As more anglers seek the serenity, challenge, and cooler water of these remote locations, advancements in gear have become crucial. (Josh Bergan photo)
July 12, 2024
By Josh Bergan
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Embarking on a backcountry fly-fishing adventure promises solitude, stunning landscapes, and the thrill of untouched waters teeming with trout. As more anglers seek the serenity and challenge of these remote locations, advancements in gear have become crucial. From lightweight, packable tents to high-performance boots and innovative accessories, the latest equipment is designed to enhance both the journey and the catch. And while it’s not necessarily fly-fishing specific gear, it's gear that most backcountry and mountain-lake fly anglers need.
Danner Crag Rat EVO & Mountain 600 EVO Hiking Boots $250 | opticsplanet.com The Danner Mountain EVO 600 hiking boots offer a great blend of style, comfort, and durability. Built for long-distance treks, the footwear combines a waterproof breathable Gore-Tex liner with a shank that distributes weight evenly. The Vibram midsole provides excellent rebound and cushioning without feeling bulky.
They feel very solid yet are quite light and have excellent traction. Their handsome design and looks come in both men’s and women’s sizes. The included laces are a little short for my fat feet, but that's easily fixed.
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Take it from a guy who has spent more than his share of time on mountain trails–these are easily my favorite hiking boots ever.
That said, my son actually has a pair of the Danner Crag Rat EVO boots. These things are elite. The Danner Crag Rat EVO is a high-end hiking boot designed for extreme conditions. It is lightweight, breathable, and agile, but still durable. He's obsessed with them and wears them everywhere.
Crag Rats: $380 | scheels.com Danner actually collaborated with the Oregon-based Crag Rats, America’s oldest mountain rescue organization, to design these badass boots.
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My son reports an excellent fit and that they're very comfortable. They have a Synthetic Leather and Perspair® upper. They're 100% waterproof and breathable thanks to a Gore-Tex liner. The PrimaLoft® Aerogel Toe Cap, used by NASA to insulate space suits, provides insulation with minimal bulk or weight and doesn’t pack down over time, and they come with removable OrthoLite Footbeds. The entire footbed is made of open-cell polyurethane for better heat dissipation and air circulation. The Vibram® Mulaz Outsole provides great traction on rock, mud, or snow (yes, you can wear them as snowboots), and they are crampon compatible.
Both models come in both men's and women's sizes.
Crag Rats: $380 | scheels.com
Mountain 600: $250 | opticsplanet.com
NEMO Dragonfly OSMO™ 2P Tent: $500 | nemoequipment.com ; Footprint: $70 | nemoequipment.com NEMO’s Dragonfly OSMO two-person tent is worth every penny for small families or anglers with canine fishing buddies. It’s a very light but good-sized two-man tent that in my experience can fit any combination of the following: Two people and a dog; two dogs and a person; two people and two small (or particularly cuddly) dogs.
I recommend setting it up at home first if you're not familiar with all the latches and connections, but it’s very easy and quick once you know.
We went through a couple of big thunderstorms on first use and stayed dry inside and it held up well in the wind. This is especially remarkable when you consider that the OSMO™ fabric is 100% recycled, PFC/PFAS-free and meets flammability requirements without the use of fire-retardant chemical additives. The Divvy Cube™ stuff sack does a good job of keeping its contents dry in rainstorms.
There are plenty of internal pockets and pouches for flashlights, phones, and fly boxes, and there is definitely a specific head-end and foot-end so make sure you have the head end on the uphill side before you anchor it.
Also recommended is the NEMO Dragonfly Tent Footprint to reduce wear and tear on the tent’s underside.
Tent: $500 | nemoequipment.com
Footprint: $70 | nemoequipment.com
Gnara Go There™ Pants $168 | gnara.com Gnara’s new Go There™ Pants are a comfy high-end hiking pant that offer one particularly unique feature: The patented GoFly Zipper that starts just below the standard zipper and goes to the back of the rear waistband so females can pee in the wild without dropping trou.
My wife reports that she can pee wearing them without getting wet. She says that she’s still not going to start peeing where people could see her, but it is much more convenient to pee in the backcountry. And she reports that it is kind of "fun" to pee standing up. A lot easier than using a standard funnel-style “Female Urination Device” that's made for women's backcountry peeing.
The fit is fantastic and they’re built to last. They come in a large variety of sizes (which isn’t necessarily standard for women’s hiking pants) and colors. They have five large pockets and are made with four-way stretch fabric with a durable water repellent (DWR) coating, among other great features.
And don't forget the perfect accessory - a Kula Cloth antimicrobial pee wipe (also available in a Gnara collab design ).
These pants just might be the game-changers you’ve been waiting for.
$168 | gnara.com
Thermacell Mosquito Repellents EX90: $50 | scheels.com ; MR450: | scheels.com For those who do not like the chemical slime of bug spray, we introduce the Thermacell spatial mosquito repellents. I sent them to the land of eagle-squitos–Minnesota–since even the sight of these contraptions apparently scared away the mosquitoes from my Southwest Montana home. But my hometown in experienced major flooding early in the summer of 2024, so sent one to my family in Minnesota to test during the aftermath of the 2024 floods. The reports were excellent: “…she told us that it was kinda buggy at the game,” relayed my mom. “I didn’t see bugs so the thing either worked or we had very few bugs.”
It should be noted, however, that there's a chance that these might also repel our favorite trout foods–midges, mayflies, caddis, stoneflies, etc.–which could affect fishing (Thermacell concedes that the active ingredient in the mats–allethrin–works for midges).
These are great for camping trips, backpacking, backyard bbqs, on the boat, or on the lakeshore. I tested two versions: the EX90 and the MR 450.
EX90
Rechargable lithium battery with a 9-hour life 20-foot zone 12-hour refills MR450
15-foot zone Portable–comes with belt clip Comes with zone check (battery required and included but needs to be installed before you head out) that shows if it's operating at full potential While mosquitoes are not always known to be particularly ferocious in the Mountain West, pack these if you’re heading to any of the following backcountry locations:
And for anglers east of there, you’ll want to take this with you everywhere in the summertime.
EX90: $50 | scheels.com
MR450: | scheels.com
Toadfish Stowaway LED Lantern $55 | toadfish.com This portable, lightweight, and easy to operate light is a handy accessory for a number of applications. It’s ideal for your tent, cabin, backpack, boat, grill, card table, or myriad uses at home.
It offers two light intensities and a flashing option for emergencies, plus green and red lights (which could be useful for boat light failures at night). The red and green also allow you to see at night without your eyes adjusting to the brightness. It has a magnet, suction cup, and hook which all work well and let you hand virtually anywhere.
I am actually considering replacing some of my old bedside lamps with these since the Toadfish Stowaway LED Lanterns don't use up an outlet and take minimal space.
$55 | toadfish.com
Josh Bergan is Fly Fisherman's digital editor.