ok i may sound a lil silly…i do quite a bit…sometimes …but i was wondering why is so many companies promote humping around thier backpack with thier fishing setup i have yet to do this …am really just courious…and is it useful?beside humping water ?
Not quite sure what “humping” implies but I think the answer to your question is this:
A backpack will allow you to carry other items onto a stream that can’t fit easily into a vest – rain gear, powerbars or shore lunch, water bottle, insect repellant and sun screen, first aid items, etc.
Used to be that traveling with a packable rod you can bring the backpack as carry-on. Some airports would not let you bring flies as carry-on (how stupid is that) but others would not. None will let you bring forceps or any tools that even look like they have a smaller end (not necessarily a point). After I had to go back to the ticket counter in Florida and put all my flies and tools in a special checkable envelope to ship separately from the backpack, I just started packing everything in checked luggage.
I have a backpack and it’s much easier on my neck and shoulders that used to ache after several hours of wading.
It’s an essential if you really want to fish where you won’t see other people.
Foambug…
If you can ‘drive’ there and have easy access to stuff stored in your car all day, then you don’t ‘need’ a backpack for fishing.
However, if your ‘fishing spot’ is at the end of a 2-10 mile walk, going back to the car for lunch is kind of a bother. It’s also not too much fun to walk that far in waders, or in wading boots.
Enter the pack. You can wear comfortable hiking boots/shoes…carry the waders and wading boots in the pack, along with food, beverages, and survival stuff, just in case.
A backpack is something you really can wear comfortably all day while fishing. That can’t be said for many other forms of ‘carry stuff about gear’.
Buddy
Depending on where I am, I’ll use one (as stated previously, when there’s a fair hike involved)…I probably use it most during the summer since it’s way more comfortable to carry a bunch of water that way…
thanks all!! humpin" is a term used by all or most all old infantry marines (like me) used to descibe the term hike with a bunch of gear on your back …half of which you wont need …an walk endless miles (klicks) humped over …for tiredness. pain. and balance
I use a small backpack and a chest pack… works way better than my vest. I can carry a lot more water and I even cary a water filtration system.
I’m with Fish4trout. I use a small backpack with my chestpack instead of a vest. I have a hydration bladder in the pack and I can carry plenty of water for the day. I usually drop the pack on shore if I’m at one spot very long, but it sure comes in handy any time it rains or time for lunch as you can carry it all as needed.
I use a Camelbak backpack that has about 1,200 cubic inches of space. Its great for hiking into small streams!
Like kglissmeyer and terry13111, I have a pack with hydration bladder (mine is a Camelbak). I use that and a chest pack. When heading up into the mountains, I’ll typically have on some sort of fleece that I need to shed after a couple hours. Plus an apple and some granola bars are nice on the stream. And the final reason is if I’ve got the space, I can’t make any excuses for not wearing sunscreen. After having two sections of my face removed last summer, I’m not making excuses anymore.
Thanks for the tip 92Esquire. Sun screen is easy to forget until the time we wonder where our face or nose or ears went.
I use the Camelback as well. I have had problems with kidney stones so the hyration pack is very useful. For long days I carry a water filtration system and backpacking stove, coffee and a freeze dried meal. It might be a little overkill but staying out all day is a breeze and there is nothing better on a cold day waiting for a BWO hatch than a nice warm cup of coffee and some freeze dried chili mac…lol
65, don’t think of it as carrying stuff you might not need, but as carrying stuff you might really really need at some point. Admittedly, I carry way more crap than I have ever needed so far, but it’s that “so far” that really matters.
PS, you can leave the claymores at home.
I’ve been using a Camelback ( Rim Runner model ) and Fishpond Chest Pack for over four years now. The Camelback does double duty for day hiking and some road biking.
Together, they hold everything I need plus the “don’t need” stuff I wouldn’t go without, both for fly fishing and staying longer than I intend to, if that happens to happen.
Both products are BULLETPROOF. The Fishpond has well over 500 days on it and the Camelback must be something over 600 days by now. The Fishpond is starting to show some wear, and one zipper gets a bit finnicky once in a while, but still works. The Camelback also has a finnicky zipper ( wants to catch the material on the side of the zipper ), is starting to show some wear, and is faded from thousands of hours in the sun. BUT it looks like both will last a few more years.
John
I to carry a pack and some times a shoulder bag along with my chest pack.
that way I always have water and a bite to eat with me.
Don’t need all that stuff hanging on me while tossing flys.
I just leave it on the bank where I am.
Wet
I have one I got for this year, (saw it on clearance for 8 bucks) I plan on using it for all the same reasons already mentioned. I have around here close by many places that I plan on using it to take comforts with me so I can enjoy the trip more without having to hike back out to soon. Also I already use it for extra cloths and stuff like an over night bag just to keep in my Jeep… I don’t like to much clutter any more, I don’t want a bag for this and a bag for that, just one, grab it and go…