Racks & Packs: New Ways to Carry your Stuff in the Field and Store it at Home

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To read all of the nitty gritty, field-tested reviews of new fly-fishing gear for 2026, grab a copy of Gear Guide at the Outdoor Sportsman Group newsstand, through the Fly Fisherman Special Issues app available in the App Store and Google Play, or on newsstands today.

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Yeti Cayo 35L All-Weather Backpack

The Yeti Panga 28L submersible backpack is a great fishing bag, and mine has been around the world. Yes, you can swim with it if you have to, but most often the goal in fly fishing is to stay on your feet. A completely submersible backpack is overkill in many situations.

The new Yeti Cayo 35L might be be a better all-around backpack because while it has the same rugged and waterproof DryHide Shell as the Panga, the weather-resistant zippers are easier to open, there are two smaller quick-stash compartments—a small one of top for small stuff like keys and a large side zip pocket that can holder things like water bottles or a jacket. There’s also better overall internal organization including a zippered internal pocket and a hydration reservoir compatible pocket.

This one is also a little more ergonomically shaped, and it’s more comfortable with an added mesh back panel for long hikes or all-day use. This back panel also breathes better and helps keep you cool in tropical conditions.

If you’re the type who brings your laptop with you on fishing trips, or you want your commuting pack and your fishing pack to be exactly the same item, the Cayo 35L might be the one for you. It’s available in black and olive and also in two smaller sizes: 25L and 15L, $250 and $200, respectively.

—Ross Purnell

$300 | tcoflyfishing.com

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Simms Headwaters Sling Pack

Last year we reviewed the Simms Headwaters Backpack, in fact we awarded it “Best New Pack” in our 2025 Gear Guide. But the Headwaters Backpack is just one element of a completely new line of super functional non-submersible fishing packs from Simms that include the Headwaters Chest Pack, Hip Pack, and Sling Pack.

The 12L Sling Pack is ambidextrous, has a zip-open compression-molded work station, and a main compartment large enough to hold a jacket, lunch, and enough large fly boxes to handle any situation. There are even “beverage sleeves” inside in case you want to carry beer.

The work station has a fly patch and a magnetic-closure pocket to help you quickly and easily change flies on the water. There’s a retractor docking station on the outside and webbing on the backside of the shoulder strap for multiple tool attachment options, and there is a net holster sleeve located on the bottom of the pack.

It’s built from tough, water-resistant 630-denier High-Density Oxford Nylon fabric with the front TPU coated and the backside PU coated. The zippers are coated, water-resistant YKK AquaGuard zippers, so while you might not want to swim with this, we believe it will withstand any thunderstorm you can throw at it.

$200 | simmsfishing.com

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Pesca Innovations Fly Rod Tube Holder & Fishing Rod Holder

This Colorado company was started by Nikolai Ambwani, who, after graduating from University of Colorado Boulder, stayed in Colorado to follow his passions of skiing and fly fishing. He became a fly-fishing guide and at the same time started working on a company that would help multi-sport people with limited space organize their equipment so it’s easier to get out and go fishing or go skiing.

Inertia is a big factor that stops too many people from getting outside. Excuses like “my rod isn’t set up” or “I can’t find my stuff” too often result in  an afternoon at home doing chores, or worse yet, watching TV. Ambwani’s company Pesca Innovations makes storage solutions for skis, snowboards, fly rods, and other outdoor equipment.

All the products are made in the U.S.A. and ship from Colorado so you can get it quickly.  For long-term storage, Pesca sells double ($19.95) or triple ($29.95) Fly Rod Tube Holders with 2- or 2.5-inch diameters for regular 5-weight 9-foot rods in tubes, or larger for Spey rods and oversize saltwater rod tubes.

Pesca also sells wall-mounted Fishing Rod Holders to fit three fully assembled rods. These are great in the garage just so your rods are always ready to go, or you can use them to display your rods in your office or fly-tying room. These racks are all modular, so if you have nine rods you want on the wall, you can get three triples and mount them in sequence.

$19.95-$34.95 | pescainnovations.com

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Spartan Fishing Rod Holder

I don’t have a lockable rod holder bolted to my roof rack. It’s too tall for my garage door, and I don’t like driving around with $5,000 of rods and reels on my roof when I’m not fishing. However, when I am fishing, I often drive from spot to spot through the course of the day and I need something to help me and my buddies effectively and efficiently move from one location to another with our rods.

The Spartan Fishing Rod Holder grips your hood and roof with four powerful suction devices. An adjustable elastic cord secures the rods to the rack. The rack holds up to eight rods and packs down so small you can take it with you when you travel. It’s perfect for guides who need to haul two clients and all their rods for a day.

The Spartan Fishing Rod Holder is made from lightweight anodized 7075-T351 aluminum and carbon fiber and weighs about 2 pounds. The parent company Spartan Precision Equipment makes field tripods and bipods for hunting rifles. They have years of experience making premium equipment.

—Ross Purnell

$170 | javelinbipod.com

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Patagonia Stealth Switch Packs 3L, 5L, 9L

The new Stealth Switch Packs from Patagonia are lightweight, minimalist, super functional, and above all flexible. Each pack has everything you need for a pack of that size, and nothing more—no useless bells and whistles. And every pack is adaptable so you can use it different ways on different days. The multipurpose 3L Stealth Switch Pack fastens easily to your wader straps for use as a slim chest pack, or to your wader belt as a hip pack. You can also clip it to a bar or strap on your raft. There are hemostat and zinger docks on the sides of the pack, a roomy main zipper pocket, two stretch zip pockets sized for tippet spools, a foam fly patch, and an embedded magnet on the top to temporarily hold flies while you’re rigging.

The 5L has more capacity—obviously—and more lash points and docking stations. It has two zippered compartments for fly boxes—each one has stretch mesh pockets inside to keep you organized. The front zippered panel folds out to 45 degrees and makes a great workstation. Although the same type of buckling lashes allow it to work as both a standalone chest or hip pack, it also has a removable neck strap to help distribute the weight when used in either position. I especially like the 5L pack integrated into a larger system, like clipping it to the outside of a backpack for long-range excursions.

I used the Stealth Switch Pack 9L on a trip to Patagonia, where I needed large volume in a single pack for longer hikes into remote regions of a national park and across large estancias. The sling pack converts into a hip pack, and the same system allows you to easily switch the sling from left to right shoulder setup and to access the water bottle holder from either side.

In sling mode, a stretch mesh pocket on the shoulder strap holds a phone, and there’s also a hemo and zinger dock to help keep your tools up front. The main interior has four large stretch compartments and a foam fly patch, and there’s another smaller zippered compartment for optimum organization. The packs are available in three colors, River Rock Green, Bundle Green, and Forge Grey. River Rock Green (with blue trim) is shown here.

—Ross Purnell

3L $59, 5L $99, 9L $149 | tcoflyfishing.com

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