Anglatech Fly Fishing Vest Pack for Trout Fishing Gear and Equipment, Adjustable Size for Men and Women

I’m a 5’8”, 170 pound fly-fisherman with 30+ years on the water. My last vest (a Guide-Series) had been sewed so many times, the Velcro strips have fallen off, barb wire had ripped it, it was nicely stained, and it was finally time to replace. But as any fly fisherman knows, you get attached to what you’ve used, and that’s the standard. This GS performed admirably and will be burned on a ceremonial pyre-fire in the backyard.I did something I don’t normally do – I ordered 4 different vests, with the intent of comparing all, choosing one, and paying the penalty to return 3 of them. This is an important decision after all. I compared:1. This Anglatech Fly Fishing Vest Pack2. The Fishpond Wasatech Pack3. The Fishpond Gore Range Tech Pack4. A Simms Guide VestThis Anglatech Fly Fishing Vest Pack: This sucker is a bargain, I mean cheap – so I was skeptical. Let me say that the quality seems decent, the pockets seem roomy enough, except that my largest C&F box was tight (7.5”x4.5”x1.5”). It’s lightweight. Love the water bottle holder – seriously – how is this not on every vest? One worry is if when stripping, your line will get caught on the water bottle – A risk I’m willing to take. Sizing: One size does NOT fit most. I’m 5’8”, 170 pounds, hardly a slight man, but this thing is huge, even after cinching all straps as far as they would go. None of the other reviews mention size – perhaps the most important factor here? I would think anyone smaller than me will not fit well in this vest. I even put 5 fly boxes in it to fill up space and it was still huge. It could work but it’s dangly. The pop down work areas are nice, but I like my own boxes, and didn’t want to move flies to the foam holders included, rendering the pop down function useless. You can remove the foam holders, but only my smallest box (3.6”x4.8”x1.2”) fit in those two compartments. The forceps holder is nice, but I would still use a zinger so I don’t lose them – so the holder is less necessary. For me: too big, RETURN! This is very similar to the Fishpond Gore Range, and if you’re a big guy, this vest can work for you, for a great price.Fishpond Wasatech Pack: This thing was pricey. My most expensive vest tried, even more than the Simms Guide vest – Really Fishpond? That’s a bold statement. First problem – Erroneous ad – The water bladder shown is NOT included. No notation in the ad that it is not included, although it does say “Water bladder compatible”. For nearly 200 bucks – seriously? Ad should be clearer, bladder should not be shown. Sizing – I’m 5’8”, 170 pounds and cinching ALL the straps all the way down, this fit me pretty well – although the straps were hanging a ridiculously long way out, and would need to be cut and sewn to keep out of the way. I put 5 fly boxes inside to check the size, and it seems fine. Fit was comfortable. The forceps holder is nice, but I would still use a zinger so I don’t lose them – so the holder is less necessary. The pop down work areas are nice, but I like my own boxes, and didn’t want to move flies to the foam holders included, rendering the pop down function useless. You can remove the foam holders, but only my smallest box (3.6”x4.8”x1.2”) fit in those two compartments, just like the Anglatech Fly Fishing Vest Pack. First problem is the back part of the vest – Its bulky/thick with all those pockets and water bladder padding, and my net lays a bit funny on my back with nothing in the back pockets (It stuck out at a 20-degree angle, making it a little harder to reach the handle). The loop should be lower down. If the back had gear in it, your net may be hard to reach. If you have a nylon mesh net (get a rubber one), all those zippers in back will surely catch your mesh when you need your net most for that big fish. The back is my biggest gripe against this vest, it makes it bulky and I suspect the foam would make my back sweat. Expensive, but looks like a nice quality vest. I selected this one, so I’ll come back after a few outings to update.The Fishpond Gore Range Tech Pack - This thing was also pricey. My second most expensive vest tried, even more $ than the Simms Guide vest – Really Fishpond? That’s a bold statement. Sizing – I’m 5’8”, 170 pounds and cinching ALL the straps ALL the way down, this fit me OK, but still a bit big – although the excess straps were hanging a ridiculously long way out, and would need to be cut and sewn to keep out of the way. No plastic clips are provided to hold the excess straps like the Wasatech – you have to tuck them in. Size does seem a bit bigger than the Fishpond Wasatech pack. If you are skinny, this vest will likely float on you. Its also very front-heavy, which may be alleviated with your net hanging on the back. I put 5 fly boxes inside to check the size, and it seems like it will work. The forceps holder is nice, but I would still use a zinger so I don’t lose them – so the holder is less necessary. The front of this vest is very similar (same?) as the Wasatech pack. As with that vest, I’m not a fan of the flip down compartments with foam holders - You can remove the foam holders, but I like my own boxes, and didn’t want to move flies to the foam holders included, rendering the pop down function useless. Only my smallest box fit in those two compartments (3.6”x4.8”x1.2”), just like the Anglatech Fly Fishing Vest Pack. My biggest worry with this pack is the nylon mesh all over the back of the back. It doesn’t happen often, but an errant cast would leave a fly embedded in the woven nylon thread, likely making it hard to get removed (like old nylon mesh nets). Not as much of a problem with the Fishpond Wasatech (almost no mesh on the back). Nearly $40 bucks more for the Wasatech, but I decided to go that route myself.Simms Guide Vest: As you would expect with Simms, this thing was also pricey. My third most expensive vest tried (I bought on sale, so not bad). Full price it would’ve just barely been the most expensive. This was the closest design to my old vest. Quality – Seems excellent. Nice stitching, good neck padding. Sizing – I’m 5’8”, 170 pounds, and a size medium fit well. Positive – Simms actually has sizes for their vests. I put 5 fly boxes inside to check the size, and it seems fine. Fit was comfortable. The vest is not long – so you can wade up to your belly button and vest would be dry. This renders the vest high on your body, making the pockets higher and harder to get to, especially the highest, inside ones. I’d prefer the vest longer with more room, and lower position. Not a huge problem on length, but a worry for me. The vest has two built-in zingers, which is nice, but they are the coil-kind which I don’t love. Four loops are provided to put other zingers on, or to hang anything from the vest. No loops on side to hang a water bottle off, or hang anything. Nice, Roomy back compartment. I didn’t like the ‘high fit’ of this vest, so opted to return it. If you are a deep water wader, with deep $ pockets, this may be the vest for you.

