Vests

[bigalcal]

My fishing buddy's girlfriend has asked me for advice on a fishing vest which she wants to buy him for his upcoming birthday. I personally have a Columbia Henrys Fork which has been great. Can anyone give me some other suggestions. What do you use? He currently doesn't have a lot of gear but we all know how fast that can accrue! Thanks

[Guest bigbadbrent]

Simms Guide Vest - 220ish

Patagonia Rivermaster - 150-170ish

Redington - 50

[Inconnu]

Personally I like the vests with built in floatation. Stearns or Mustang make them, with a pull cord to inflate. Either way, wading or tubing they are a safe way to go.

[ladystrange]

the vest i have i cant even find on russell's online catalog anymore. so rather than toss out names. i think it is more important to look at the requirements and find something that falls as close to that as possible.

 

the one big regret or dislike that i have about my vest is that the back pocket is actually 2 pockets and not big enough to fit a 1/2 litre bottle of water in to take along for a hot afternoon when you dont want to drag a back pack around. they are actually reel pockets, but when i'm fishing a small steam i only take the one rod with the reel already on it and the back pockets are hard to reach while wearing the vest.

 

for summer, my vest is mostly mesh as i really dont like the heat and would prefer to feel a little breeze on the skin. but for winter i did see a really cool jacket/vest combo.

 

pockets, lots of pockets. d rings to clip on retractors, nets, spools of tippet etc. i like the in side pockets which are smaller for holding my licence, lip balm.

 

a narrow outside pocket is handy for a small knife. some of the pockets close with zippers, some with velcro

 

i dont find the fuzzy patch for drying flies all that useful. but i would find a zipper pocket with a ribbed foam liner for putting flies on very handy.

 

i guess the best way to narrow down the search is to look at his current vest, figure out what he tends to carry around with him, either in the vest or in a backpack and figure out if there is anything that really bugs him or he would change or whatever it is that would fit his needs better.

 

there are some decent vests for under $70.00 or you can spend $200.00. i dont know if it is the name that costs more or the quality. but my vest has lasted 6 years so far and only needs a bath. my vest was around $50.00

 

in

[headscan]

Might also be worth considering a pack like the ones from Fishpond and William Joseph. I used one this past summer and won't go back to a vest. They aren't as hot as a vest in the summer and many of them come with the hydration systems.

[kritofr]

I really like the Fishpond products, I currently use the Double Haul Chest pack and the Shooting Star. They are comfortable, can fit a lot and use the chest pack by itself for the hotter days.

[WesG]

I have got one of the Springbrook packs that I really like. Its not the nicest colors compared to alot of other packs out there, but its very functional. I find that with the William Joseph ones there is a lot of wasted space on them. there is rtoom for a lot more pockets then there actually is. I have seen the Fishpond stuff but havent actualy taken a close look at them though. I would definastely reccommend a pack style over a vest style though. They cover a lot less on hot days and I find you can put just as much stuff in them, although this can be a bad thing.

[NormanMcLean]

I just picked up a 3XL SportCheif fishing raincoat/vest in Red Deer. The vest can be worn separate or on the outside of the coat. It's got all the pockets I need and more. I'm very happy with it. I was also thinking of getting the LL Bean chest pack for hot summer wading.