What say you? I’m just starting out and it is plenty hot here most of the spring/summer.
I don’t use either one, I use a fanny pack that I can slide around to any part of my waist or I can put it up over my shoulders for deeper water, but I rarely stand still and fish in water above my waist. Mine has 5 different sections in it,$7.00… I like it cause its easy just to crab it and go, is very light weight, and, like your thinking, the heat. It also acts as a belt for my waders too…
I don’t use either one, I use a fanny pack that I can slide around to any part of my waist or I can put it up over my shoulders for deeper water, but I rarely stand still and fish in water above my waist. Mine has 5 different sections in it,$7.00… I like it cause its easy just to crab it and go, is very light weight, and, like your thinking, the heat. It also acts as a belt for my waders too…
i cant see my feet now when i look down so a chest pack is out of the question :D:D
i use a simms g3 vest
or ill carry just 1 fly box and my homemade neck lanyard
This is one of what I consider the two great mysteries of fly fishing. I once owned a great vest that I loved -It was a shorty that worked exceedingly well. But then I moved to where it was hot and the vest was old and too warm to wear - so then it began. 
I have had three different fanny packs, they’re OK but each had it’s own little disadvantage that drove me crazy. Then I tried the chest vests, I’ve had a couple of those - terrible when they sit on a Beer Belly! They are in the way of every thing you want to do :sad:
Then the strap vests looked pretty good. I really like the design. If I ever get them untangled I may use one some day. That’s if I can find a fly box that fits properly in the odd ball sized pockets. Whoever designed these things needs to be condemned to use one the rest of his life !!! :mad:
Last week I decided I’m an intelligent person and know a lot about computers so I did an Internet search for the best solution. I decided to find the solution and force myself to stick to it for at least a year without changing. I decided on the Redington mesh vest.
It came in last week so I am still trying to get used to it. The pockets are the right size to fit a fly box. I bought the 2xx size so I can wear it over a jacket if I get a trip to the cold areas of the state and it looks really good. I see a lot of promise in this choice. I’ll try to report back in about 6 months on how it performs.
NOW: If your just starting out wait till you get to the second “GREAT MYSTERY” of fly fishing. How to? and What to store your flies in? 
Have fun - that’s what it is all about!
I’m with Norm
I tried a chest pack for exactly one day
Couldn’t see my feet
I have enough trouble stumbling along without making it worse
I used to use a vest, now I use convertible hip pack made by ‘Fish Pond’ This model can be worn in front as a chest pack, to the rear like a fanny pack or off the shoulder as a side bag (my favorite). It holds all I need for a day trip. I should also mention that I use a lanyard for my tippet and tools and wear a fishing shirt with big chest pockets.
http://www.fishpondusa.com/blueriver.cfm
I was happy with a vest for many years, but it was difficult to use with a PFD (life vest) while boating, the vest was awkward to wear with a heavy coat or rain jacket. I sometimes needed to take the vest off to get at the rear pockets. The vest holds too much gear, I would load up all the pockets and end up carrying a whole fly shop on my sorry back. I’m put off by the high price of some vests, $150 plus seems like a lot of cash for a simple vest.
I agree with the other comments about chest packs and vision. I rarely wear my fish pond in the front, it prevents me from seeing where I step. Worn on the back or side I can flip it around to the front for access as needed. It has a low enough profile that I can wear a day pack with it for longer hikes. I can’t comfortably wear a day pack over a loaded fishing vest.
spend the money on a lanyard with basic tools and a quick dry shirt with swell pockets. put your few flies in small boxes (you’re just starting, right?) in the pockets. as the next few years bring you a plethora of gadgets gifted by well-meaning friends and family, you can join the legions of anglers who spend hours working on the question of how to carry it all. or you can decide the question is moot, 'cause you’re happy with what you have.
meanwhile, you’ll be fishing while the rest of us are searching all those pockets!
You’ve already received a lot of opinions and I’m going to add one more.
http://www.fishpondusa.com/sagebrush.cfm
I live in Kentucky and it gets hot in the summer. I like a vest but the traditional ones are no fun when it’s 90 degrees outside. I tried out a couple chest packs and they never made it out of the store. I tried a couple fanny packs and it always seems that whatever I want when I want it is not easy to find or the pack has moved to the side or to the back or shifted or the darn belt is too tight.
I settled on the Fishpond sagebrush mesh vest and haven’t looked back.
I would advise you to check one out just to see if would work for you. What works for one person may not work for someone else (thus the multitude of various vests/packs/gadgets out there).
Jeff
I’ve always been a vest guy but a chest pack seemed like a neat idea. So I tried one. It had some nice features but It seemed to be in the way a lot.
Now I’m trying out a Filson Strap vest. So far I like it.
Hey, to each their own. I used a nice vest for years, but when several different chest-pack models started showing up on the scene I thought I’d try one out. After trial and error with several different brands I settled on the William Joseph version, which is now replaced by their magnetic series.
I’ve love my WJ, bought it on sale (Madison River Fishing Company-MRFC) and wouldn’t trade it for anything.
