If you can dodge a ball, you can dodge a wrench, says the dodgeball coach as he levels an unwitting player with the toss of a big Craftsman’s box end wrench. It’s not quite the same, but it seems that almost everyone who manufactures fishing rods, fishing reels, fishing lines, and sometimes just a few fishing lures also makes a fishing backpack.
That’s great, the variety offers wonderful choices and the options might seem limitless, but just what makes the best fishing backpack, and by default, who makes it?
The answer is… well, there is no clear answer. The variety of fishing out in the wilds of lakes, rivers, streams, and saltwater offer nearly endless styles of angling. The best fishing backpacks on the market reflect those myriad styles with a veritable cornucopia of zipper, hook and loop, Velcro, snaps, and simple fold-over pockets. Add to that an entire rainbow of materials from traditional heavy canvas to space-age whip stop nylon blends and the fabric these backpacks are made of has another wide variety of options.
The task can seem dauntless in determining exactly what you need, but it doesn’t have to be. Take a few simple metrics, and apply them to the choices on the market, do a bit of hands-on, or online research and find a backpack that perfectly matches your style of fishing. Or at least one that gets the job done for not a lot of cash.
Our Picks
Imagine, packing your smaller, loose fishing equipment in these plastic trays is a big step in organizing and carrying everything you need to your isolated “secret spot” for a great day on the water.
Not a traditional backpack, but a compact, nearly indestructible fishing bag with a shoulder strap that functions well in most conditions.
A padded back and padded straps make this a comfortable backpack to carry. Though the market remains high as a trout fishing backpack, it’s found good use by cyclists, day trip hikers, sightseers, and photographers.
This backpack is 100% high-strength polyester and includes three medium tackle boxes. That means you buy it, take it home, fill it with equipment, and head to the water.
The camouflage-patterned backpack has a front mesh pocket, a fishing pliers pocket, a detachable hard glass case for sunglasses and eyeglasses, and a mesh holder for water bottles and rod tubes.
This is a versatile bag that can easily move from the angling to the hunting and backpacking worlds.
Pay the price, and you’ll have a backpack that will last you decades in the roughest terrain you can negotiate on your way to trophy fishing holes.
This is the largest backpack in your review. At 21.25Ă—13.4Ă—9.25 inches, this is a heavy-duty backpack that can carry a lot of equipment.
What to Look For in the Best Fishing Backpack
To put it succinctly, you need to know what you’re going to do before you look for what you need.
The options in a backpack might seem endless, but they all boil down to a few simple requirements. How many pockets do they have? How are the pockets opened and closed? Are the fasteners waterproof? Is the backpack material waterproof, UV resistant, and mold-proof? Is it easy to take on and off? Does it hurt your shoulders when it’s full, and you’re packing it five, 10, or 15 miles?
Will it last in the wild and not tear on tree branches, get grimy, smelly, greasy, and not clean up easily?
Will it hold your rod, reel, tackle box, the worm can, minnow bucket, lunch, and beverages without breaking at the seams? These are all important considerations, but we’ll try to consolidate many of them into a few concentrated items:
1. How much can it hold?
2. What’s it made of?
3. Is it durable?
4. Is it easy to maintain?
If the answer to any of these four groups of questions is no, then don’t buy it. There are so many options, manufacturers, prices, styles, and warranties out there that you never need to cut corners with this style of equipment.
The Best Fishing Backpacks Reviewed
Piscifun Fishing Tackle Backpack
If you’re organized and disciplined enough to put away your hooks, lures, line, and bait properly, you may never need another fishing backpack.
This model comes with 11 separate compartments of various sizes. The main storage area can handle up to five large snappable plastic trays. These trays have become the go-to container for lures, hooks, lead sinkers, swivels, and all the other assorted hardware endemic to fishing.
Packing your smaller, loose fishing equipment in these plastic trays is a big step in organizing and carrying everything you need to your isolated “secret spot” for a great day on the water.
The backpack features zippered closures on those 11 compartments and has a sturdy carrying handle for transferring the back when it’s not strapped to your shoulders.
The shoulder straps are wide, adjustable, and padded, so you’ll be comfortable on long leisurely hikes. Moreover, your equipment will be secure on those sliding scrambles down rock-strewn slopes to the water below or while scrambling up the same slippery banks on the way home.
Moderately priced, and made of 100% nylon, this backpack is durable, reliable, and lightweight. It is available at a low introductory price in black but is also made for slightly higher prices in camouflage and traditional tan-colored canvas.
Ugly Stik Fishing Bag
Not a traditional backpack, but a compact, nearly indestructible fishing bag with a shoulder strap that functions well in most conditions.
Ugly Stik is renowned for rods that won’t break and they’ve taken that technology to fishing bags in this 100% polyester creation.
Compact at just 11.7Ă—9.45Ă—7.5 inches, there is ample room for treks along trout streams, mountain lakes, and in a broken country where the water is difficult to reach. This bag will carry all the essentials for a day in the mountains, or in steep, rocky canyons in pursuit of rainbows, browns, cutthroats, or brookies.
It’s a great bag to toss into your boat for a day of trolling or still fishing in isolated bays and along inlets.
Priced to move at a very low cost, this back features snap-buttoned enclosures with a generous blend of Velcro fasteners. It’s very lightweight, so it won’t slow you down.
Rodeel Fishing Tackle Backpack
Rodeel designed this backpack specifically for trout fishing but their market quickly expanded to off road vehicles and backpacking applications.
