I researched fishing backpacks from many manufacturers, the big fly fishing names and the common outdoors companies. I can tell you after 6 months of hard use, this is a must have fly fishing accessory. In fact, after using it for only one month, I went back to Amazon and ordered a second one for my teenage son. We hike into a couple rivers and lakes at home in CO. My reason for original purchase was I scheduled to worked on a project in CA for 8 months and my company expensed me an out of state fishing license for the duration. I need a pack that I planned to use a lot. I fished every weekend and two to three evenings a week. This pack was always with me. It has ample room for all your needs. I carried my waders in the lower compartment, boots above (switch it to hold my tennis shoes when I was hiking upstream in my waders), two fly rods, one on each side, top compartment (in hood)with license, head light, hat, gloves, camera, and cell phone. The large top compartment keeps lunch, water, extra reels/spools, first aid kit, and when hiking in/out, my Orvis Sling Pack, fishing tools lanyard, and spare socks. I can honestly say that I put at least 80 miles on this pack this year and it still looks like the day it was new. I have had no mal functions, broken straps or split seams. The shoulder and waist straps offer full adjustment and it is quite comfortable to wear, even when actually fishing. What I also like is that the inner compartments are kept dry from the separate boot and wader compartments. When I get home, I just take out the waders and boots, and then next trip update my lunch and water and I am good to go. Gear stayed in it most of the time except for the occasional cleaning sessions of line, reels, rods, etc. I did find this at Bass Pro Shops and looked at it in person before coming to Amazon and ordering it (for $30 less!!!!!!). The ballistic nylon is very durable and lightweight and all stress points are reinforced. I can tell you, it has been a long time since I have found a product I feel so strongly about. Get one. You will not be disappointed.
Pros:
-Bag is solidly constructed. The seams were well-stiched, and all components, buckles, and straps were high quality.
-High visibility liner worked as advertised. It did make finding components in the upper pack easier.
-Dual rod tube storage. I liked the storage mechanism and straps for the rod tubes. I'm confident that these will hold up to years of repeated abuse on hike-ins.
Cons:
-Bag is smaller than I thought it would be. The wader compartment barely fit my stocking foot waders (Size L, Boot Size 11). I actually had to stuff them in the wader compartment rather than being able to fold them properly. Boot foot waders will NOT fit. Likewise, if you wear an XL or tall wader, you're probably out of luck as well. The changing mat takes up valuable space and is quite heavy duty and thus, heavy.
-Shoe storage. At first glimpse, the shoe storage on the outside seems like a clever idea. However, the shoes are more or less "pushed" into the storage area by the elastic straps. Hence, storage capcity is reduced in the main compartment. I was able to stuff the main compartment full, but this resulted in shoes sticking out a full foot behind me, catching nearly every branch and sapling in the forest.
-Straps. While high quality, there are a ton of straps and buckles. Perhaps mine is defective, but I counted an uneven number of male and female buckles. Even if there were a full compliment of buckles, I still wouldn't be able to tell you where each goes. To say the buckle system is confusing is an understatement. However, this is not a true con--just an annoyance.
-Belt and carriage. I did not like the way the pack sat on my back/hips/waist. It tended to ride higher on the back than I would have preferred. The belt padding was shorter than I like--too much web belt, not enough padded belt. Additionally, the shoulder straps seemed like they were designed for a taller person (I'm 5'9").
While great for a day hike out to your favorite stream, these fell short of my expectations for a one-pack-to-rule-them-all overnight backpack. I will probably look for a larger pack with less hanging straps and more room for waders.
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