The best fishing luggage might be easy to overlook, but there is nothing worse than arriving at your destination with damp gear. The Fish Alaska team has tested all of the options. These are undoubtedly the very best products to keep and carry your fishing gear.
Best Fishing Luggage, Packs and Cases
Yeti LoadOut GoBox 15 Gear Case
The GoBox 15 is the smallest in the GoBox series of seriously rugged gear cases. It has a flip-up handle, comes with 1 caddy, is nearly unbreakable, is IP67 rated for water and dust, which means the interior will be dry 30 minutes after being submerged in 1 m of water. Dimensions are 14.7” long x 11.3” tall x 10.2” wide, and it weighs 7.5 lbs. Boat safety equipment fits well inside this smallest GoBox, and you can rest assured that electronics like a handheld VHF, first-aid kit, inReach, or ZOLEO unit will stay dry and protected. The GoBox 15 comes in several colors.
PacBak Byway Backpack
This backpack is perfect for a day trip on the water. It’s got plenty of room for lunch and a beverage, a laptop or cutting board, the ever-present clothing layers, a bit of tackle, and then some. Or you could do it the PacBak way and take your Roam Portable Vacuum Sealer on the water with you—it fits perfectly! Take your fish straight from the water to the vacuum sealer. PacBak is a newer company, and we look forward to seeing what they come up with in the future.
Mystery Ranch Mission Wheelie
The Mission Wheelie is a tough, rolling duffle bag with weather-resistant fabric, a polycarbonate shell, and aluminum corner- and wheel protection. It’s available in 3 sizes (45 L, 65 L, and 110 L). We tested the 65 L and it weighs 7.5 pounds. Dimensions are 26” x 16.5” x 14”. A unique feature of this bag is a boot bag/laundry compartment at each end of the bag. It has a removable bag attach strap for carry-on items, and a feature that allows it to fold down smaller for easier storage. It’s designed with a retractable handle and rugged off-road wheels for easy rolling, and web handles on all sides for easy handling.
The underside of the lid has 3 mesh zippered pockets and 1 interior wall pocket to hold loose items, while 2 sets of internal compressions straps helps secure contents. According to Mystery Ranch, this bag is “Built to survive savage baggage handlers.” While experience has shown us that TSA can break almost anything, this bag is tougher than most.
Mystery Ranch Void Bag Set
This set contains a small-, medium-, and large void bag. They can help organize your pack, and they also work well as packing cubes in a suitcase. We chose orange ones as they will undoubtedly do time in hunting packs in the field, but they come in 5 other colors, too. These are well made and very handy.
Seal Line Discovery View Dry Bag 30 L
This dry bag is unique for a couple obvious reasons. First, it’s translucent so you can see what’s inside. This makes it much easier to find what you’re looking for. Second, it has a purge valve which allows you to compress it smaller once everything is packed inside and the top is closed. Though we tested the 30 L size, it’s also available in 5-, 10- and 20-L sizes. It is PVC-free and made in the USA.
C&F Design XX Large Master Tubefly Case CF-5359
This is the ultimate tubefly master box. If you or someone you know loves fishing with tube flies, this box is perfect for safely organizing a large number of tube flies. Storage capacity can be doubled by using the moveable separator to adjust tube locations. Movable flip will hold position when the box is fully opened. Unique rubber pads (8) on the exterior on both sides will prevent the case from sliding on boat decks. By storing flies in tubes, the fly shape remains intact. Keep unused flies dry by storing wet flies in their own individual clear tubes, which also helps prevent colors from bleeding into each other. Includes 59 clear tubes in total (12 Long, 12 Medium, 14 Short, 21 Extra Short).
Additional tubes are available. Even the extra-short tubes can hold most typical steelhead-sized tube flies. The larger tubes can hold 2- or 3 individual tube flies depending on the length of the flies. Editor George Krumm thinks that if he ties enough tube flies of various colors to fill this case, he could easily have enough flies in that case for a week or two of king swinging on the Togiak. But knowing him, he’ll probably take 2 cases, one of which will probably sit in his room all week.
Grundéns Bootlegger Roll Top Backpack 30 L
You have to have a quality dry bag for your fishing trips. This backpack from Grundéns is suitable for a day tripper who doesn’t have to sport too much gear. It’s just right for holding extra layers, hat and gloves, your lunch, water bottle, spare reel and a couple fly boxes. The pack fits comfortably and build quality is excellent with sturdy straps and burly buckle clasps.
Yeti Hopper M12 Backpack Soft Cooler
The Yeti Hopper is a seriously functional backpack cooler that helps you get your cold beverages down the trail with ease. Specifically designed for wine bottles and cans, the Hopper has a magnetic closure that seals in cold air, keeping your cold stuff cold, yet lets you grab your beverage with ease. Thoughtful touches include a kangaroo pocket for little bits like keys and phones, and a HitchPoint Grid system to attach even more Yeti goodies like the SideKick Dry Gear Case.