We run fishing lodges. And while we’re fortunate to spend more days staring at the water than the average human, for the majority of our guests getting away from the office for a fishing trip can be a challenge.
Truth be told, with lodges in three different countries, like many of our guests we do a lot of traveling for ‘work’ ourselves. In fact, when your fearless editor first started guiding fly fisherman, little did he know that his laptop would need to travel with him to every remote fishing locale he visited (a result of what you’re reading right now).
Like it or not, that’s the world we live in today, which is why we thought we’d share with you one of our favorite pieces of gear for the traveling angler. It’s called the Boulder Briefcase from Fishpond, and today we’re going to tell you why we like, nay, love it.
The Importance of a Well Packed ‘Personal Item’
Travel requirements are always changing. And as every traveling angler knows, there are no hard and fast rules for what you can and can’t bring onto the plane that is consistent across all airlines. What you might have read on the internet the night before, might change the second you step into the security line.
Regardless, most airlines allow for passengers to travel with one carry-on (roller bags, boat bags, back packs, etc.) and one ‘personal item’ (purse, messenger bag, and so on). Although it’s not uncommon for your carry-on to be checked at the gate on full flights, it is rare for your personal item to ever leave your side. Therefore, packing your personal item with the essentials can make or break a fishing trip in the event your checked bags get lost or delayed.
We’ve been using the Fishpond Boulder Briefcase as our personal item of late, and we couldn’t be more impressed. That’s why we think its the..
Ultimate Carry-On / Personal Item for Anglers
At first glance, the Boulder Briefcase is everything you’d expect from a traditional briefcase or messenger bag – a main compartment with a large padded laptop sleeve (makes a 13″ macbook look really small) and interior pockets designed for common items (tablets, e-readers, pens/pencils), a zippered mesh pocket for mustn’t lose items like keys, cash, or medication, and a bunch of exterior pockets for quick access to things like phones, passport, boarding passes, etc. All of this which also fits under the seat on the airplane when fully packed.
However, what we really dig about the Boulder Briefcase are the few features that we’ve found to work well when toting fishing gear as well, not just electronics and travel essentials.
For starters, one of the outermost pockets is a perfect shape for toting sunglasses, without running the risk of being crushed between hard electronics in the main compartment. Whether you’re on the river or the flats, polarized sunglasses are a critical piece of gear. We never travel without a pair on our person, and you shouldn’t either.
The Boulder Briefcase also features a huge secondary pocket in front of the main compartment large enough to carry several large reels, a pair of flip flips or sandals, a light jacket, or a lightweight change of clothes. We’ve found this pocket to be a huge help for toting fishing essentials that we don’t want to trust to the airline.
Finally, the addition of back pack straps that can actually tuck away when not in use is one of our favorite aspects of the Boulder Briefcase. Whether to take the strain off of your shoulder, or to keep your bag off the bottom of a wet jet boat floor on your way to the lodge, being able to sling the bag onto your back can be a huge help when traveling to fishing destinations.
At Home at the Lodge or the Office
A point that can’t go unnoticed when talking about the Boulder Briefcase is just how darn classy it looks. Far from what you’d expect from a company that makes highly technical fishing packs, we’d feel just as at home walking into the office or coffee shop with this bag as we would walking into a guide meeting. There aren’t many items in the ‘briefcase’ category where you can say that.
Made with a waxed cotton canvas material, the bag is sure to look classy over time, yet subtle accents of Fishpond’s signature webbing on handles and straps still lets you fly the fly fishing flag as you stroll through the airport.
Conclusion
The Boulder Briefcase has been around for a few years now. It’s not a hot new item you’re bound to see at this year’s trade shows. On the contrary, it’s a time tested bag that we as folks who work, travel, and fish a lot really appreciate and think the working angler in you’re life will too.
The Bolder Bag retails for $169.95 and can be found at your local fishpond dealer. For more information, check it out right here on Fishpond’s website.
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