Tackle packs offer the same organizational power of a vest condensed into an easy to carry storage unit. Wear them as a chest pack or around the waist as a hip pack. If wearing a vest all day causes you to feel like someone is sticking an ice pick in the base of your skull, you may want to go with this option. Load up a hip pack, get a lanyard to hold all of the tools you need and you will have the perfect setup to travel light and comfortable. Packs come in all sizes and shapes so make sure you get one that will handle your needs and not be a burden.

Small Packs
These are for the minimalist angler who likes to travel light and not carry tons of boxes. Chest and lumbar style packs hold exactly what you need for a day trip or a specialized expedition out to your favorite river. Although small, these tough little packs have lots of features: water bottle holders, specialized tippet pockets, built in retractors, and decent storage capacity.

Large Packs
If you are like most of us, heading to the river with one box hoping you have the flies you need, will not work. Here is where the larger hip/chest packs come in. They are more substantial in size, swallow tons of gear, usually have a place for two water bottles or a hydration bladder and ride around your waist with great comfort.

The Fishpond Waterdance Guide Pack with two large storage compartments, fold down fly tray and two water bottle holders is the choice of most of the Blue Quill Guides. If you fish in nasty weather a lot, the Simms Dry Creek Chest/Hip Pack is a weather tight option that has tons of storage, two front accessory pockets, side mounted retractors and it attaches to the Dry Creek Backpack to carry that extra gear in the winter.