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Category Archives: Packs, Organization & Storage

Tenkara Tanuki Retractor

Tenkara Tanuki Retractor

Let’s face it, when it comes to fly fishing accessories, retractors (AKA “zingers”) aren’t the sexiest things. We tend to focus on rods, flies, lines, and other things that are more exciting. But when we get right down to it, we all rely on supplementary tools to help us with our streamcraft. And that so…

October 28, 20205 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Minimalist Fishing Wallet

Ultralight Minimalist Outdoor Wallet

I know most of you probably don’t and might consider it completely unnecessary, but I carry a fishing wallet. It’s where I keep my license, national park pass, emergency cash, business cards and other sundries. Until recently, I was carrying a Travax wallet which works great, but is a little bulky. So in my ongoing…

March 8, 2019Leave a commentPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Fly Fishing Thermometer

How I Carry my Fishing Thermometer

Here’s a simple hack I came up with to carry my thermometer on my new Yonah Tenkara pack which allows me to clip it to my net in order to get a better reach. This just makes it easier to get the thermometer a little deeper so I’m not merely measuring the surface and easier…

February 7, 2019Leave a commentPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Yonah Tenkara Simple Pack

Yonah Tenkara Simple Pack

Like many of you, I am continually striving to improve my on-stream carry system and I feel like I make small increments of progress with every iteration. For years, I’ve been carrying a Fishpond San Juan chest pack and it’s served me well. Every so often, I browse sites like eBay, Amazon, and Etsy, searching…

February 2, 201910 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Sling Pack

Esoteric Tackle Tenkara Sling Pack

Sling packs have become all the rage in fly fishing over the last few years–and for good reason. They’re light, compact, versatile, and offer a unique hybrid alternative to wearing both a backpack and a fly fishing vest without sacrificing the convenience and functionality of either. And the intrinsic ethos of their design is especially…

July 18, 20187 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Fishing Wallet

My Fishing Wallet

A “fishing” wallet? Yes, a fishing wallet. And it’s not a metaphor for an arsenal of techniques or secrets I carry on the stream or anything more interesting like that. I’m talking about an actual, mundane, physical wallet. For years, I’ve kept a dedicated wallet in my kit to carry certain fishing-related sundries I don’t…

November 10, 20166 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Pack

[Video] The Tenkara Guide Sling

Here’s a video of how I set up the Tenkara Guide Sling Pack from Zimmerbuilt to be my ideal carry system for tenkara fishing around Colorado. This pack was designed by the Tenkara Guides in Utah to be a tenkara-specific pack but could also be used for conventional fly fishing. How do you carry your tenkara…

January 31, 20156 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Rod Wall Rack

Tenkara Rod Wall Rack

Many anglers have a fishing office (i.e. man cave) where they have their fly tying desk, gear, and where they like to put their tenkara rods on display. Some people have built their own tenkara rod racks, or used an off-the-shelf solution like these pool cue racks to show off their rods. But the innovative…

January 19, 201410 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Office

My Tenkara Office

“Man cave”, “gear room”, “fishing room”, “sanctuary”…no matter what you call it, we all have our special little corners of the world where we gather our gear, come up with new creations, or just generally meditate on our sport (even if it’s just a corner of the garage).  This is mine.  And I’d like to…

October 13, 201317 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Bamboo Tenkara Rod Case

Bamboo Tenkara Rod Cases

Over the last four years, I’ve seen a lot of good tenkara products introduced to the market.  Good, but not unique. There’s been somewhat of a homogenization in the offerings of new gear companies flooding the market with “good” but almost carbon copies of rods and other gear that already exists.  In short, not many…

August 26, 20134 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Fishpond San Juan Chest Pack

4 Simple Hacks that Improved my Chest Pack

Right out of the box, I loved my Fishpond San Juan chest pack.  I’ve had it for about 2 years now and during that time, I’ve discovered a few tricks that make this great pack even better.   1.  Added an External Tippet Dispenser I wanted a way to be able to pull out tippet…

May 5, 20136 CommentsDIY & Hacks, Packs, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara USA Strap Pack Front

The Tenkara Strap Pack

Tenkara USA recently introduced their first minimalist fishing pack and I got one this weekend at the Denver Fly Fishing Show.  Here is a brief review… The pack immediately reminded me in many ways of a UL pack I designed years ago called the Trico.  It’s compact, lightweight, and designed to be carried multiple ways,…

January 6, 201311 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

[Video] RIBZ – a Great Pack for Tenkara

The RIBZ front pack is a very versatile pack for backpacking, hiking, skiing, and pretty much any outdoor pursuit.  I think it also makes a great pack for tenkara when you don’t need a full vest, but need to carry a little more than will fit in a chest pack.