As far as seeing your feet, I can’t feel my feet let alone see them, but I wade with a staff and watch the water ahead of me and haven’t found there to be a problem of not seeing my feet when using a chest pack.
My vest gave me a serious neck and back ache when I wore it because I kept everything in it. Now I know I have limited space and make sure I choose wisely what I carry in it for the water I’m fishing.
I also wade deep in my favorite spring creek so it’s imperative that I have something that I can adjust to ride quite high so things stay dry. The WJ fits the bill on all counts.
Good luck.
Kelly
An advantage of a chest pack that is rarely mentioned is the easy access to the back. Now, I know you desert-type fishers can’t relate, but we upper-midwesterners almost always have to consider the afternoon rains. I used to either imitate a pretzel to get to the rear of my vest, or had to remove it midstream. With most- not all- packs, they can be rotated around without removing them. Grab the rain jacket, or a cold drink, and you’re back in business pretty quickly. BTW- I, too, haven’t seen my feet in a while! If I have a pack on, I just swing it aside with one hand, and go about my merry way.
Chuck
I fish out of a William Joseph Coastal II. In the front I keep two fly boxes, tippet, leaders, camera, file, stream thermometer, indicators (if I use them) floatant and Xinks (opposite of floatant) and a few other small items. In the back I have a colapsable stripping basket, hydration bladder, rain jacket, scale, sun tan lotion, stringer (I’ve never used it, but one of these days I might run into a pile of gills that I want to keep).
Went I want to get to the back, I undo the sides and just flip it around so that the back is now in the front and the front is in the back. When I am done, I flip it back. I don’t get in the back that often while mid stream.
Rick
I like a pack, right now if I was considering a new one, the WJ Escape would probably be at the top of my list - especially at this price point.
http://www.mrfc.com/MadisonRiverShopping/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=4
I have thought about fanny packs and yes, if you never wade over your waist they would be fine, but then I wade over my waist often in the streams that I fish. Not to stand their and fish, but to cross a section of water and I wouldn’t want everything in my fanny to get wet. I guess that I could take it off and flip it over my shoulder but like Chuck mentioned, I don’t fish without my rain jacket these days.
I’ve used a vest for years and have never found it to be overly oppressive in the heat and believe me, South Carolina has heat and humidity for three seasons. I like the vest because I can put as much or as little stuff in it as I want and distribute the weight. Sometimes when I’m not going too far from the car, I will do Normand’s thing and carry one fly box and a homemade lanyard with nippers, forceps and several spools of tippet. That chest pak just seems to be in the way all the time. 8T
I have William and Josephs Magnetic Chest Pack. The have 2 models.
Two things about it are better than I expected.
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It is fast!. Opening and closing are instant. But firm. Also, no snagging tippet on the zipper.
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The magnetic bead around the edge of the seal holds your bottom fly while you tie on the other.
I think people that reject new things based on long term habits are naive. You should try something new for quite a while to find the benefits over your habitual preference. You can miss a lot of good things clinging to the comfortable item from you past.
I’m with Grubb. Think about what you really need and use on your typical trips, and then get a nice fanny pack. You will like how much more comfortable you are on the water, and if you get a nice vented fishing shirt all the better for comfort and sun protection.
Vest. Like everyone else, I’ve tried a chest pack at one time or another. Once you start loading them up you just can’t see in front of you when you wear one. A vest is still the best overall design, IMO. I don’t fish for trout in hot weather so that’s not an issue for me. Chest packs and the like may be fine if you’re in minimalist mode, but if you want to carry a good selection of flies with you along with other necessities, you just can’t beat a vest.
I often use a vest but, if I leave the rear empty, and fill up the front pockets, I get a h**l of a sore neck. Weight in the rear compartments keeps it balanced- but heavier. I occasionally use a Patagonia shorty mesh vest, and it weighs about -4 ounces (or so it seems!). They don’t make that vest any more, but it is cool, and has well situated pockets. But the chest pack idea just keeps calling to me. I’ve gone through quite a few. My latest is a William Joseph that also isn’t made any more. I learned about it here http://www.sexyloops.com/tackle/williamjosephchestpack.shtml. Maybe my search is over, but I’m not betting my last sheckels on it.
Chuck
I went from a vest to a Patagonia Double Haul pack. I like that it’s modular and can adapt to different fishing situations.
http://www.wayupstream.com/search/label/double%20haul
Scroll down the page to see the various configurations it can be used.
I went to a chest pack a while back but have returned to a vest. I liked the chest pack for being compact & light but found it to be a bother when I had to lean over to net a fish or look straight down while wading to avoid obstructions. I still have it and may use it if I’m hiking in to a remote area since I can convert ot a hip/fanny pack. The drawback of vests can be they get hot in summer but my vest has a feature that allows you to un-zip the back and you have mesh back that is cool and comfy. My only wish is it was shorter. I prefer a shorty style for wading. Another reason I prefer the vest, I don’t like to be constantly changing flyboxes or gear for specific situations. I keep all my gear & flies in the vest whether it’s trout, smallies, or panfish. If I want to head out I take the vest,my rods & waders and go. About the only time I’ll add an extra flybox is for Hex hatches or the rare time I might be after pike.