9 Best Fishing Vests for Keeping Your Gear Organized

Key Specs

• Material: Polyester-cotton blend
• Weight: 1.65 lb.
• Pockets: 17

While the Gore Range looks the part of a vest, Colorado-based FishPond describes it as a pack because of its sheer volume and variety of storage options. Stacked frontal fly-box pockets accommodate large and small fly boxes, and the outermost fly-box pockets fold down to reveal foam fly benches that create a mini table off your chest to make viewing and selecting flies easy.

This isn't a budget vest, but for the price, you get a well-thought-out garment with dedicated spots for everything from hemostat to tippet to floatant. One drawback for folks on either extreme of the sizing spectrum: the Gore Range's one-size-fits-most system. Adjustments on the shoulders and at the waist let you customize fit, but slim and plus-size anglers may find those adjustments limiting.

Key Specs

• Material: Polyester-cotton blend
• Weight: 14.5 oz.
• Pockets: 12

There is no shortage of “cheap” fishing vests available, but the Strike from respected brand SJK is affordable while still being feature-rich. In keeping with SJK’s line of muted-color hunting and fishing gear, the Strike vest sports a one-color khaki theme with poly-cotton blend pockets set on top of a mesh front. The back is mesh with a large fabric zipper pouch (and a D-loop for hanging a net).

Despite its classic fishing vest look, the Strike has some modern features, such as a neoprene collar that helps keep the vest in place on your body and distributes weight when you've loaded up all 12 pockets for a day on the river. Make sure to choose your vest size wisely as the belly-height quick-release closure is the only means of snugging up this vest.

Key Specs

• Material: DWR-coated nylon
• Weight: 17.5 oz.
• Pockets: 18

If you're a guide or just plain serious about fishing, the Orvis Pro Fly Fishing Vest is everything an angler wants in a vest without being bulky or overbuilt. Case in point: The Pro features 18 pockets, which is enough to give you a dedicated spot for everything you need for a day on the water without having so many you forget which pocket holds what. (If you think you need more than 18 pockets, you're likely carrying too much tackle.)

Elastic loops allow you to attach a tippet bar, which holds up to seven tippet spools for different setups. The fly-box pockets are compression-molded to give them structure and added protection. The upper pockets are symmetrical, with matching fly-drying patches and hideaway tool storage for hemostat and nippers.

Key Specs

• Material: Cotton
• Weight: Not listed
• Pockets: 6

Young anglers may not need all the hard-core gear storage and tool attachments adults use, but if you want to help them look the part and not break your bank in the process, check out this youth vest from Eagle Eye Explorer. Reflective straps on the front and back, and neon mesh pockets, make Junior easy to spot. But the classic khaki fabric will help them feel like one of the crew out on the river.

Meant for kids age 4 to 7, this simple vest has six pockets: two Velcro, two mesh, and two zippered, so they can stash snacks, gear, and personal items safely out on the water. It's 100 percent cotton, so don't expect the same fabric tech and performance as your own pricier vest.

Key Specs

• Material: 420D Cordura, 210D nylon
• Weight: 0.8 lb.
• Pockets: 5

Most anglers already own a backpack, but using a regular backpack usually means also bringing a vest, sling pack, or other item along for wading and fishing. The Flyweight Pack Vest from Simms integrates vest-like functionality into a roll-top backpack that lets you bring more gear without needing to drop your pack to fish.

The wide mesh front straps have integrated pockets but also feature the 5.11 Hexgrid webbing system, which allows you to attach compatible accessories such as a fly-box pouch. There's also an integrated 2-liter hydration bladder that has its own compartment in the backpack portion of the vest. While there are multiple adjustment straps, there's no hip belt straps to help distribute your pack’s weight, so if you overload this modest-capacity pack, your shoulders will bear all the weight.

Key Specs

• Material: 210D nylon
• Weight: Not listed
• Pockets: 14

When a personal flotation device is a must, for times when you're kayak fishing or surf fishing, a traditional fishing vest isn't practical—or possible, for that matter. The Leviathan Fishing Life Vest from Kokatat conveniently combines the two into a streamlined package that still boasts 14 individual pockets. The Leviathan is heavy on zippered pockets, since security is paramount when fishing close to the water, but also has four mesh pockets and two fleece-lined hardwarmer slots for chilly mornings.

The rear PVC-free foam pad sits high on the back to accommodate kayak seat backs but continues down the back as a thin, breathable mesh to keep the vest tight to your body without overheating. There are all the fishing-specific features you'd expect from a regular fishing vest as well, such as attachment points for clippers and a rubberized knife/tool dock.

Key Specs

• Material: Nylon and polyester mesh
• Weight: 14.46 oz.
• Pockets: 11

Whether you're surf-fishing in the tropics or just hitting the peak of summer on your favorite trout stream, a heavy vest can make you sweat. This mesh-backed vest from Patagonia weighs less than a pound and lets your back breathe.

With just six larger main vertical pockets, it keeps things simple and streamlined but uses interior and exterior zippered pockets to create secure storage for tippet and line spools. The Hypalon (synthetic rubber) tool holders are durable and keep tools close-by. If you want the option of adding a backpack for backcountry missions, the vest has a convertible option where the front of the vest can detach and pair with Patagonia's Stormsurge packs.

Key Specs

• Material: N/A
• Weight: 11 oz.
• Pockets: 12

This minimalist option from Allen shaves off weight and reduces restriction on your casting motion with a “vest” that has straps only on the back and just as much front as is necessary to hold the pockets. Despite the ultralight design, Allen managed to fit 12 pockets onto the Gallatin, including two large enough for fly boxes.

This is a great option for those that find vests restrictive or who fish frequently in hot weather. High-visibility fabric patches on the inside make it easy to grab when gearing up in the early mornings.

Key Specs

• Material: 210D nylon
• Weight: 25.7 oz.
• Pockets: 17

If you're someone who rides or hikes with a hydration pack, you may appreciate having the same convenient access to water while fishing on long, hot days. This backpack-style fishing vest incorporates a 1.5-liter reservoir into the small backpack, with the classic over-the-shoulder tube passing through plastic D-loops and stowing on the front of the vest for easy sipping on the river.

The vest doesn't skimp on fishing-specific features either, with 17 pockets including two that are waterproof and zippered. There's also a Velcro strapping system that allows you to secure your rod to your vest to free both hands when needed in the middle of a body of water.