RIBZ Front Pack Review

On a hike with my daughter and my Ribz Front Pack!

This time of year is difficult for me to write on my blog and its not because I don't have anything to write about but instead its because I would much rather get out and enjoy the outdoors!  So I have forced myself to sit down and write a quick blog post about a product I received called the Ribz Front Pack.

I'm just going to put it out there because I'm sure I am not the only person who has thought this, but at first I was a little hesitant thinking that this product would be a glorified "fanny-pack".  I also had the thought that this was some type of gear specifically for fly fishermen which I "might" be able to use for something else seems how I'm a world class loser when it comes to fly fishing!

When I first got the pack and put it on, I was shocked at how light the pack was at 11 ounces.  I adjusted the waist strap and shoulder straps so the pack fit snug right around my rib cage (hence the name Ribz Front Pack) and I was surprised how comfortable and natural the pack actually felt.  I thought it would make me feel like I was walking around with a spare tire around my waist but the way it fit was very comfortable and natural.

Carrying my pistol with the Ribz Front Pack on

      
The first test I put it through was on a hike with my wife and daughter through the mountains while looking for morel mushrooms.  I had seen a wolf just a week ago in this area so I wanted to make sure to pack my pistol just in case.  I know with some of my normal back packs, I struggle to carry my pistol on my hip and adjusting my back pack to carry the load evenly on my hips.  With the front pack, this was not a problem at all.  I enjoyed the fact that it rode high and tight and allowed me to pack my pistol on my side. 

Padding on shoulders moving down a bit.

 I also noticed while walking around that the Front Pack never swayed back and fourth or side to side because the waist strap has an elastic band to keep it snug while your body bends and adjusts.  One thing I didn't like about the pack was the fact that the padding on the shoulder moved around a little while wearing it.  To be honest, I don't know if I would have noticed it except for the fact that I was taking pictures for my review and noticed it in the pictures.  I don't know if the padding would move as much as it did if I had a heavier load in it or if I just need to adjust the straps a little differently.

Fishing away

The second test I used the Front Pack for was fishing down on the river bottoms.  As I mentioned earlier I am not much of a fly fisherman but I love to bait fish, spinner fish, and fish with a lure.  I previously purchased a few small Plano tackle boxes because I thought I would need them to fit my gear in the Front Pack but I was able to fit my normal tackle containers from my tackle box right into the Front Pack!

Pocket on the left

Pocket on the right

I was curious to see if the Front Pack would ever get in the way with me casting, reeling in, or changing baits but the Front Pack was once again super comfortable and convenient!  Having the pockets in the front were extremely ideal for quick access to my tackle and extremely convenient while tying on a new lure.  The pack has two large pockets on each side with mesh interior pouches in each pocket.  There are also two smaller pockets on the outer sides of the two large pockets which allowed me to carry nearly my entire tackle box right at my finger tips. 

Back view of me fishing with the Ribz Front Pack

After taking the pack on these two trips, I feel that the Ribz Front Pack would be ideal in any hiking of fishing situation.  The website says the pack is also ideal while carrying a load with a regular back pack to help distribute the weight and create easy access for certain gear while hiking.  I would say that the pack would be awesome to use while backpacking and carrying another pack!  For myself, I have been struggling to figure out how to keep backpacking while now having to use a child carry backpack to bring my daughter along with me, but now with the Ribz Front Pack my problem with that has been solved!

While I used the Ribz Front Pack for hiking and fishing, I also felt that this product would be great to use in a blind or tree stand situation so that you had your gear in an easily accessible place.  I know in my tree stand I have a separate place I use to hang my backpack once I get into my stand but now I will use my Front Pack to minimize the amount of movement when I have to get into my pack.  I also feel that this pack would be  awesome to use while bird hunting, both during dove season and duck season to keep my shotgun shells close and accessible at a moments notice.  The pack is a great addition to whatever pack you already have, or it can be a nice pack to use in situations where you know you will be needing access your gear often such as fishing, hiking, or hunting.

You can purchase a Ribz Front Pack off their website in Green, Black, or Camouflage for $59.95.  The Front Pack can adjust from a 26 inch waist up to a 44 inch waist and contains 700+ cubic inches of storage space for all of your gear! I would strongly recommend this pack to anyone who need or wants a very convenient piece of equipment to add to their collection of gear.

I can proudly say that the Ribz Front Pack is not a gloried fanny-pack and that it does not make you feel like you are walking around with a spare tire around your hips.  The pack is extremely comfortable and a wonderful pack!  I can honestly say that it was a lot more than what I expected it to be.  I wouldn't be hesitant at all to recommend this to any of my followers.

Ribz Front Pack in carrying case

My Fishing Favorites

Trout I caught a few years back!

