle]

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...

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.

 

[Peter Ross]

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.

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.

 

[Bamboozle]

...I will be hunting for some small spools but until then will store wound leaders in that compartment...

A couple of things...

If the protrusion that is on some of the different spools to allow them to lock together is an issue, I've sanded that off a couple of older Superstrong spools so they fit better in a couple of older Wood River bags I still use.​

​

Varivas tippet material MAY be spooled on a spool size that fits. One thing I would do is to measure the depth & diameter of the opening so IF you think you find something that may work, you can measure or ask a dealer or manufacturer to measure the spool for you.​

​

With that in mind, take those measurements and post them here because I also remember the earliest generation of Seaguar Gran Max fluorocarbon coming on very thin spools. I use/used Gran Max and have a bunch of full spools and if they would fit in your box, I'd be more than happy to send you a few once I generate some empties. 😉​

​

Going outside the box, there are more than a few Tenkara line holders out there from this and other sources that may fit.​

​

Finally, if you want it bad enough...​

​

When I created my small tippet dispensers and couldn't find the right size spools, I had a machinist friend fabricate me spools from Nylon that fit perfectly into the spaces where I need them to fit.​

Again, good luck!!

 

[salmo]

I search all over the internet for the C&F fly threaders. I can’t believe that they haven’t been knocked off by Tiemu or some other Patent infringement company.

 

[cpc1027]

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.

 

[Peter Ross]

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.

Will check that out!

 

[Arrowflinger]

I have the newer one the only tippet spools that fit are trouthunter tippet spools.

 

[Broodstock]

The most recent post on this thread made me realize I should do an update, after having used this pack all year so far. Here are my thoughts and observations, in no real order:

- The C&F Design large chest pack is a nice, lightweight method to carry a lot of flies, 3 spools of trouthunter tippet, and some splitshot. **This review is about the newer version**

The box has several shortcomings:

• The magnets are not well glued in. One separated from the foam. I made some edits to them to better secure them by wrapping a spiral of 020 lead wire around them and re-gluing with epoxy.
• The foam came apart from the black board material, and I had to also re-glue this with CA glue, very carefully
• I removed the plastic magnet fly patch, and added velcro to the front. I use a small C&F chest patch with universal system as a working box
• There is no place for tools. The stock lanyard sucks, I replaced it with a peak design camera strap. I use a length of paracord wrapped around the body to hold the box to my chest. On this I attach nippers and floatant.
• The box opens at pretty bad times, namely when I am fumbling around with the net/rod after landing a large fish. I have yet to add another piece of velcro to keep the box closed but I might
• The box seems to like cold weather much more than sun/heat. The foam tends to sag or bend in the heat.
• The large size is likely too big for most people, and truthfully I never use all the flies it holds. I would likely be fine with a smaller one.
• It, and the foam changers are pretty expensive for what they are.
• I bought an older version at The Feathered Hook and when comparing them, the older one seems better constructed, but it does not use the universal system.

And the box has several advantages

• It is super light. I mean, so light that when I first took it out the difference between it and my vest was night and day. My shoulders and back were super happy.
• It is modular and I can swap out foam inserts with different setups. I wish the center leaf was also swappable. I can take the same box, with different flies for steelhead, wild trout, bass, etc.
• Everything is in one place, and no fumbling in pockets. No fly boxes that you can drop or lose.
• It is easy to customize with velco, paracord, etc and easy to fix with glue. I had my wife sew up my old vest a number of times, but eventually that was not possible.
• With the lack of vest, I can wear a small or large day pack on my back and it is way more comfortable. I tend to do very long days away from the car, with many miles hiked and waded, sometimes with 2 rods. I carry water, food, first aid. On days where the morning is in the 30s but the afternoon is in the 70s, you need a place to stow a layer. Vests suck for this. This chest pack makes that easy. Wearing a backpack over a vest is much more restrictive.
• It holds a ton of flies. From size 26 midges to articulated streamers, no issues.
• It hold flies well, they do not move or fall out. They are easy to take out with one hand.
• It air dries and drains fast, for rainy days or deep wading.
• The threaders that are included are very nice. I was reluctant to use them, but then one day on the creek I tried them. Not needed for every fly change, but when you do need them - super nice to have.
• The visual design of the pack is very nice, as someone who appreciates product design.

Overall, it might not be perfect, and not for everyone, however I really like it. I think the main thing I have learned is how to fish more simply.