Backpack Recommendations. Sage DXL

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
1

I’m looking for something I can take on day trips and keep on my back when I fish.

I saw this Sage Backpack on Amazon. Certainly it’s less expensive than other ones. I
don’t know if I can get a pair of waders into it.

http://www.amazon.com/Sage-DXL-Backpack-Moss-Green/dp/B001BOKUHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326649313&sr=8-1

Randy

2

I wouldn’t buy a pack sight unseen, any more than I would buy a pair of shoes without trying them on. If it doesn’t fit just right, it will either be a pain the back or rub you raw somewhere. Look around. There are a LOT of good packs out there in the $100 and under range, from a lot of manufacturers.

3

I am selling these fairly cheap…Well under 100.00

Emoticon so you know I am joking----------> :wink:

4

Now that is just plain funny.:lol:
Isn’t winter grand - just way too much time on our hands.

5

Yes, that is funny. But how much under $100?

BTW, I love the Orvis Gale Force but it’s pricey.

Randy

6

Given the dimensions ( 19.5" x 8" x 11.5" ), this will pack somewhere around 1700 cubic inches, probably a bit less. Strikes me as too small, especially if you are planning to carry anything else in it.

John

7

This pack has been with me to some fun places and hauls a ton if “packed” correctly. I tight roll everything.

http://www.simmsfishing.com/site/headwaters_day_pack.html#

Wayne

8

Googling some reviews of the pack give a lot more info. Here’s just one of many. http://www.deneki.com/2011/05/sage-dxl-typhoon-backpack-review/

9

I bought that same pack for the very same reason. It is better constructed than most packs I have owned(or bought and shipped back to Bean , Orvis etc). As for packing waders? Certainly not boot foot waders. I have given up waders in recent years. Most of the places I hike into don’t require fishing in crotch deep water, and I don’t mind getting my feet and legs wet up to that point.

10

Unless you want something pretty with a name brand label on it, check out an Army surplus ALICE pack. Holds a ton of stuff, frames and straps separate.

11

I’d check here if I were looking for a backpack:
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/backpacks/

here, too:
http://forums.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi?

I would definitely not buy a backpack blind; don’t know who makes Simms packs, but fit in something like this is a very personal matter.

Regards,
Scott

12

Thanks so much for all your help. The Sage DXL Typhoon looks fantastic, but it’s out of my price range.

This one, though not especially for fishing, looks interesting:

http://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Quest-100-Waterproof-Backpack-Drybag/dp/B004AU42DC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Randy

13

It has got no side pocket for a water bottle or to secure your rod tube. I bought my SAGE for less than the price of the Aqua-Quest at Amazon. What kind of prices you finding on the SAGE?

14

Scott,

I can see where fit would be important for a 50-60 pound long hike or multi day pack, but this is a day pack.

15

Thanks so much for all the info. The Sage DXL Typhoon looks perfect, but at 200 bucks it’s out of my price range.

This might be a good, less-expensive alternative:
http://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Quest-100-Waterproof-Backpack-Drybag/dp/B004AU42DC/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1JEYZILT7O8ZI&colid=368CXDUI2FQ4M

16

There’s the Sage DXL and the DXL Typhoon. The Typhoon is great for carrying your waders, but it’s the much more expensive one.
I carry my water on a belt and carry my rod, without the tube.

Randy

17

Ten years ago I was looking for a suitable day pack for fishing. At that time there were few fishing specific packs. I bought a daypack at REI for $60 that had a padded waist belt, wide padded shoulder straps, a sternum strap, and side pockets that would hold water bottles, rods in our out of their tubes, or other things. It would also hold my wading boots and breathable waders, which I pack in a plastic bag and then put into the pack. I devised a simple mechanism for attaching a small chest pack to the sternum straps. I have worn this pack for 8 hours a day or more. In many respects it is superior to any of the fishing specific packs I have seen. That particular model of day pack is long discontinued but REI offers many other similar style packs for less than $100, either under their label or other labels. Other outfitters besides REI offer similar packs.

And I echo the advice on trying a pack on before buying. When I purchase my pack at REI I was able to load it up to see how it felt with different loads.

18

Steck, speaking as someone who has carried around a day pack with ten or fifteen pounds in it for most of my adult life, I can tell you that fit is VERY important, if you want to be able to use your arms or walk upright on a regular basis. If you are going to wear it often, a pack should fit as well as a pair of shoes, with nothing rubbing, poking, pinching, dangling in the wrong place, etc. It takes very little weight and very little time before a good suspension system becomes a must. Stop any high school or college student on the street and ask them how important it is that their bookbags are comfortable.

19

Never thought about fit. Thanks so much,
Randy

20

I teach backpacking and own and carry three Go-Lite http://www.golite.com/packs-and-luggage/backcountry-ultralite bags (since we’ve left “fishing” packs behind). They’re on sale right now. I recommend the Jam ($69) for a day or week-end pack. The Pinnacle ($79) for a week long pack and the Gust (which they don’t make any more) for a long distance pack. These are ultralight bags so don’t expect much in the way of waist belts and padding. You only need padding and waist belts if you overload your pack… (Yes, I have cut the handle off toothbrushes and the margins off of maps to reduce weight;-)) They are very durable.