Made of 6000 polyesters with four large tackle tray bays, and a front cover that folds down to create a flat working surface, this backpack is versatile.
A flat working surface is a nice addition in the wilderness when you’re trying to repair a reel, stitch up a tear in your pants, or any of the other unexpected little situations that can occur where a flat surface will help the process.
A padded back and padded straps make this a comfortable backpack to carry. Though the market remains high as a trout fishing backpack, it’s found good use by cyclists, day trip hikers, sightseers, and photographers.
It is a versatile fishing backpack.
Spiderwire Fishing Tackle Backpack
If you’re an angler, you already know the reputation of Spiderwire, it is impossible to break under even the most rigorous fishing situations. People have tied several loops of Spiderwire together and pulled 4-wheelers out of the mud, it is that strong.
They’ve moved this strength to the fishing backpack realm with this model and added a few extra features to sweeten the pot.
This backpack is 100% high-strength polyester and includes three medium tackle boxes. That means you buy it, take it home, fill it with equipment, and head to the water.
It includes a molded case for either sunglasses or those annoying eyeglasses you need when tying a fly with your 40+ year-old eyes.
Three inner compartments can be divided from the main compartment.
Offered in black, with an attached fishing rod holder and carry system this is the backpack for hiking brush-covered trails, and through willow thickets without damaging a fishing rod attached to the exterior.
What else would you expect from Spiderwire?
BASSDASH Fishing Tackle Backpack Water-Resistant Bag
On the bigger end of the spectrum at 15Ă—10.2Ă—15.7 inches, this backpack can carry a lot of equipment.
The camouflage-patterned backpack has a front mesh pocket, a fishing pliers pocket, a detachable hard glass case for sunglasses and eyeglasses, and a mesh holder for water bottles and rod tubes.
D-ring attachments hang from outside the backpack for attaching other equipment. An ergonomic, breathable, mesh design helps reduce that annoying back sweat you often get on long hot afternoons stalking bass and trout.
This fishing backpack approaches the functionality of larger frame packs while retaining a compact design.
FISKINER Pro Fishing Backpack Creative Fishing Bag
You can read the focus of this backpack by Fiskiner in the title, “creative.”
Not associated with other angling products, but a backpacking and outdoor equipment company, they have 15 years of experience in the backpacking industry.
A bottom pocket is designed to carry water bottles, with a side holding pocket that can hold rod tubes, or a rod and reel combo.
Slip pockets in the front, a keychain click, and the main compartment designed to hold two 3600 size tackle trays offer ample storage capacity.
External D-clips offer additional storage options.
This is a versatile bag that can easily move from the angling to the hunting and backpacking worlds.
The price is right too.
Shimano Fishing Blackmoon Backpack
Pay top dollar, get top dollar performance, that’s how it’s supposed to work, and it does with this higher-priced backpack from Shimano.
Shimano is a recognized world leader in rods, reels, and everything else related to fishing.
This backpack features heavy-duty, corrosion-resistant zippers, a heavy Denier rip-stop polyester fabric, and reinforced double-stitched seams. It is offered in two versions, either a top load model or a front load.
Both offer tremendous storage opportunities for as many as four 3600 series plastic fishing trays.
This model can pack a lot of weight and is often used for other purposes than just fishing.
Pay the price, and you’ll have a backpack that will last you decades in the roughest terrain you can negotiate on your way to trophy fishing holes.
KastKing Fishing Tackle Backpack
This is the largest backpack in your review. At 21.25Ă—13.4Ă—9.25 inches, this is a heavy-duty backpack that can carry a lot of equipment.
It comes with lumbar supports that can be attached for additional support when you’re fully loaded and heading out to the water.
This is a backpack designed for backcountry use. You can tie on a lot of additional equipment, including sleeping bags and small tents with the included D-ring attachments.
It features a rod and tool storage system for external equipment.
Adjustable bungee loops, those utilitarian D-rings, a padded waist strap, padded shoulder straps, and heavy-duty construction provide you with all the storage you need, with the added comfort of a well-designed backpack.
Load it up, shift it to fit you, and head off on your latest adventure.
Conclusion
Backpacks are the human version of the trailer. You can carry a lot of extra material with a trailer attached to your truck or SUV, and a backpack does the same for you on foot.
You see them in airports, train stations, and on public transportation all the time. They’ve become a ubiquitous addition to modern existence, but they can also be the venue to finding your way back to simpler, pristine times on isolated stretches of wilderness.
A backpack that can contain all the fishing gear you need for an afternoon, a day, or a week is all within reach.
First, you need to determine what you want to use the backpack to do. Once you’ve established that, it’s time to consider the material it’s made of, how durable the material it is, if it can handle a heavy brush, or if it just needs to be light enough to carry a long way.
D-rings, zippers, clips, loops, click and latch, Velcro and stainless steel are all terms you should be acquainted with in determining the quality of construction.
The size, weight, and style of shoulder straps will allow you to tell if this is the backpack for you.
There are so many varieties on the market today, with so many varied uses that there is one for everyone and every use if you take the time to look.
A backpack is an indispensable tool for every angler, backpacker, hunter, or cyclist to have at their disposal.
A well-designed backpack, filled with everything you anticipate you’ll need on a day or week-long trip. Moreover, being filled with essentials substantially improves your chances of having a great experience in the wild, all at the tips of your fingers, or right there on your back.
For more guidance on choosing the best fishing gear, check out the pages below:
