RIBZ Front Pack Review

On a hike with my daughter and my Ribz Front Pack!

This time of year is difficult for me to write on my blog and its not because I don't have anything to write about but instead its because I would much rather get out and enjoy the outdoors!  So I have forced myself to sit down and write a quick blog post about a product I received called the Ribz Front Pack.

I'm just going to put it out there because I'm sure I am not the only person who has thought this, but at first I was a little hesitant thinking that this product would be a glorified "fanny-pack".  I also had the thought that this was some type of gear specifically for fly fishermen which I "might" be able to use for something else seems how I'm a world class loser when it comes to fly fishing!

When I first got the pack and put it on, I was shocked at how light the pack was at 11 ounces.  I adjusted the waist strap and shoulder straps so the pack fit snug right around my rib cage (hence the name Ribz Front Pack) and I was surprised how comfortable and natural the pack actually felt.  I thought it would make me feel like I was walking around with a spare tire around my waist but the way it fit was very comfortable and natural.

Carrying my pistol with the Ribz Front Pack on

      
The first test I put it through was on a hike with my wife and daughter through the mountains while looking for morel mushrooms.  I had seen a wolf just a week ago in this area so I wanted to make sure to pack my pistol just in case.  I know with some of my normal back packs, I struggle to carry my pistol on my hip and adjusting my back pack to carry the load evenly on my hips.  With the front pack, this was not a problem at all.  I enjoyed the fact that it rode high and tight and allowed me to pack my pistol on my side. 

Padding on shoulders moving down a bit.

 I also noticed while walking around that the Front Pack never swayed back and fourth or side to side because the waist strap has an elastic band to keep it snug while your body bends and adjusts.  One thing I didn't like about the pack was the fact that the padding on the shoulder moved around a little while wearing it.  To be honest, I don't know if I would have noticed it except for the fact that I was taking pictures for my review and noticed it in the pictures.  I don't know if the padding would move as much as it did if I had a heavier load in it or if I just need to adjust the straps a little differently.

Fishing away

The second test I used the Front Pack for was fishing down on the river bottoms.  As I mentioned earlier I am not much of a fly fisherman but I love to bait fish, spinner fish, and fish with a lure.  I previously purchased a few small Plano tackle boxes because I thought I would need them to fit my gear in the Front Pack but I was able to fit my normal tackle containers from my tackle box right into the Front Pack!

Pocket on the left

Pocket on the right

I was curious to see if the Front Pack would ever get in the way with me casting, reeling in, or changing baits but the Front Pack was once again super comfortable and convenient!  Having the pockets in the front were extremely ideal for quick access to my tackle and extremely convenient while tying on a new lure.  The pack has two large pockets on each side with mesh interior pouches in each pocket.  There are also two smaller pockets on the outer sides of the two large pockets which allowed me to carry nearly my entire tackle box right at my finger tips. 

Back view of me fishing with the Ribz Front Pack

After taking the pack on these two trips, I feel that the Ribz Front Pack would be ideal in any hiking of fishing situation.  The website says the pack is also ideal while carrying a load with a regular back pack to help distribute the weight and create easy access for certain gear while hiking.  I would say that the pack would be awesome to use while backpacking and carrying another pack!  For myself, I have been struggling to figure out how to keep backpacking while now having to use a child carry backpack to bring my daughter along with me, but now with the Ribz Front Pack my problem with that has been solved!

While I used the Ribz Front Pack for hiking and fishing, I also felt that this product would be great to use in a blind or tree stand situation so that you had your gear in an easily accessible place.  I know in my tree stand I have a separate place I use to hang my backpack once I get into my stand but now I will use my Front Pack to minimize the amount of movement when I have to get into my pack.  I also feel that this pack would be  awesome to use while bird hunting, both during dove season and duck season to keep my shotgun shells close and accessible at a moments notice.  The pack is a great addition to whatever pack you already have, or it can be a nice pack to use in situations where you know you will be needing access your gear often such as fishing, hiking, or hunting.

You can purchase a Ribz Front Pack off their website in Green, Black, or Camouflage for $59.95.  The Front Pack can adjust from a 26 inch waist up to a 44 inch waist and contains 700+ cubic inches of storage space for all of your gear! I would strongly recommend this pack to anyone who need or wants a very convenient piece of equipment to add to their collection of gear.

I can proudly say that the Ribz Front Pack is not a gloried fanny-pack and that it does not make you feel like you are walking around with a spare tire around your hips.  The pack is extremely comfortable and a wonderful pack!  I can honestly say that it was a lot more than what I expected it to be.  I wouldn't be hesitant at all to recommend this to any of my followers.

