Nets, Packs & Vests
Sling vs Chest vs Hip Pack
Three ways to carry the same small pile of tackle. The deciding factor is how deep you wade, not how much you own.
The short answer: chest pack if you carry only tackle, sling if you carry layers and food, hip pack only if you wade shallow. Everything below is the reasoning.
All three carry the same short list of kit. The real difference is where the weight sits, how fast you reach it, and whether it goes underwater when you wade.
The short list
| # | Pick | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orvis Chest Pack4 L · recycled ECO CORDURABest Overall | The chest pack this comparison recommends first | 8.0 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | KastKing BlowBak Sling10 L · 1.21 lb · ambidextrousBest Value | The sling to buy if you need the extra volume | 7.4 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Piscifun Fishing Tackle Sling Bag1000D nylon · slingBest Under $150 | More capacity again, for a full day out | 8.0 | Check price on Amazon |
1. Best Overall
Orvis Chest Pack
The pack that puts tippet and nippers in reach without putting a spool in your fly line.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 4 L |
| Fabric | 100% recycled ECO CORDURA |
| Tippet storage | Tippet Whippet recessed docking station with tippet bar |
| Pockets | Two side pockets, one with a zinger/nipper pass-through |
The thing that makes a chest pack work is not capacity, it is position. Everything you reach for repeatedly while fishing — tippet, nippers, floatant, the fly box you are working from — sits where your hands already are, and you never take the pack off.
Orvis's 4 L version is built from 100% recycled ECO CORDURA and has a feature worth singling out: a recessed Tippet Whippet docking station with a tippet bar. Spools sit inside the pack rather than hanging off it. Dangling tippet spools catch fly line, and fly line caught on a spool at the wrong moment is a lost fish.
Two side pockets, one with a pass-through so a zinger and nippers hang in the right place. That is the whole design, and 4 L is a deliberate limit — it makes you choose what you carry, which is the right discipline when you are wading.
What we like
- A recessed tippet bar means spools do not dangle and snag your fly line — this is the detail everything else gets wrong
- 4 L is the right size: enough for two boxes, tippet and tools, not enough to encourage hoarding
- The zinger pass-through puts your nippers exactly where your hand goes
- CORDURA is the fabric that survives being pushed through blackberry
What you give up
- A chest pack sits in front of you, which some people find gets in the way of casting
- 4 L means no room for a rain jacket or lunch
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Access | 9 |
| Capacity | 6 |
| Comfort | 8 |
| Durability | 9 |
| Value | 7 |
| Overall | 8.0 |
2. Best Value
KastKing BlowBak Sling
The sling that lets you change shoulders — which is the fix for the one real problem slings have.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 10 L |
| Weight | 1.21 lb |
| Attachment | MOLLE webbing |
| Carry | Ambidextrous |
Every sling pack puts the load on one shoulder, and the obvious mitigation is to be able to switch. The BlowBak is ambidextrous, so you can run it either way and swap mid-day.
It is 10 L and 1.21 lb empty, with MOLLE webbing on the outside for hanging a net holder, a bottle carrier or a tool pouch. That modularity is the reason to pick this over a plain sling — and the reason it catches on brush, because webbing catches on everything.
Ten liters sounds generous and is not, once a packable rain shell goes in. Plan on tackle plus either food or a jacket, rather than all three.
What we like
- Ambidextrous, so you can swap shoulders through the day instead of loading one
- 1.21 lb empty is light for a 10 L pack
- MOLLE webbing lets you hang a net or a bottle holder off the outside
What you give up
- 10 L fills up faster than it sounds once a jacket is in it
- MOLLE webbing catches on brush
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Access | 7 |
| Capacity | 7 |
| Comfort | 7 |
| Durability | 7 |
| Value | 9 |
| Overall | 7.4 |
3. Best Under $150
Piscifun Fishing Tackle Sling Bag
The pack to buy when the honest answer is that you also want to carry a jacket and a sandwich.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Fabric | 1000D high-density nylon, water-resistant |
| Pockets | External zippered; one sized for fly tools, one for a water bottle |
| Carry | Single-shoulder sling |
Chest packs are the right answer to access and the wrong answer to volume. A sling splits the difference: it rides on your back, swings round to your front when you need it, and holds enough for a full day.
Piscifun's version is built in 1000D high-density nylon — a genuinely heavy fabric for the price — and is water-resistant, with external zip pockets including one sized for fly tools and one for a bottle.
