Fishpond Chest Packs, Slings and Vests

Who Fishpond is

Fishpond's own story page says the company has built its reputation for more than 25 years and describes itself as a family-owned Colorado company in Summit County, at 8,200 feet near the headwaters of the Rocky Mountains. The page does not give a founding year or name the founders, and I did not find a primary source for either, so I am not going to guess. It says the company's responsibility includes protecting the waters, wild places and natural resources that shape our lives, and it stresses durable design.

On materials, the product pages say what the fabrics are. Several of the packs use a recycled nylon the maker calls Cyclepond. The Thunderhead line uses a 900D TPU-coated fabric the maker calls NewStream, which the Thunderhead sling page says is made from recycled single-use plastic water bottles. Those are maker statements, and I did not find a certification for them.

What Fishpond sells on Amazon US now

At our last check (October 2026) we track 23 Fishpond products on Amazon US. There are five chest packs, two slings, five lumbar packs, three backpacks, two hybrid packs, five vests and one wading belt. There are no Fishpond waders, wading staffs or fly rods in our data. If you came looking for a Fishpond wading staff, that is a gap in the Amazon range, not in this page.

The table above lists them with the specs we could confirm, marked by source. A "maker" mark means Fishpond's own page states the value. A "listing" mark means the Amazon listing says so and the maker's page does not, and a dash means we have not confirmed it. For packs, the columns that matter are style, capacity, water protection, fabric and weight, and I'll explain how to read each of them below.

How to read the pack columns

Style. The maker groups its products by where they sit on your body. A chest pack sits on the front of your torso on a harness. A sling goes over one shoulder and rotates to the front. A lumbar pack sits on a belt at the small of the back. A backpack is worn on both shoulders. Two products in our data carry the maker's hybrid label, the Waterdance Pro Guide and the Ridgeline Tech Pack, and I did not read those pages closely enough to define the term, so check them before you buy. A vest has pockets all over and no main bag.

Capacity. Capacity is in liters. The chest packs here run from 2 to 8, the lumbar packs from 2 to 10, the slings from 9 to 13, and the backpacks from 15 to 28. A fly box fits a pack of almost any size, so the extra liters are for layers, a lunch, a water bottle, a rain jacket and a wading jacket you hope you won't need. (A pack is a portable Hook Drawer, and it fills the same way.)

Water protection. In our data, the Thunderhead packs are called submersible by the maker and the Stormshadow packs are called waterproof. Neither page I read gives an IPX rating, a depth or a time. The Thunderhead sling page describes a fully waterproof TRU Zip zipper on the main compartment and a water-resistant zipper on the front pocket. I'd read that as a pack designed to keep the main bag dry in rain and splashes, and I would not sink it on purpose. Packs without a water protection value make no claim in our data.

Fabric. The number before the D is the denier, a measure of yarn thickness. A bigger number means a heavier yarn, and in general a more abrasion-resistant fabric. It is not a waterproof rating. The Thunderhead's 900D fabric is the heaviest in the range, and many of the vests and smaller packs use 210D.

Net slot. Most of the packs in our data list an integrated net slot, a slot that holds a long-handle net, and the two vest pages I read list a D-ring for a net release instead. If you carry a net, check this before you check the liters.

Weight. The maker lists weights in ounces or pounds. The Canyon Creek chest pack lists 16 oz, the Cross-Current 27.2 oz and the Firehole backpack 43.2 oz. A heavier pack carries more and puts more load on your shoulders.

The packs and who each suits

Chest packs. The San Juan Vertical (2 liters), Canyon Creek (2.5 liters, 16 oz) and Stormshadow (3 liters, waterproof) are the small ones. The Thunderhead Submersible Chest Pack is 5 liters at 16.8 oz. The Cross-Current is the largest at 8 liters, and its page says it attaches to Fishpond's Thunderhead, Wind River Roll-Top, Firehole and Ridgeline backpacks. A chest pack puts everything in front of you, which makes it quick to use and awkward under a wading jacket. See our chest pack page for other brands.

Slings. The Summit Sling 2.0 (9 liters, 32 oz) and the Thunderhead Submersible Sling (13 liters, 28.8 oz, 16 by 9 by 7 inches). The sling is the middle choice between a chest pack and a backpack: more room than a chest pack and quick to swing round. The Thunderhead sling has a foam strap and back panel, a net slot and Hypalon tool tabs. Our guide on how to wear a sling pack covers the fit, and the sling pack page lists others.

Lumbar and belt systems. The Switchback 2.0 Wading System (a belt system with a 2-liter pack, up to a 64-inch waist), the Elkhorn (5 liters), the Thunderhead Lumbar in two sizes (10 and 4.5 liters) and the Stormshadow Lumbar (8 liters, waterproof). The Waterdance Pro Guide Pack (8 liters, 33.6 oz) is filed under the maker's lumbar collection but labeled hybrid. A lumbar pack sits at your waist, out of the way of your rod arm and under a jacket. The South Fork is a plain wading belt with a net holster, a rail system for add-on pouches and a 64-inch maximum waist. A wading belt is also a safety item, and I'd keep it snug at your waist even when you hang pouches on it. See our wading belt page.

Backpacks. The Ridgeline (15 liters), Firehole (26 liters) and Thunderhead Submersible Backpack (28 liters). These are the choice for hikes to the water with a change of layers. The Firehole at 43.2 oz and the Thunderhead backpack at 48.8 oz are the heaviest packs in the range, with the Ridgeline Tech Pack at 47.2 oz close behind.

Vests. The Flint Hills (1.1 lb, one size fits most), the Sagebrush Pro Mesh (17 pockets), the Women's FlyLite (15 pockets), the Women's Upstream Tech (listing only) and the Tenderfoot Youth Vest (14 pockets, 1.05 lb). The vests have adjustable shoulder and waist straps. A vest is the traditional answer for someone who wants every tool in a fixed place, and the fly fishing vest page lists others. Our guide on pack vs vest helps with the choice.

Guarantee

Fishpond's guarantee page says soft goods, which include packs, bags and vests, carry a lifetime guarantee against defects in materials or workmanship, and that Fishpond will repair or replace the item at its discretion at no charge. It excludes accidental damage, neglect, saltwater corrosion and normal wear over time. Hard goods such as Nomad net frames carry a one-year guarantee, and the page excludes air transit damage, which it says is the airline's responsibility.

Two practical points. A guarantee against defects is not a guarantee against wear, so a strap that frays after years of use is a different matter from a seam that fails in the first month. And saltwater corrosion is excluded, so if you fish salt, rinse the hardware. The page does not set out detailed claim steps, and I did not find a separate claim form, so contact customer service and keep your receipt.

How to choose

Start with what you carry. A few fly boxes, tippet and a tool fit in a 2- to 3-liter chest pack. Add a water bottle and a jacket and you are looking at a sling of 9 to 13 liters. Layers for a day away from the car point to a backpack. Then think about water: if you wade deep or fish in rain, the Thunderhead and Stormshadow packs are the ones the maker calls submersible or waterproof, and the maker's own wording is as far as I can take that.

Then the body. A chest pack and a vest are in front of you, a lumbar pack is behind you and a sling swings. Think about how you wear a wading jacket and a belt with it. If you wear waders, the pack should not interfere with the wading belt, which should stay tight at your waist.

A last check on the listing: the pack's weight and capacity are the maker's numbers, and the table shows which ones are not confirmed. For other brands at the same job, our fly fishing packs page and vests page let you compare.