If you grew up reading Patrick F. McManus in Field & Stream and Outdoor Life, you probably learned to fly fish with spools of 3X, 4X, 5X, and maybe 6X in your vest pockets. Then, one day, you went to the fly shop to replace a spool or two, and what on earth did you see? Half-sizes. If you were like me, you viewed this as the third sign of the Fly-Fishing Apocalypse. The first being nippers that cost more than a brake job. The second being Euro-nymphing.

Finding the ideal waterproof backpack may seem like a “first-world” challenge to some, and I get that it might come across as a bit pretentious to tackle a series on protecting a host of largely recreation-based gear from the perils of water. Keep in mind, though, that specialty items have been ever-present in the fly fishing industry — smart gear manufacturers make everything from stripping gloves to special leaders and tippets made solely for anglers who swing soft-hackle flies. The reason? There’s a market for them.

Finding a good waterproof backpack that can meet the multi-functional needs of anglers on the water, on the trail, and on the road, I would argue, is as worthwhile as any deliberative gear search out there. We’ll toil over decisions to spend $1,000 on a fly rod that’s designed a built for a very niche purpose. Why wouldn’t we spend as much time debating the merits of the waterproof backpacks on the market that are designed to keep important gear dry on the water? And, I would argue, adding in some everyday functionality is an important consideration. With that, here’s the next installment in this series: