For years, I bashed through srcub in a manky old fishing vest and shoved as many bits and pieces as I could into it’s orifices. A couple of years ago, I upgraded to a Simms Guide vest, which was rad but still lacked the versatility I needed. For example, if I was heading into the Western Lakes for the day I would need to also carry a day pack to at least take some food, jacket and a DSLR. Lugging a day pack over a vest was…. let’s say it was a little bit shit.

Enter the Simms Headwaters Tech Pack – I picked one up earlier this season, and after much use I can strongly say that I have no desire to step back into the world of vests.  The Tech Pack has a little chest compartment at the front, which has more than enough room for all your required tackle for the mission, unless you want to carry the kitchen sink and all the dishes….

The back-pack has enough room for me to slap in a couple of sangas, snacks, fly boxes, Gore-Tex jacket and a decent sized camera. Everything seems to be in the right spot on this pack and I find it very functional. Even if you wanted to lighten the load, the chest compartment can clip off leaving a comfy neoprene-padded strap around your neck. Add to this that the pack overall seems to be ergonomically designed so that all straps and padding slide straight into the sweet spots. The only improvement I could suggest would be to add some elastic straps on the side to enable the secure addition of a spare rod tube (handy for when you’re in the middle of no-where and you bust off that fish of a life-time).

If you’re someone who is looking for a pack outside your vest capabilities, then seriously check out the tech pack here and then thank me later!