Hard box and soft bag
The two ways to carry tackle. A hard box is a rigid plastic case; a soft bag is a fabric carrier holding removable trays.
A hard box is one sealed unit. It stacks, it takes being sat on, it rinses out with a hose, and the cheap ones are the least expensive way to start. The drawback is that the layout inside is fixed, so you carry the whole thing or none of it.
A soft bag is a fabric shell with slots for utility trays plus outer pockets for tools, line and a rain jacket. It is lighter, it reconfigures for the day, and it carries far more comfortably on a walk to the bank. It relies on a molded base for water resistance, and the fabric itself is not waterproof.
For a beginner fishing from a bank, a soft bag holding three or four 3600 trays is the more useful buy. For a boat or a garage shelf, a hard box is fine.
Walking to the water, buy a soft bag. Fishing from a boat or storing tackle at home, buy a hard box.
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Hard box and soft bag is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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