Tiring of a vest, I bought a chest pack. I worked through several chest packs each one better than the previous in my opinion. Tiring of not being able to see my feet when I was wading, I made the decision to switch over to a waist pack. There are a lot of packs out there, but talking with my local fly shop owner, I decided on the Fishpond Waterdance Guide Pack.
This pack is awesome. There are two large compartments to hold whatever you want. I set up one compartment for dry flies: two fly boxes, leaders, floatant, mono tippet. The other compartment holds my nymphing needs: two fly boxes, leaders, sighter pens, some split shot just in case. In the fold down working tray there are interior pockets that hold my stream thermometer and a flashlight. There are two drink holders on the sides capable of carrying whatever cold beverage you prefer on the stream. I have my hemostats in one pocket.
This pack is very comfortable with a large support band that helps distribute the weight. The packs swings around easily from front to back as well, so you can swing the pack to the front, do whatever work you need to do, then flip it around to your back, out of the way so you can fish without being bothered by a pack in front of you.
I have made several fishing trips with this pack so far and am very happy with the amount of gear it holds, how comfortable it is to wear, and also the colors, as they are muted and earthy. I would recommend this pack to anyone looking to get away from a chest pack or a vest but not certain they will be able to fit everything they "need" into a waist pack. They only thing I'm struggling with on this is where to carry my net if I feel I need to have one with me.
