In praise of my Sling Bag

As I wrote last year, I’ve quit the vest scene and gone to this:

You can get one from www.Wibags.com for $12.

My reason for switching was simply weight. I attach a foam pad for my butt and carry a separate over-the-shoulder bag for decoys as needed. Three separate pieces load out at a third of the weight of the old vest.

I spent 10 years with a vest, and I’ve gone about 7 with the sling bag. The reasons I like this arrangement over a vest are as follows:

1) I mentioned the weight thing. When I was in my twenties, I used to heft 110 lb duffels in the North Woods on canoe portages. Now, at 49, I’m clipping threads and sawing off my toothbrush to save ounces on my packing trips.

2) Too many pockets leads to too much gear which leads to too much fumbling around. I keep it to one box, a slate, a push-pull, and some mouth calls. I switch out frequently, but I travel light. The old coots I learned from used to carry a single box call in a plastic bread wrapper. The last guide I went with just had a single mouth call in his pocket.

3) I want to be able to shed stuff quickly, silently and easily. The sling bag has a release. The decoy bag has a release. Two releases, and I’m out of all encumbrances. That feature has come in handy many times.

4) Noise. My vest was always making noise when I walked. When I stuff my gloves in the sling bag, it holds things in place and keeps them quiet.

5) When I’m set up and blinded in, I keep the sling bag open by my side and lay my calls out on it. It gives me a place just off the ground to put my stuff.

6) The butt pad I carry hangs off the bottom of the sling bag on a string attached with a ‘biner. It rides well, detaches easily, and does not encumber me.

If I were to go back to a vest it would have to address all these things: lightweight, hold things quietly, easy to don and doff, and provides a dry spot to put calls down when not in use. The part that holds the bulky decoys, poncho and blind should be separable from the rest of the vest. The butt pad should travel well without needing to be buttoned up to keep it from knocking against the back of my legs.

. . . one other thing: A vest needs to be waterproof. My vest would get wet in a drizzle and take forever to dry out. The sling bag is all waterproof, but it also protects everything inside from getting damp. The water runs off the outside flap.

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