My Dad is 6’2” and weighs about 250 lbs. He’s a big muscular dude with a beer belly. I was worried that the one size fits all would not fit him. I read the reviews on about 15 different fy fishing vests and chose this one. I chose right! The straps adjust on the shoulders and around each side of the trunk. He put it on on Christmas, adjusted it and then played with all the awesome different pockets. He commented he mostly liked that it has a cup holder for his beer, and is breathable netting in between so he won’t get too hot! Was definitely a win.

Ok so I was looking at this for a long time. I am a picky old fart, old school type of a guy.For the price, you can't go wrong. I tried the other "fish" brand and this is almost as good.Actually this one is somewhat lighter to wear, and I like it. Very comfy shoulder straps, padded well.Plenty of storage space, but you still have to get the "fish" brand "zingers" if you want to look "cool".The vest was designed around it so a good idea to get a few of those.You can get away with your "other" zingers too but attaching it is goofy.The water bottle holder is nice. Something new.... it will hold your sunglasses too.Hemostat holder is a nice "joke" but we old timers always find a workaround.Just use a zinger above it and keep it on it, or there is a loop on far corner under the armpit, you can use a "strap" or something that you can tie to it, and pinch the hemostat so it doesn't walk out from the holder.Other than that, I like it and it's comfy. Great product for the price.Now, yes the the zipper sucks... find a workaround for it... safety pin works great!Quick update 3/16/2017 - Went fishing, and I love this thing. Lite and comfortable, has plenty of room for bunch of things.

Light weight, plenty of well made pockets with nice easy-to-grab bright nylon pulls. Adjustments at the shoulders and waist. A well made product at a price that is unbeatable! I'd give it 10 stars if I could. Highly recommended!

I was going to buy a $140 or $200 wimms vest. I believe in simms products. I use there waders and boots but I had a hard time justifying paying $200 for a vest... so, I took a chance on this one... time will tell about durability but man... this vest has everything a fly fisherman would need. Pockets all in the right spot and dont interfere with casting. The flip pocket for flies is great. The holder for clamps and even the silly drink holder didnt spill a drop of diet I opened and left half full while i was wading through the eagle river in Colorado. I'm impressed and it saved me $140

Well made and great price. Similiar to the fishpond vest but half their price. I like the water bottle holder and waterproof pockets, haven't seen this on other vests. waterproof pocket barely holds my big cell phone.Hemostat holder is useless. I attached a zinger to Hemostat and hold vertically in side loop near front buckle. Net loop on the back is low and hard for me to reach. I wish this loop was up high near the back of my neck. Fly foam benches are nice but the middle isn't glued down so the foam slides around and not easy to secure flies. almost lost some flies because they came loose from the foam. they are removeable so I removed one to hold a small fly box.This replaced my old simms guide vest. Compared to the simms I wish this had built in zingers and small pockets instead of the mesh pockets. the mesh pockets have an elastic band on top and securely hold larger items like tippet and leader packs. I like the small pockets to drop used spit shot and flies.

Great vest

Bonito chaleco. Buena distribución. Poco peso.Adaptable a todas las tallas hasta la XXXXXLCómodo. Ideal para todo tipo de pescadores de pesca a mSsca.Verdaderamente lo recomiendo.Siempre existe la duda al comprar un artículo por la web, pero tras ver y leer mas de 150 opiniones no he quedado deshilusionado.Muy contento y satisfecho.Felicidades al fabricante y al diseñador.

Suggerisco personalmente questo giacchetto a mio avviso il top per tutti quei pescatori esigenti. Va benissimo sia per la pesca in torrente che per chi fa spinning in mare o canali alla ricerca della spigola......ottime rifiniture materiali al top cerniere e cuciture che nn hanno nulla da invidiare alle più grandi case produttrici....insomma ottimo rapporto qualità prezzo.

Great product good fitting i like it!

Eccellente prodotto, curato nelle finiture,manca lo zaino integrato