Smarter Storage for Your Fishing Gear 

Are you still lugging around a tackle box and want to free up a hand? There is a smarter way to lug all your lures and baits around and this article will help you understand more about fishing backpacks and guide you in which one to buy. 

There are many reasons that you might want to switch from your large tackle box and carrying your rods, line, net, etc. down to the water or boat with you. If you have ever had to take a long walk down to the boat dock to load up on a friend’s boat, or maybe you had to park far away from water access, you probably can still remember exactly how it felt to have to lug your fishing gear all the way. 

This gets especially tricky and worse if you have to walk down hills or cover any wet grass where your balance will be tested. A backpack tackle box will help solve these issues and provide an organized carrying case for everything you need for a successful day fishing.

Types of Backpack Tackle Boxes

You can do anything from spending hundreds on a fully loaded tackle bag, get one that rolls like a suitcase, a smaller purpose-built tackle backpack, shoulder bag, or even just use a backpack or tactical backpack to use for your backpack tackle box. There are some benefits and also drawbacks when it comes to different designs so figure out what design is best for you and your style of fishing to make sure you end up with the best option.

We definitely would recommend looking into a few styles and seeing what is available for each type before deciding because you might not know what works for you as you travel or do co-angler series and have to constantly go on your buddies boat all season. 

If you want to just have a small travel option that has just the necessities there are two types we would recommend, the soft tackle shoulder bag and a small backpack tackle bag. We will recommend a few of each type just to get you started and help narrow down your choices with illustrations of each type.

Small Tackle Bags

• Flambeau 400zk-1 IKE 400 Tackle Bag - Soft Side Bag
• Features 4 large utility boxes and 3 accessory pockets
• $38
• Adjustable compartments

• Piscifun Sports Shoulder Bag Fishing Tackle - Shoulder Bag
• Features 3 internal storage pockets 3 external zipper pockets
• Waterproof nylon material
• $33.99

Backpacks

• Bass Pro Shop 360 Qualifier Backpack System
• Three Bass Pro Shop 360 tackle boxes
• Four pockets
• Rod tube straps
• Zip-off bottom section with shoulder strap
• Holds up to ten 360 utility boxes 
• $45 with the 3 360 utility boxes 

• Anglatech Fly Fishing Backpack 
• Four storage pockets
• 2 Liter water bladder to keep you hydrated
• Breathable mesh back to keep you cool and dry
• $70

• Wild River 3508 Multi-Tackle Small Backpack
• Tray storage - lower tray compartment for storage of up to four trays (not included)
• Mesh utility pockets
• Worksurface - front pocket folds down to provide a handy work surface
• Removable divider
• $79.97

Rolling Backpack

• X-Large ‘Recon’ Rolling Fishing Backpack, Tackle Box Storage Bag
• 12-month guarantee
• Made in America
• Corrosion-resistant
• Designed so you can take everything you could possibly want to bring
• $159.99

Storage Capacity

Whether you are a minimalist when it comes to fishing or if you are closer to a hoarder when it comes to bringing your gear, there's backpack tackle boxes made to fit what you want to bring. One benefit to a smaller bags is that you can pack the necessities, make life easier when it comes to what to choose for your rig, and of course it will be much easier to move around. 

A smaller storage capacity and bag will give you a huge benefit when pond hopping and moving along spot to spot. It also can be useful for you to look for a smaller backpack tackle box if you are planning on fishing out of a kayak, since space and weight can obviously be a pretty big downside when trying to maneuver around and giving yourself enough room to fit as well. 

The larger backpacks give the benefit of giving you more options, more backups of your favorite lures and hooks, and therefore versatility.  A lot of the medium and larger backpacks have room to hold your rods, a net, and even can hold a chair by strapping it to the side or the bottom of the bag. This will free your hands completely and make it a lot easier to work with than just a normal tacklebox or even a small tackle backpack. 

If you have a decent amount of fishing gear you want to bring but not as much as a tournament angler, you can probably store enough to go by a season of fishing without changing much out of your bag--just when you switch what you're fishing for or what location you are going to be at. 

For most of us out there we would highly recommend the Bass Pro Shop 360 Qualifier Backpack System. This can hold 10 360 utility boxes, which has to be enough to hold everything you can imagine needing. Plus you can hold your rods on the side with the rod tube straps, bring along something to drink in the side pocket, and even have room for a jacket or hoodie. 

Durability

One thing that is very challenging when it comes to fishing gear is whether you want to mainly concern yourself with price or durability. There are obviously some great deals and good quality backpack tackle boxes that will last a long time at a reasonable cost, but the cheapest ones might not last quite as long. 

The Bass Pro Shops Extreme Qualifier 360 Backpack System has great reviews but some people have stated that the zippers break over time. This is likely because they were overstuffing the bag past its limits and we all know that we have had a zipper break now and again probably for this very reason. 

A more durable bag that should in theory last a lifetime would be the Wild River Nomad by CLC LeatherCraft 604 Tackle Tek Nomad. At $165 without any trays, you definitely would expect this to be packed with features and as durable as possible. Luckily it has a lot going on and is made from some of the best materials by a company with a great reputation for making gear that is made to withstand anything you throw at it. 

Weather Resistance

Fishing can throw a lot of different elements and weather at you. You can be ice fishing, fishing in the hot sun, out in the ocean, or in fresh water. You need a backpack that at least has some weather resistance, especially if you’re planning on going salt water fishing. You don’t want your investment in a nice fishing backpack tackle box to go to waste from corrosion.

There are water proof options listed above but here is a list of the ones we recommend in various styles:

• Waterproof rain cover

• 100% waterproof
• Class 3 waterproof with protection from even a quick submersion in water
• Bag floats on top of water if dropped or falls off your boat
• Made up of 500 PVC Tarpaulin

• Water resistant 600 denier, water resistant polyester
• Rubber bottom to prevent any moisture seeping into your bag

• 100% waterproof
• Non-corrosive

Features

The last thing you might think of at this point would be what features you are looking for with your backpack. There are a wide range of available features that might excite you or confuse you as to why you would need it in a fishing backpack. 

There are bags with usb charging ports for your phone, led lights, reflective strips, dividers, and more. You can find a backpack that is a jack of all trades or just a plain jane that works well but doesn’t offer anything else besides being a space holder for your gear.

Here's a few backpacks that offer you some features you might want to look for in a backpack tackle box. 

• Tray storage included
• LED light system with three power levels for night fishing
• Charging tool with a built in 5000 mAh usb power supply
• Comes with tips for Apple Lightning, Apple 30-pin, USB micro, USB mini
• Optional clip on solar panel to keep your lights on and phone charged no matter how long you are fishing

• 1.5 liter water bladder to keep you hydrated

• Zip off bottom section with shoulder strap
• Holds four trays 
• Rod tube straps 

Summary 

You should now be an informed buyer and know exactly which backpack tackle box to get. 

There are a lot of options out there so just look for one that fits in your price range, has the features you want, is big enough for your gear you need to bring, and is durable enough to make it worth the money. 

Sources:

https://www.flwfishing.com/tips/2020-02-06-co-angler-opportunities-expand-in-toyota-series 

https://www.onthewater.com/get-started-pond-hopping 

https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/how-to/a18617/how-to-get-started-in-ice-fishing/