This time of yeah my hunting obsession is usually overcome by my fishing obsession!  As much as I love hunting and everything about hunting, I would have to say that I probably spend more time fishing than I do hunting.  With that being said, I am definitely not one to claim to be an expert fisherman!  I enjoy it does not always mean that I know what I'm doing.  I have never been much of a fly fisherman so my post today will be on spinner fishing and lure fishing.  I typically spend time fishing in a few reservoirs, lakes, and rivers in South Eastern Idaho so here are a few of the things that have worked for me.

In early spring I have found a few items that have worked well for me especially during some of the early insect hatches.  The first would have to be my "go-to" spinner which has brought me quite a bit of luck.  I use a #1 silver Mepps Aglia Spinner which can be found in pretty much any store that sells fishing equipment.  I have used different sizes of this same spinner and have found luck with sizes 0-3.  They typically say that the bigger spinner you use the larger the fish you will catch, but I have found that the size 1 is a great size to catch numbers of fish as well as pulling in a few good sized fish.

My next favorite lure to use is a #5 or #7 Rainbow colored CountDown Rapala.  When using this lure be sure to know the depth of water you are fishing in.  The number 5 CountDown Rapala will typically run 3-6 feet deep while the number 7 will typically swim around 5-8 feet deep.  If the fish are surfacing in the area you are fishing be sure to use a smaller lure to be closer to the top of the water.  I have heard people say that fish will always come up to their food but will very rarely swim down to get food.  This lure is especially good when the Brown Trout are spawning and are aggressive.

My third lure I use quite often is a imitation minnow.  I use the Berkley Minnow as often as I go fishing.  The thing I like about this bait is that it is as life like as you can get without actually being a real minnow.  The smell and feel of these things are just like a real minnow but with it being a rubber body it last much longer while fishing than fishing with the real thing. 

Bigger isn't always better!

When I go fishing, I often have the perspective that I am there for the quality instead of quantity.... In other words, I would rather catch one big fish than fifty tiny fish.  I feel that catching "the big one" or a fish that is unique in some way is much more worth it than catching numerous small fish.  Don't get me wrong, this is not to say that I do not enjoy getting out and catching fish of all shapes and sizes, I am just stating what goes on in my head (usually while I'm sitting there watching everyone around me catch fish and me doing nothing but sitting there thinking...)  I would much rather catch a few small fish than no fish at all!

Brook Trout

I have fished enough in my area to know what works in the different bodies of water I fish in.  I am sure there are things that work that I am not aware of, but I have my own "traditions" you might say that I use religiously for bait.  I have caught quite a few big fish of many different species and feel that I will have to get pretty lucky if I am going to out do my own records on some species.  Here in Idaho, I am able to ice fish with up to 5 poles at a time which allows me to use what I know works, as well as take the time to try something new to see if it works any better.  Recently, I have been visiting with the Matt who designed the JawJacker and one tip he suggested, is to use a smaller bait to get more hook ups.  I will admit, I thought to myself that I may be able to catch more fish if I go to a smaller bait, but I will not catch as many big fish by doing this.  I went fishing a few times this year, and what I have always used seemed to be working just fine so I didn't think twice about changing things up.

A trout I caught earlier this year.

This last Saturday however, I was ice fishing and wasn't having as good as luck as I had been hoping for.  It had been about an hour and I had only caught a few small fish.  By this point I thought, I might as well try using smaller bait to see what happens.   I decided to use a few jigs Matt had told me to use, and tipped them with half of  meal worm.  I was quite skeptical putting such a small jig and bait down the hole while my other poles were baited up with much larger baits.  I set it all up in my JawJacker with the bait a few feet off the bottom and walked away.  By the time I got to my seat and sat down my JawJacker went off!  My first thought was that I had failed to set it up right and the JawJacker had gone off due to some mistake on my part, but when I looked at the pole I could see that the only mistake was that I hadn't listened to this advice sooner! My pole tip was bending with the fight of a decent sized Cut Throat Trout who thought my bait was just to much to resist! I pulled in the fish and in this picture you can see the jig I caught it with.

Cut Throat Trout caught on "Fire Fly Slush Bug"

After this experience, I will admit,  I ended up changing 3 of my 5 poles to have similar bait.  I started catching quite a few fish and ended the day by pulling 24 onto the ice.  I did catch a few on the bait that have always had good luck with, but I was surprised at how many decent size trout I caught on such small bait.  So next time you are sitting there on the ice not catching anything, maybe try switching your bait around and maybe even downsizing your bait to see if that helps.  This may be a tip that many people already know or talk about, but it was new to me and thought I would pass it on to anyone who may be interested.