If you’re fishing in an environment where you’re on your own for more than a few minutes and deep wading might be involved, a true waterproof backpack is a really good idea.
This is definitely the case at BC West on the Dean River. Many runs on the Dean can take an hour or more to fish; it’s really nice to have your gear along without fear that your ‘one step deeper’ might result in soaked stuff. The alternative – leaving a boat bag or not-so-waterproof backpack on the bank – can be a real pain the in butt, because working through a long run might leave you 40o yards from your coffee, raincoat, sunscreen and water.
For this application you really can’t beat a roll-top backpack like the Simms Dry Creek Rolltop Backback
. Yes, zippers can be more convenient, but when it comes to situations where actual submersion is a possibility, nothing is as reliable as a top-entry rolltop bag.
Personally, I used the Sagebrush and it is really tough!
Backpack looks nice, but the Burkie is distracting me.
Check out the fanny pack from Patagonia (http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/waterproof-patagonia-stormfront-hip-pack?p=48145-0-950). They claim it is submersible. Pricey but may be worth it for a camera