VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack Review (Hands-on & Tested)

The world of fly fishing accessories is one that can cause anglers quite a bit of stress. The options seem to be endless with each company claiming they have the most efficient or best choices. Fly fishing packs are easy to find, but discovering the one that suits you best isn’t easy.

The VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack offers anglers just about everything they would need for a day on the water. I’ve used countless different packs over my years on the water and each one offers its own unique features. The VIXYN, however, has a little bit for everyone.

After using it for quite a while before writing this VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack review, I can say that this pack works just as well for a quick afternoon on the water as an entire day. It easily holds enough fishing gear for either scenario. Despite the smaller size, VIXYN has done a nice job making the most of the space.

Why Trust My VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack Review?

I’ve spent many long days on the water in a variety of conditions with this pack. I put it to the test in its carrying capacity as well as in difficult weather conditions. I’ve dunked it in fast moving streams, thrown it into the corner of a canoe, and jammed it into the trunk of my car. I’ve stuffed it with fly boxes, Tupperware containers full of food, my phone and car keys, and more.

In short, I’ve used this pack as hard as you’d use it, in the places you’d want to, and full of the stuff you’d need to bring along on all kinds of fly fishing trips. At Into Fly Fishing we only review gear that has been personally used by our creators, and I can assure you, I’ve given this pack plenty of use.

As by now I’m sure you’ve realized, I put my fly fishing packs through quite a bit of stress. I’ve never been known to be easy on my gear, and there are no exceptions with my fly fishing packs. After all this use and abuse, I can say that I really do appreciate the work VIXYN put into their design.

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What’s in the Box?

When you receive your VIXYN fly fishing pack, you’ll receive the pack itself as well as instructions and a card explaining the warranty system. In the pack you’ll find the strap that goes around your neck in case you’d like to make it a chest pack. I used it as both types of pack, and it functioned equally well as a hip or a chest pack.

VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack Features & Specs

Fly fishing specific packs aren’t always easy to find. VIXYN does a nice job catering to fly anglers with the materials they use to create them and the specific pockets and storage available within the pack.

Build Quality

The VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack is made out of mesh as well as nylon. The mesh is durable, and the nylon still hasn’t ripped on me despite getting flies stuck in it and all the times I was walking through thick vegetation.

The straps are made with a nice amount of foam and it by no means feels too bulky or cumbersome. I’ve found that it has remained comfortable no longer how long I’ve worn it.

Accessibility

When it comes to fly fishing packs, anglers need them to be accessible. Whether you’re in the midst of a hatch or you’re sight fishing and need a quick fly change, there’s no time to waste digging around in the pack for the necessary accessories. The VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack has five outer pockets that are perfect for storage.

Main Compartment

The main compartment of the VIXYN pack is by far the largest. Within this pack there are two storage pouches, a divider and a zippered pocket. The storage pouches are perfect places to put fly dressings or other small items.

The zippered pouch can hold extra forceps or even leaders and tippets. The organization within the main compartment is a rarity for fly fishing packs. Usually, the main compartment is wide open and it’s quite easy to lose things or be extremely unorganized while out on the water.

There’s room for three or four full size fly boxes and even a spare reel if necessary. It’s a surprisingly large pocket that I originally didn’t think would hold as much equipment as it does. While it did take a bit of organizing, eventually I appreciated the extra room.

As long as you’re not a heavy packer, you should have no problem fitting everything you would need for a day on the water in this pack. So far it’s held everything I typically need for a long day of fly fishing.

Fly Storage Compartment

Right in front of the main storage compartment is perhaps my favorite feature. You’ll find a pocket that folds and opens like a mouth. On the backside of the compartment are detachable fly patches. These patches have plenty of room for flies so you can change in and out as you’re fishing.

Too often anglers misplace flies or lose them when they’re changing. By placing them inside the pack on a specific patch, the odds of you losing your flies dramatically decreases. Plus, since it folds out, you’ll have an easy way of looking at your flies and seeing which one you might want to use.

Within this compartment you also have another smaller zippered pocket. The zippered pocket is perfect for leaders or other smaller items that you would like to keep next to your flies. There’s no excuse for you to be unorganized when you’re using this pack! Even I found a way to be organized, and that’s not always easy for me to do.

Minor Pockets

The other three pockets on the VIXYN pack are a bit smaller and perfect for valuables or other accessories. Two of the pockets are located on the straps, and they’re good places to hold my keys, wallet and any other valuables I usually bring with me on the water.

The final pocket is located on the very front of the pack. This is an excellent place to keep your fishing license. It’s easy to misplace licenses, so go ahead and put it in this pocket and you’ll never have to worry about whether or not you’ve forgotten it or not.

Neck Strap

The neck strap is a unique feature on the VIXYN pack. It allows you to change it into a chest pack if you’d like. If you’re wearing waders and using this pack, it’s not a bad idea to turn it into a chest pack, especially if you’re wading in higher water.

On the back of the next strap, there’s a loop that you can hook a fly rod into. Storing a fly rod can be an issue on many other types of fly fishing packs, but VIXYN provides an option for you to hook onto it if it’s necessary.

VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack Review: My Personal Thoughts

I’ve enjoyed my time using this pack, and there’s no doubt I’ll be using it in the future. In fact, my next fly fishing trip will be up in northern British Columbia. I’m looking forward to not only using the pack on the water, but also on the airplane as a carry-on bag.

In short, the VIXYN Fly Fishing pack is a solid option for anyone in searching of a new pack. While it’s not perfect, it fits the majority of needs that you might have.

Pros

One of the best features of this pack is the ample opportunities to be organized. There’s a pocket or pouch in this pack for just about everything you’d need. As long as you’re willing to stay organized, you won’t have any trouble with this pack.

Another great feature are the retractable leashes on the front of the pack. The retractable leashes are great for your nippers or your forceps. They’re very easy to access and you won’t ever have to worry about where you might have placed them when you’re ready to release your next fish.

The straps on the waist are one of the best features of the pack. Not only are they so extremely long that they can fit a variety of sizes of people, but they’re also comfortable. I’m a fairly skinny person and many times packs feel baggy on me because they’re too big or the pack doesn’t sit right.

This VIXYN pack fits nicely because it’s a bit smaller and the straps can be secured very tightly on my body. I haven’t found this with many other packs. On top of it all, even when my pack was fully loaded, it didn’t feel like it was falling off my body.

I could strap it tight enough that it stayed close and I wasn’t worried that it would slide around.

Cons

One thing I wish this pack had was a place to put a water bottle. Too often I get thirsty while out on the water, but my fishing packs don’t have anywhere to put water. While it would be possible to hang a water bottle with a carabiner off the side, it would likely weigh it down too much.

One small water bottle pouch on the side of the pack would make a wonderful addition!

Another aspect of the pack that caused a little bit of annoyance were the leashes that hold the nippers and the forceps. These would rarely retract back into the casing. As a result, they would hang far lower than the pack and sometimes be difficult to access or get in the way. It’s obviously not a deal breaker, but it was definitely noticeable.

The VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist Pack costs $50. Even though many big name brands are nearly double the price for a waist pack, this is still a bit on the higher end for competing models.

It’s nice and high quality, but I’d definitely think about paying $50 before I purchased it.

Conclusion

The VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist pack is going to do the job. If you choose to purchase it, you can rest assured that it will perform exactly how you need it to and won’t do anything more or less than that.

Sometimes it pays to buy something that isn’t too flashy! A quality performing item is all one can ask for. The VIXYN Fly Fishing Waist pack is exactly that.

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