As central Va digs its way out of the blizzard of 2009 and prepares for Christmas, I thought I would tell you a bit about one of the latest additions to my gear. I bought the Fishpond Double Haul Chest/Backpack in late september, and it has made a huge improvement in the organization of my tackle. Overall, I've been impressed with the pack's size. It's not so big that I'm tempted to take my entire collection of flies and outerwear, but it will accommodate the essentials for a day's excursion. I can hold one or two fly boxes with extra leaders and tools in the chest pack, and the backpack has space for water, light raingear, and food. I even managed to pack a sweater in there with my rain jacket on one manic weather day.
Other features include a built in D-ring to attach a net, multiple daisy chains for accessory attachments, and the option to wear only the chest pack. I mentioned earlier that the chest pack has enough room for fly boxes, but if you are a true minimalist only fishing small dry flies and nymphs you could easily just use the built in zip-down platform fly box. This is definitely the coolest/most useful part about the Double Haul and it's the envy of everyone I fish with. The platform stays suspended by parachute cord attached to the inside of the pack when it is zipped down. It let's you peruse an assortment of approximately 50 flies hands-free while you tie one on. Also, the foam pad is attached with heavy duty velcro so it can be replaced when it eventually wears out. Great thinking, Fishpond!
The only downside to the pack that I have found is that it will tug a little bit on my shoulders when I attach my net. That makes for slightly sore shoulders at the end of the day, but I think the improved organization is worth just a little pain. The soreness might also be because I have to tighten the straps down all the way to fit my frame. Even when I crank the straps all the way down, the harness is still a little loose . I'm only 155 lbs. and with the amount of girth they allow in that harness it seems like this pack was designed for someone 190+.
I hate to add to the commercialization of Christmas, but if you are looking for an excellent gift for a fly fisher this year, this will do the trick. I hope that everyone out there is staying warm and safe out there right now. Let's hope the water comes down quickly after the run off so we can start fishing again!
I like that backpack, I like having all that room and pockets for fishing accessories. Definitely easy to carry in any rural areas.
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