I'm from Colorado and do alot of backpacking to remote waters in the hight country or just down around the lake. Love the pack lots of room and the divider section is well thought out(keeps wet clothes or waders seperate). Plenty of pockets. Backpack has several ajustments to make the load comfortable on your back. Great buy....
I got this last year at the store in Maine while striper fishing. I use it when fishing with my motorcycle. I have a Honda xr650L that does 80 mph on dirt roads so I need something that can hold everything: waders, wading shoes, fly vest, fly boxes, rod, reels, and rain gear etc... This pack does it all. Folks see me coming and just shake their heads. I get where I want to fish fast and have all my gear. With all the pockets and have room to spare for a red bull, water and lunch. One of the best things I have ever owned. Plus if the trail ends I can go on with just the pack and fish ponds in the back country. The wader pack keeps the water in so nothing else gets wet. My wading shoes I tie to the outside of the back so they can dry. The rod holder has a great rubberized coating that does not slip so even on ruff terrain I don't worry about losing my rod. I also carry camera equipment to do videos on the stream. Lots of room. My vest must weigh 40 lbs and I just stuff it in. I also carry two reels and have a St.Croix 10' 5wt 3pc that is perfect for this pack and the west branch of the delaware river. I have put this pack thru some extreme riding conditions to, one of the straps got caught in my rear brakes but I just put a new connector on it. Great pack for fishing or hiking in to fish, very comfortable.
This pack is great - I will be using it for outdoor fun besides fishing i.e for hiking, climbing, skiing etc. With minor mods LL Bean could actually market and sell this pack for those specific activities. Have to agree with the other reviewer -straps on both sides of the pack (say for two rods or ski's) would be ideal; but details. The two 'compartments' are great in keeping things separate and the low back pad is excellent !! Have not had the pack out in any real extremes yet - so we'll see, but I spend alot of time in Wyoming so that will be taken care of.... Will be using this pack for work/office and play good job Bean...
I purchased this pack and the chest pack and it works very well, there is more than enough room for most of the gear I take with me, although I wish there were rod tube holders on both sides of the pack to hold two rod tubes rather than just one, but that is a small detail. The seperate compartments for wet and dry gears is a very good idea, and works well in practice. The self contained rain fly works well to keep everything dry. The side pockets and the chest pack hold all the extras I need for fishing, but I wish this pack came in a larger size, both because I am very tall, and for a little more room for longer excursions than a night or two. For a day or two on the water, it is almost perfect.
