Death of Tech Packs / Rise of Dry Packs

[Swattie87]

Anyone else put off by this? 10 years ago pretty much all the major FF gear companies had at least one, if not more, offerings with a backpack style back and a vest style front. With a legitimate hiking backpack suspension and waist belt on many of them.

Yeah, Fishpond has a couple still that are kinda like this, but they’re really just fancy vests with lots of bells and whistles and lack a proper backpack suspension and waist belt. I’m usually fishing all day away from my vehicle, and I like the space the backpack gives me for non-fishing items. Lunch, jacket, etc.

Everything (or almost everything) out there right now backpack style wise is that “dry” or “waterproof” style of pack, and IMO you sacrifice a lot of features and functionality to be “dry/waterproof”. Having a pack that’s waterproof isn’t all that important to me, and it’s a problem I’ve solved on my other packs with a $20 hiking pack cover, for when needed when I’m actually fishing in the rain. Which, as hardcore as I like to think I am, realistically, is a handful of times a year, at most.

Is everyone else actually into those waterproof packs? Am I the weirdo? Anyone have an old William Joseph Exodus they want to part with?

 

[albatross]

The real value of the waterproof packs come in when you need to wade deep, like water between your navel and armpits deep. Nice when my waterproof sling pack can just float behind me in this situation.

 

[Swattie87]

The real value of the waterproof packs come in when you need to wade deep, like water between your navel and armpits deep. Nice when my waterproof sling pack can just float behind me in this situation.

Haha, yeah, small stream guy mostly. I don’t ever wade that deep, intentionally. And if I do, I probably have bigger problems than my pack being wet.

 

[Duriensbane]

friend called me out before about taking a backpack with me and i told him that i do admit i carry to much stuff with me, but im very forget full, and id rather just carry alot of stuff that i MIGHT need then forget something that i do need. Plus im very use to carrying alot of stuff from my time in the military that walking a few miles with a backpack is no sweat. Shoulders get a little sore but ill manage.