Is the Fishpond Wasatch Tech Pack Fly Fishing Vest worth the money?
There are a lot of pricey fly fishing vests on the market today and it can be tough to decide which direction to go. The vest of a fly fishermen is one of the most crucial pieces of equipment to have. It should not be over looked, but with so many options out there, it can be difficult to choose the right one.
Fishpond Wasatch Tech Pack Fly Fishing Vest Review
I really think that this is one of the best fly vest and backpack combos available today. The price tag is a tough pill to swallow, but if you can afford it, it’s worth it.
Fishpond has consistently been a producer of high quality fly fishing gear for some time now and a brand doesn’t stay at the top with bad quality gear.
Positives of the Fishpond Wasatch Vest
Storage
First off, I love how much gear this vest and backpack combo can hold. If you have read any of my other vest reviews, you’ll know that I like vests that have the ability to store all of my stuff. With this vest, I can go out for a day and pack all the stuff I want, water, food, fly boxes and other accessories like pliers easily.
Material
The Wasatch vest is a high quality vest that is designed to last. I personally don’t like the price tag, but ahhh yeah, sometimes the pocketbook takes a hit for the enjoyment of our passions. This vest has a premier level of quality and knowing that, takes some of the pain away.
Fishpond designed this vest to keep it lightweight. That was one of their goals here and they followed through with it. In my eyes that ups the value quite a bit. No one likes carrying a ton of excess weight because of the vest itself, usually the extra gear we put in those pockets are heavy enough!
One thing that I found interesting about this Fishpond vest, is that it’s made of recycled fish nets, or at least parts of it are. That’s kind of cool in my opinion, just additional icing to the cake really.
Warranty
Fishpond’s website claims that all of their soft good gear has a lifetime gear guarantee and that they will repair any issue that is a manufacture problem. They do state however that this does not include accidents or natural deterioration of material.
Negatives of the Fishpond Wasatch Tech Pack Fly Fishing Vest
Price
The price tag of this vest is enough to one’s sock clean off! But, being a fly fisherman comes with price tags and I am fine with paying the price knowing that it’ll last.
Water bladder
I also wish that the water bladder was included in it. The price tag is pushing 200 dollars and it doesn’t come with the water bladder?? I’m disappointed in that aspect of it, but oh well.
Other similar options
If you’re looking for a fly fishing vest that has a built in water bladder go with the Anglatech Backpack and Vest Combo. It’s not going to be the same premium quality, but it is a nice vest and comes with a water bladder for less than half the price.
Otherwise if you’re looking for top of the line quality, without the backpack, get the Simms Headwaters Pro Vest. The price tag around 150 bucks and has a lot of storage room without the back pack. Highly recommend this one.
Related: Best Fly Fishing Packs of 2020
Overall this Wasatch Vest is Elite
At the end of the day if you buy the Fishpond Wasatch Tech Pack Fly Fishing Vest, you will be satisfied with the quality and the storage it provides. The fact that one could put down a small deposit on a house loan with its price tag might be a tough pill to swallow, but the pain will go away soon enough! Good luck down the river this season!