The compromise is structural and no sling escapes it: one strap, one shoulder, all the weight. If you load it with water and a jacket and walk two miles, you will know which shoulder you carried it on.
What we like
- Genuinely spacious for the price — a rain shell, water and food all fit
- A sling swings round to the front for access without coming off your body
- 1000D nylon is a serious fabric weight at this price
What you give up
- A loaded sling puts all the weight on one shoulder over a long day
- Water-resistant, not waterproof — contents get damp in sustained rain
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Access | 7 |
| Capacity | 9 |
| Comfort | 6 |
| Durability | 8 |
| Value | 10 |
| Overall | 8.0 |
Head to head
| Factor | Chest pack | Sling pack | Hip pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical capacity | 2-5 L | 8-15 L | 4-10 L |
| Access speed | Immediate | Swing round, 2 seconds | Rotate round, 2 seconds |
| Hands free while open | Yes | Mostly | Mostly |
| Deep wading | Unaffected | Fine — rides high on your back | Goes underwater |
| Weight comfort walking | Poor if loaded | Good, but one shoulder | Good — on your hips |
| Carries a rain shell | No | Yes | Small one |
| Heat on your back | None | Covers part of your back | Low |
| Casting interference | Can nudge the line hand | None | None |
Chest pack: the first-pack default
A chest pack sits where your hands already are. Tippet, nippers and a fly box are reachable without looking down or putting the rod under your arm, and nothing goes underwater however deep you wade.
The limit is volume. Four or five liters is a fly box, two tippet spools, a spare leader, tools and floatant — a complete tackle load and nothing else. No lunch, no jacket, no camera.
The complaint people raise is that it can brush the line hand while casting. In practice a pack adjusted to sit high and snug stays out of the way; one hanging loose at stomach height does not.
Sling pack: the most popular for a reason
A sling rides on your back and swings round to the front in one motion. You get real capacity — layers, food, a water bottle, several fly boxes — without taking anything off, and it rides high enough to stay dry in deep water.
The cost is that the load is on one shoulder. On a short walk that is irrelevant; on a two-mile hike in with ten liters it is noticeable. Slings also tend to creep forward when you bend over a fish, which is a minor irritation you stop noticing.
Hip pack: right for some water, wrong for most
A hip pack carries weight on the strongest part of your body, keeps your back and chest clear in heat, and rotates round to open. For warm-weather fishing on small water it is genuinely comfortable.
Then you wade past your thighs and your pack is in the river. That is the whole objection, and it is decisive if your water is deep. If you mostly fish small streams and wet wade in summer, it stops being a problem — and do I need waders is the page that tells you which of those you are.
What about a vest?
A vest is the fourth option and it beats all three on heat and on organization, while losing on volume — there is no single large compartment. If you fish hot weather over waders and like knowing which pocket holds what, read best fly fishing vests before buying any pack.
The recommendation
- Buy a chest pack first if your kit is a fly box and tools, which for a first season it is.
- Buy a sling if you know you will carry a rain shell and lunch, or if you fish all day away from the car.
- Buy a hip pack only if you wade shallow and fish in heat.
- Buy a vest if you fish hot weather over waders and want everything in a known pocket.
None of these is a wrong purchase in isolation — it is a mismatch between the style and how you actually fish that goes wrong, which is why the wading-depth question decides more than the capacity question.
Questions people actually ask
Is a sling pack or chest pack better for fly fishing?
Chest pack for instant access when you are only carrying tackle; sling when you need to bring layers, food or a camera. The chest pack is the better first purchase for most beginners because a first-season kit is genuinely small.
Do hip packs get wet when wading?
Yes, if you wade past your thighs — a hip pack sits at exactly that height. They work well for shallow small-stream and warm-weather fishing and poorly for anything deeper.
Does a chest pack get in the way when casting?
Not if it is adjusted to sit high and snug. A pack hanging loose at stomach height can brush your line hand; tightened up against your chest it stays clear.
What size pack do I need for a full day of fishing?
Eight to fifteen liters if you are carrying a rain shell, food and water as well as tackle. For tackle alone, four to five liters is genuinely enough for a full day.
Where these figures come from
Read next
Best Pack
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Chest packs and slings ranked on access and capacity, with the honest case for each style.
Best Vest
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What to Carry on the Water
The essential day kit for fly fishing, the sensible extras, and the safety items that are not optional.
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Do I Need Waders for Fly Fishing?
Above about 65 °F water, no — and this page is here to save you a few hundred dollars.