For the Fly Fishing Dad: Father’s Day Gifts That Will Make Him Happy.

Two essential items for fly fishing that Dad will enjoy for a long time.

Rigging up on a small West Virginia creek. The Orvis sling carries everything I need for the day. | photo by Chase McCoy

Fathers are easy to buy for. Think function not symbolism. Forget about the ties, cologne, or socks (unless they are wool socks for the outdoors), Find out what his hobby is and get him something he can use in his hobby. We are a simple animal.

The Basics

Here's another insight into men. We like having stuff – watches, knives, fly reels, fly boxes, tools, flashlights, pens. These are some of our favorite things, and we like having packs, bags, and slings to carry them in. We are a simple animal.

Some of the stuff men love: knives, watches, fly reels, even a good pair of leather work gloves. | photo by Ken Baldwin

Fly Fishing Packs

Two fly fishing packs that stood out for me this year and would make for great Father's Day gifts are the Orvis Fly Fishing Sling Pack and the Tom Beckbe Waxed Canvas Hip Pack.

The Orvis Fly Fishing Sling Pack

Sling packs are a perfect match for fly fishing. They come big enough to carry a full day's worth of gear, fly boxes, lunch, water, net, and a puff jacket, but are easy to position to gain access to everything without having to take it off. You wear it draped over one shoulder, and when you need access to its contents, swing it around to the front and open it.

The Orvis Fly Fishing Sling Pack with a docking station for my spools of tippet. | photo by Chase McCoy

Just Right

The Orvis Fly Fishing Sling Pack hits the sweet spot in size for what I need in a sling pack. It's not overly large, but not too small either. If you are a guide and need to carry extras of everything to supply your clients, then you can bump up a size to the Orvis Guide Sling Pack.

A good sling pack can carry all you need and not get in the way of fly fishing movement. | photo by Chase McCoy

A Best Seller Improved

For years, the Fly Fishing Sling Pack has been a best seller for Orvis and has recently been updated for durability and usability improvements. One of my favorite conveniences is the recessed docking station for tippet spools. It gives you instant access to tippet material, plus easy change-out if you need to replace a spool.

It is also designed with docking stations for forceps and other tools. At the bottom of the pack is a place to carry a water bottle.

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Tom Beckbe Waxed Canvas Hip Pack

For the Dad Who Prefers Old-School Classic Design

A unique aspect of fly angling is that a lot of anglers prefer to use the older, proven, classic tackle instead of the latest high-tech, bells-and-whistles gear. We are a nostalgic bunch and respect, even admire, the anglers who came before us.

Two classics, the Hardy 1921 Wide Spool Perfect Fly Reel and the Tom Beckbe Waxed Canvas Hip Pack. | photo by Ken Baldwin

A Reverence for the Classics

I'm guilty of having a preference for the classics, and this is a big part of why the Tom Beckbe Waxed Canvas Fishing Hip Pack is one of my favorite pieces of gear. I can't explain it, but some gear can elicit from me an emotional attachment. I know I'm not the only angler who experiences this. A reverence for the classics is a big part of fly fishing.

Old-School Design

The Beckbe Hip Pack is old-school in design and build, made from waxed canvas, and features antiqued brass snaps and D-rings. It has a total storage capacity of 6.5L, featuring pockets and a main compartment.

The Tom Beckbe Waxed Canvas hip pack. | photo by Chase McCoy

Simple and Smart

A lot of thought has been put into this hip pack to make it a functional piece of fly fishing equipment. The net holder is an excellent example of smart design: "The rear of the fishing pack is padded and has a slip pocket that holds a net comfortably against your back at a slight angle to the left or right, keeping it clear of your backcast." – "At a slight angle to the left or right... !!" Only a designer who is a fly angler would know to design this type of detail into a pack.

A versatile Tom Beckbe wax canvased hip pack worn over my shoulder. | photo by Max Werkman

It Gets Better With Age

The cool thing about waxed canvas is that it improves with age. It shows its history and the time spent on the water. A father who is a fly angler probably won't have an emotional attachment to a tie or a belt, but he very well can have one with a waxed canvas hip pack that accompanies him every time he goes to the river.

We Are Simple Animals

You don't have to go big and fancy with what you give a dad. These packs are gifts that show you put some thought and care into the giving. Remember, fathers, dads, sons, brothers, guys - we are simple bunch. KB

"The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

The gear reviewed in this article was provided to me at no cost for evaluation. The views and assessments presented are my own.