Best Fly Fishing Chest Packs of 2026

For most wading trout anglers, yes. A chest pack holds less, which forces you to carry only what you use, and it rides higher than a vest's lower pockets so it stays dry when you wade deep. A vest still wins if you carry many fly boxes or like everything in its own pocket. The BASSDASH FV08 on this page sits between the two: a mesh vest frame with chest pack pockets.

A chest pack stays put in front of you, so you can open it without taking it off. A sling swings around from your back, which carries more and keeps your chest clear for casting, but you have to rotate it every time you want a fly. For short wading trips, most anglers find a chest pack easier. For long hikes into water, a sling or a backpack carries more.

Two fly boxes, usually one for nymphs and one for dries. Spools of tippet in the two sizes you use most. Nippers and forceps on retractors. A bottle of floatant. A few split shot and strike indicators if you nymph. That list fits a typical two-box chest pack. Lunch, a rain jacket and spare spools go in the truck or a backpack.

Yes, that is what they are made for. The pack sits over the wader bib and the straps run over the wader shoulder straps. Keep the waist strap snug so the pack does not swing forward when you bend over to land a fish.

Only if you wade deep, fish in steady rain or drop your pack in the river now and then. A chest pack normally rides above the water, so a water-resistant fabric is enough for most trips. If you do want a waterproof one, the Fishpond Thunderhead is the only pack here sold as submersible.

Their chest packs are sold on Amazon, but every listing we checked had fewer than 15 ratings, and some had only one. That is not enough buyer history to rank against packs with hundreds. They are worth a look at a fly shop, where you can try one on over your waders.