I have a 90's era Plano waist pack that I keep all my fishing tackle. It has seen better days and probably should be tossed in the garbage, but I really like it so I just keep repairing it. It is lightweight and low profile and doesn't get in the way when wearing PFD on a portage. You can easily wear it in the front or the back depending on what's easiest. I almost always wear it in the front when portaging.

Anyway, was thinking of using my REI bucks on a replacement like this one:
Mountainsmith Lumbar

Was wondering if anyone uses this particular pack or has another favorite for fishing tackle. The Mountainsmith looks a bit taller than my current Plano, and looks like you can only wear it one way (in the back) so I am especially curious if gets in the way of PFD or small pack.

Also curious how much it can carry. It looks considerably bigger than my current setup which can just barely fit 2 plano stowaways (I fill one with crankbaits, the other for live bait and bobber stuff). Then I usually jam a forceps, leatherman, bug dope and sunscreen in there - it's pretty tight fit. Would be really nice to fit a third stowaway and maybe a lip gripper...

I have two of these with a shoulder strap/harness. I use one for my tackle and the other for my ditch bag which I keep in the canoe with me. I love these daypacks. The only downside is you can pack a lot of tackle in them :) Also, be sure to get the shoulder strap. It makes portaging with them so much easier because the pack will then stay secure on your waist/hips instead of sliding down.

I’ve used this pack with the shoulder harness for my day pack for years. I keep my rain gear, snacks, knife, small silky saw, fishing reels (on travel days), and other miscellaneous gear. Great pack

I used to use a very similar, but smaller, pack in the past. I now use a daypack as a tackle box. The waist strap interfered with my belt strap on my pack and would dig in every so often making a pain to deal with. My day pack is larger, so I can actually use it as a day pack, and I can wear it on my front when portaging.

I now use my waist pack as a chest pack when fly fishing. It's a little big for the job, but that just means I can toss in a beer or two (outside of the BWCA).

Thanks for the input. Based on your replies I decided to go ahead and purchase the pack. It looks like it is really well made. I don't think it will get in the way of my PFD or pack - although the true test will be this spring/summer in the BWCA. It is a little big, so I will have to take your warning HighandDry to not overload it with a bunch of unecessary gear :)

Probably my only complaint is that the pack is somewhat heavy - at least compared to my bare-bones Plano pack - but hopefully that is a sign of how well-made/tough it will be.

50% off. One of these packs is for sale in the 'Items for Sale or Wanted' forum. Will fit most of your fishing needs.