Umqua Toketee and Swiftwater Tech Vest
From left: the Umpqua Toketee and Swiftwater Tech vests.

Umpqua Feather Merchants, who announced today the addition of the Toketee and Swiftwater Tech Vests to its lineup of fly fishing products, wants you to know a lot about their vests' pockets -- while keeping in mind that it's not all about pockets.

"When we first started looking at fishing vest, we were shocked that it wasn't really a game about innovation; it was a contest to see who could put the most pockets on a vest," explained Jeff Fryhover, Umpqua President & CEO. "That approach simply wouldn't work for us, we wanted a vest with everything you need and nothing you don't."

According to information on the new vests provided by Umpqua, the one-size fits all Toketee Vest features cushioned shoulder straps, a supportive back panel, and several inside and outside pockets with a "unique cross-body pocket orientation" for easy accessibility. The outside of the vest includes six external pockets with internal stretch-mesh accessory pockets, eight coated web attachment loops/retractor stations, two molded barbless fly rigging stations, and tricot-lined hand pockets. The vest is also equipped with YKK zippers with loop primary pulls and micro-tectured secondary pulls, a back D-ring and web loops for net attachment.

The Swiftwater Tech Vest boasts fourteen pockets, fully cushioned neck straps, a front buckle for ventilation, and a large ?reach-around? back pocket. It also features the same internal stretch mesh accessory pockets, fly rigging stations, tricot-lined hand pockets with YKK zippers as the Toketee.

Both the Toketee and Swiftwater Tech Vests integrate with the Umpqua Surveyor 1100 Backpack, and will be available in Slate Gray and Moss Green in November of 2013. The Toketee will retail for $160 and the Swiftwater Tech Vest will set you back $180.

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