"rb608" wrote in message
...
The subject of vest weight has come up before and again just recently,
and I thought I'd offer up my Boy Scout "Be Prepared" fishing vest for
discussion. On the few occasions I hit the rivers, I'm planning to
make a day of it. I'm usually an inconvenient distance from my car,
and anything I want for 8 hours, I need to take with me.

I'm all for a light vest, and I really don't take too much extra
fishing gear. Then again, what do a few leaders or spools of tippet
weigh anyway. No, fishing supplies add virtually nothing to my vest,
yet the last time I was up on the Salmon River, I think my vest must
have weighed ten pounds. Why? It's the other stuff.

It's no fun getting hungry when the catching is good, so I stuff a few
granola bars in the back pocket. Getting dehydrated is worse, so a
couple bottles of water go in there too. Now the vest is a load.
Stuff a stuffable rain jacket back there too, and now it's bulky *and*
heavy. Then there's the flask of single malt (optional, I suppose,
for some), a few good cigars, and a small supply of TP, and a small
camera. In the end, my vest ends up more a backpack than a fishing
aid.

I don't really have a question, except, does everyone else take all
this **** when they go out for a day? Or, do you plan to be closer to
your vehicle and leave more stuff behind?

Joe F.

Hey Joe,

I found that the single heaviest item in my vest, and in your list, was the
water. Especially enough water for an all day trip here in the west. I have
been using one of those squeeze bottles with a filter in the lid for a
couplethree years now. Its a good way to reduce the weight. Assuming that
you are in or near water, you'll not run out of the stuff. Just remember to
change the filter every 50 or so gallons (see the instructions that come
with the bottle) and (this is VERY important) change the filter, without
failure, at least every year. I bought mine from Camp-Mor, but there are
many other purveyors of these devices.

Danl