Ribz Front Pack in carrying case

Product Of My Environment

I have heard a lot of people say how much they dislike the town I live in.  Most of these people are ones who have briefly lived somewhere else and feel that the grass is a lot greener everywhere but here.  I hear people make comments putting down the "hicks", "red-necks", and "uneducated hillbillies".  I am quite protective of my small town and kindly listen to these people tell me about how they know sooooo much and how they are sooooo much better than everyone else in this small town and how they cannot wait to get out of here.  I try to fight back my emotions and talk to them about how they may be right and that they may like it a lot more if they lived somewhere else than here.  Then I make sure to tell them why I love it here and why I choose to live in such a great place.  The following is just one of the small reasons I choose to live where I live with my family.

When I was growing up, my family and I were active members in our church and quite social in our neighborhood.  There was a man who lived about 4 blocks away from my family who had quite a bit of free time which he filled up by fishing around in the near by lakes and reservoirs.  He knew my family quite well and knew that my dad took my brothers and I fishing as often as he could.  At this time I was around 13  or 14 and to young to get a job so he asked my mom and dad if I could be his fishing partner every Thursday during the summer while I was out of school.  When my dad asked me if I wanted to go fishing with Fred (our neighbor) every Thursday I was a bit confused about why this guy wanted to take some young kid fishing, but because I loved to fish I told him I would do it.

Over the course of that summer, I spent quite a bit of time with my friends playing around being a kid but what I remember most was that every Thursday, bright and early in the morning, Fred would be pulling up in front of my parents house with his boat expecting me to go fishing.  Fred took me from Henry's Lake to Ririe Reservoir and every where in-between, fishing for anything we could catch.  To be honest, I can't remember much about what we talked about or how great the fishing was but I can remember how important I felt every Thursday when Fred pulled up with his boat.

Fred was not taking me fishing because I didn't have a dad to get me outdoors.  Fred was taking me fishing because he wanted to, not to treat me as a project, not to get me away some bad influences, not to try and talk to me about planning my future, but he took me fishing just to have a friend to fish with.  To this day I still haven't thanked Fred for taking me fishing, and I doubt he even knows how much it meant to me to feel wanted/appreciated by some random guy down the street.

I'm not saying that if I hadn't had a good neighbor who took me fishing as a kid I may have turned out to be some thug criminal but I am saying that the influences I had as a young kid have impacted me and helped make me the guy I am today.  I hope that I can be some kid's "Fred" to help them feel important and wanted in a world which makes them feel insignificant and overlooked.  I hope that I can share the outdoors with a kid, who like me, has a great father but could benefit by a few fishing trips with their neighbor.  I think it is important to live in a community and neighborhood where you can trust your neighbors and to be involved in their lives for the good.  My town has some great people in it and no matter who has something negative to say about it I will be one of the first ones to stand up and let them know that they are welcome to put up a for sale sign and walk away.

I know my home town isn't the only place where good neighbors exist or where wonderful people live.  Share a brief comment about why you love your small town, or about your favorite fishing partner to express gratitude for how it has affected you.

My Fishing Favorites

Trout I caught a few years back!

This time of yeah my hunting obsession is usually overcome by my fishing obsession!  As much as I love hunting and everything about hunting, I would have to say that I probably spend more time fishing than I do hunting.  With that being said, I am definitely not one to claim to be an expert fisherman!  I enjoy it does not always mean that I know what I'm doing.  I have never been much of a fly fisherman so my post today will be on spinner fishing and lure fishing.  I typically spend time fishing in a few reservoirs, lakes, and rivers in South Eastern Idaho so here are a few of the things that have worked for me.

In early spring I have found a few items that have worked well for me especially during some of the early insect hatches.  The first would have to be my "go-to" spinner which has brought me quite a bit of luck.  I use a #1 silver Mepps Aglia Spinner which can be found in pretty much any store that sells fishing equipment.  I have used different sizes of this same spinner and have found luck with sizes 0-3.  They typically say that the bigger spinner you use the larger the fish you will catch, but I have found that the size 1 is a great size to catch numbers of fish as well as pulling in a few good sized fish.

My next favorite lure to use is a #5 or #7 Rainbow colored CountDown Rapala.  When using this lure be sure to know the depth of water you are fishing in.  The number 5 CountDown Rapala will typically run 3-6 feet deep while the number 7 will typically swim around 5-8 feet deep.  If the fish are surfacing in the area you are fishing be sure to use a smaller lure to be closer to the top of the water.  I have heard people say that fish will always come up to their food but will very rarely swim down to get food.  This lure is especially good when the Brown Trout are spawning and are aggressive.

My third lure I use quite often is a imitation minnow.  I use the Berkley Minnow as often as I go fishing.  The thing I like about this bait is that it is as life like as you can get without actually being a real minnow.  The smell and feel of these things are just like a real minnow but with it being a rubber body it last much longer while fishing than fishing with the real thing.