November 23, 20126 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Jason Klass wearing a vest

Giving the Vest a Second Chance

Long before I started fishing tenkara, I had given up on wearing a vest.  I guess one day I finally had enough of the heavy, bulky, and hot garment holding me back like a straightjacket.  I didn’t use 90% of the stuff I carried in its multitude of pockets anyway so why carry it?  I…

September 6, 201216 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Backpack

Sneak Preview: TraiLite Designs Stream Pack

I just got word that the newly redesigned Stream Pack from TrailLite Designs will be available next week on the Tenkara Bum website.  If the name TrailLite Designs sounds familiar, it’s probably because you know them as the creator of the Ebira Rod Quiver–an ingenious tenkara accessory which happens to have been named by yours…

May 21, 20126 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Bass Pro Shops White River Gear Bag Review

I finally decided to replace my 15-year-old Orvis gear bag with something a little more modern and technical.  At my local Bass Pro Shops, I found the White River gear bag–a feature packed bag that is perfect for tenkara as well as other types of fly fishing.  After comparing it to several other bags, this…

April 22, 20126 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

My Tenkara Car Kit

A Tenkara Car Kit

After a recent discussion with Karel from Tenkara on the Fly, I finally decided to sit down and do something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time:  put together a tenkara kit to leave in my car for when those unexpected fishing opportunities present themselves. The conversation went something like this… We were…

January 9, 201217 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Rod Rack

Tenkara Rod Rack

After reading Mike’s post about a tenkara rod rack over at Troutrageous!, I just had to drag myself over to Walmart to buy one (actually two).  Using my iPhone level app and a cordless drill, I had both racks installed in a corner of my man cave in about 10 minutes. Of course, these aren’t…

November 9, 20118 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Tackle on the San Juan

Fishpond San Juan Chest Pack Review

I have been using the Fishpond San Juan chest pack for a while now on a variety of streams and really like it for tenkara fishing.  I couldn’t find one locally, but luckily, Colorado Skies Outfitters (my local fly shop here in Parker) was cool enough to pick one up from their distributor and got me…

November 3, 20117 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Tenkara Line Storage

Organizing Tenkara Level Lines

I went a little crazy tonight building level lines with my girth hitch attachment method and it quickly became apparent to me that I’d need a way to store and organize them. So, I bought a bunch of 3″ X 4″ plastic bags at Michael’s and printed out some inserts that allow me to write…

October 29, 201113 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

What I carry in my Ultralight Fly Fishing Pack

A lot of people have asked me what I carry in my pack for UL fly fishing and backpacking trips so I thought I’d do a quick video about it.  It’s called the Trico and I’d be curious to hear what others carry and see if it’s similar to my setup or what other gear…

November 19, 201010 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

The RIBZ Front Pack For Backpacking and Fly Fishing

As a semi-minimalist who likes to combine outdoor sports (yeah, you guessed it:  backpacking and fly fishing), I’m always on the lookout for multi-purpose gear to enhance my outings without adding a lot of bulk and weight.  Enter the RIBZ front pack.  Wear it up the trail to balance out your load and make your…

October 17, 20107 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

Ultralight Leader Wallet

I just got back from field testing a prototype of an ultralight leader wallet I’m designing.  The idea is to create a super light, super compact wallet that will store 3-6 leaders and keep them from tangling. I’ve been looking for ultralight ultra-compact leader wallets for a while and found that like ultralight fly fishing…

August 29, 20105 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

The Trico Ultralight Fly Fishing Pack

This was a fly fishing pack I always wanted but didn’t exist. So I designed it myself. PLEASE NOTE: The Trico is no longer available as I’ve been unable to secure a new sewer to produce it. If you’ve got a lead on someone who will and help me put it back into production, please…

August 3, 20106 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

The Ebira Rod Quiver

The Ebira is a rod quiver for tenkara fly rods such as Tenkara USA  rods and the Backpacking Light Hane.  It features a removable pocket to hold a fly box and tippet spools that can be accessed without taking the quiver off.  “Ebira” means “quiver” in Japanese and while they were traditionally worn over the…

July 18, 20101 CommentPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

5 Tips to Reduce the Weight of Your Backpack Fly Fishing Kit

A while back, I wrote about a simple fly fishing setup for backpacking. As fly fishers, we have an intrinsic advantage when it comes fishing on overnight and multi-day backpacking trips. Unlike other styles of fishing, we aren’t condemned to carrying heavy, bulky tackle like spinning reels, weighted lures, etc. However, fly fishers also tend…

June 20, 201013 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass

A Fly Vest on Your Shoulder Strap

I’m one of those people who likes to fish my way up to my campsite.  I’m usually not wading so leaving my pack on while I hit pocket water along the way is my typical MO.  Yet, I want quick access to my flies, floatant, nippers, and tippet.  Here’s a great little pouch you can…

November 27, 200912 CommentsPacks, Organization & StorageBy Jason Klass
About Me

Jason Klass is a former fly fishing guide & casting instructor based in Colorado. He was an early adopter of tenkara in the West and has been fishing the method for a variety of species since 2009. Read more >>

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Tenkara + Backpacking!
Is there any other sport that goes better with tenkara than hiking and backpacking? Be sure to also check out my ultralight and DIY backpacking gear blog.

Tenkara and Backpacking
Latest Posts
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    Tenkara Today Book Review
    November 7, 2020
  • Tenkara Tanuki Retractor
    Tenkara Tanuki Retractor
    October 28, 2020
  • Hoo Rag
    The Hoo Rag
    September 23, 2020
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