Orvis Safe Passage Sling Pack

[Mark K]

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=96Y1&dir_id=1137&group_id=1157&cat_id=12021&subcat_id=12022

 

I have so many wading packs and vests one might think I have some weird fetish for them. The truth is I have been experimenting to find something I find comfortable and efficient.

This is the closest I've come to one I like. I hate having stuff in front of me when I'm casting. The great thing about a sling is the you can swing it around your back when not in use, and unlike a backpack you don't have to take it off to get at your stuff.

If you are wading thru deep water it's easy to just grab one strap and pull it up to keep your stuff from getting dunked.

99% of the wading stuff out there is intended for fly fishing for trout. The first time I saw this pack I heard the halleluia choir go off in my head. FINALLY, someone made a wading pack big enough to hold respectable bass size boxes.

It's big enough to hold 3500 Plano boxes so, for the foot-bound river smallie chaser it's every bit as good for conventional gear as it is for fly fishing stuff. If you look around you can find boxes designed to hold a half dozen spinnerbaits.

 

The large compartment will easily hold 2 Plano boxes, a bomb-diggity Plano over'n'under box or a Cliff's Bugger Barn. I don't use the detachable small compartment, but I suppose if you were so inclined you could fill it up too. The main compartment will hold an embarrasingly huge collection of plastic or whatever.

It has a little retractable zinger thingy and a plier holder (sweet). There are more D-ring thingies, for hanging do-dads unique to trout fishermen.

If you are a serious fishing technocrat, I can't help but thing you could organize this thing to the hilt and utilize all this stuff.

If I have any criticism, I would prefer this pack skinny-ed down cause I've become a minimalist and I defintly would like less things like straps dangling around...but even if you are minimalist and particularly a minimalist on foot you still gotta carry stuff. IMHO this the way to do it.

 

Lastly it's durable. I've had mine for about 5 years now it's still in fine shape.

 

While they are on sale, I am getting a second. One for fly stuff one for conventional.

[Jim Kast]

I got one for Father's Day. I've only had it out once, but I like it. The waist strap is nice also, keeps the pack from flopping around and weighting down your shoulder. One click and the strap is loose and you can swing the pack around.

[Mike G]

Mark,

 

Thanks for the tip. It looks like a fanny pack worn diagonally. Since I have a couple of those, I will try wearing them the Orvis way and let you know how it works.

[Steve S.]

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=96Y1&dir_id=1137&group_id=1157&cat_id=12021&subcat_id=12022

 

It has a little retractable zinger thingy and a plier holder (sweet).

 

Do you know what kind of zinger fits in that sleeve? ITC

[Scott Ferguson]

I've had one for a couple of years and I like it very much. I also prefer a sling type bag because I don't like chest packs either. Mine has a slot for a zinger but it did not come with one and mine also does not have any "D" rings that I miss. I did take a couple of key ring size split rings and attached them to give me places to hang stuff from.

I paid $39 for mine which I see is the sale price now. That's about half the price others are charging for decent wading packs so it's a pretty good deal as well.

[Mark K]

Do you know what kind of zinger fits in that sleeve? ITC

 

Steve,

I'm not sure exactly how it's inteded to be used, but if you pin a zinger just above it, just right it serves as a sheath to keep your nippers from flopping around.

Here is a picture illustrating this:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.orvis.co.uk/orvis_assets/corpimg/071307_FishingLuggage.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.orvis.co.uk/store/product.aspx%3Fpf_id%3D96y1&usg=__85F6bZQQi4X17PLkjttU3e42W54=&h=135&w=560&sz=22&hl=en&start=17&sig2=BkgYViCnGA_JsZQth5EanA&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=JTQ7U9J9CVPESM:&tbnh=32&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dorvis%2Bsafe%2Bpassage%2Bsling%2Bpack%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26tbs%3Disch:1&ei=TZpDTJyDEcKA4Qa8j_CaDw

 

But frankly I'm not clear on how you would pin the thing that deep in the holder. If you pin it just above the sheath the nippers will be covered but just in reach from the bottom.