The Swiftwater Tech Vest by Umpqua is the real deal. Photo By: Louis Cahill

For over a decade, I’ve had an old fly fishing vest in my garage, hanging on a coat hanger, next to an ever growing number of unfixable leaky waders. The only reason I kept it around all these years, was in case I had a gear-less buddy show up that wanted to go fly fishing with me. Yet, even when that happened, I rarely pulled it off the coat hanger. There just wasn’t a real need, since I’m usually carrying everything needed anyway, and more importantly, I’m the one that does all the rigging. When the fly fishing pack fad hit the scene strong, around 2000 (give or take a few years), like most, I was quick to jump on the chest and waist pack bandwagon. Years passed, and I never looked back.

It was a pretty easy decision for me to make at the time. For starers, I was tired of having to chase my gear down the river, because I forgot to zip back up my fly vest pockets. When you’re wearing thirty pockets on your chest, it can be a real challenge to remember to zip them back up, especially when you’re in a hurry to find that correct fly box or spool of tippet. That being said, the main reason I gave up my old school fly fishing vest was the fatigue it gave me. Lugging it around all day loaded down, proved to suck, even when I was in my 20s, and my beer gut was still just a little guy. I remember a friend telling me once, that he weighed his fly fishing vest and the scale read well over 30 pounds. The old designs of fly fishing vests did a horrible job of distributing the weight correctly on an anglers upper body, due to the lack of adjustable and padded shoulder/waist harnesses. That has since become a thing of the past with many of the companies that manufacture fly fishing vests now using them. Umpqua is the first company that I’m aware of that has not only incorporated adjustable and padded shoulders in their fly fishing vest designs, but also integrated an adjustable and padded waist strap in the Swiftwater Tech Vest.

Recently, I was talking with a representative with Umpqua who suggested I give their new Swiftwater Tech Vest a try. He claimed I’d fall back in love with fly fishing vests, if I just gave it a little time on the water. He went on to tell me, “I regularly wear mine around the office. It’s seriously that comfortable. That, and it goes a long way in helping me forget that I’m in the office and not on the water.” For the record, there was no doubt of the authenticity in his voice, and I have to say that intrigued me. When I received the Umpqua Swiftwater Tech Vest in the mail, I immediately put it to work. Surprisingly, I fell in love with it right off the bat, just like the Umpqua representative said I would, and that’s really saying something, since I’ve hated fly fishing vests for years. This fly fishing vest was different. It fit snug as a bug on my chest and back, and provided me the comfort I’d never felt before with other fly fishing vests in the past.

Thank you to whoever made sure during the design process to add a padded back and adjustable waist strap. It does a grand job of balancing and distributing the weight, and it proved to drastically cut down my fatigue on the water, literally to almost unnoticeable levels. The first day I wore it, I was fly fishing a small mountain stream, where I had to work through thick foliage much of the day. The Swiftwater Tech Vest fit so snug and securely on me, it actually made it easier and quicker for me to get around. I could squeeze through branches, duck under trees and climb over rocks with ease. The reason for that is because the vest didn’t restrict my movement, my ability to see clearly all the way to my feet, and it’s stream line fit didn’t stick out and snag stuff. This vest would be a joy to fly fish out of anywhere, but if you’re one of those anglers that likes to get off the beaten path, you’re really going to love this vest. If you need extra storage for longer durations in the outdoors, the Swiftwater Tech Vest integrates with the Umpqua Surveyor 1100 Backpack.

As for raw storage capabilities of the Swiftwater Tech Vest, I was pretty happy with it. The company went a long way in moving away from the traditional fly fishing vest theory of throwing as many pockets on the vest as possible. Conservatively, it’s capable of holding two large fly boxes and two small fly boxes on the front four main compartments. Could you fit a couple more on the inside pockets? Yes, but I think it would take away from the overall comfort and tight fit of the vest. It also has a large reach around pocket in the back capable of storing a light weight rain jacket or lunch, and also a large mess storage pocket. The outer elastic pockets on the lower front of the vest are great for storing tippet spools or split shot that you’ll regularly be using. And the upper pockets are great for storing other small accessory gear pieces, like spare leaders, floatants and split-shot.

The YKK main zipper functions flawlessly as well as all the other zippers on the vest. You’ve also got some inside pockets if you need them for extra storage. Overall, most anglers will find that they will have plenty of room for a day on the water as long as they aren’t trying to pack everything they own. For that matter, I think most of us (including myself) need to do a better job of organizing and packing only what we absolutely need on the water. The other areas of the vest that really shine are all the zinger attachment points located throughout the vest. One really cool feature that I’ve never seen before are the two unique horizontal holding stations for securing hemostats or locking pliers. I’ll have to be honest, at the time of the photograph of me in this vest, I had not yet figured out that’s what those were designed for. I’ve provided a product video below so you can see more clearly how you can deck the Swiftwater Tech Vest our with all of your accessories. Last but not least, the vest does have two fly drying patches at the top of the vest. They hold flies very securely.

If I had to rate this fly fishing vest on a 1 to 10 scale, with a 10 being the best, I would easily give it a 9.5 out of 10. The only thing I would have changed is to just make the top two chest pockets slightly larger or deeper. Well done Umpqua, you’ve once again made me a believer in fly fishing vests, and that’s something I didn’t even think was possible. The Umpqua Swiftwater Tech Vest retails for $179.

Keep it Reel,

Come fish with us in the Bahamas!