taking the next step

or reinventing the fishing fagbag

can it be done?  should it?

why mess w/ something so good to begin with?

it all began (well this particular ill-conceived notion) when I read about someone 

asking for fagbag recommendations...

as I looked at the major players' offerings

I realized two things...

-these bags are expensive

-these bags are very well made

two additional things...

-ingenious features (though often superflous)

-many lack sufficient capacity

I thought I should design and craft my own

w/out having any idea how to do it or what I wanted

I found the pack I'm currently using or the recent model

mine is slightly different though essentially the same...

I had no idea that bag was so pricey ($160)

I obtained mine in a trade
filson chest pack sharkskin line various odds and ends
(very generous offer)
for a 9ft 4/5wt steffen bros graphite blank
thanks cholly!

though you get a lotta bang for your buck
w/ a whopping 1408 c.i. (est) total capacity
that blows away the rest of the players...

so I start w/ this...

can I improve the chassis?  not likely 

though it would be nice to have a d-ring on each suspender strap

w/ maybe some magnetic anchors

I've already removed that fleece fly patch piece of shit

I'd like to see another d-ring there in its place

so far all of this shit is easy meat

there should be a dedicated water bottle sleeve

or some clever insulated way to incorporate it

again should be easy enough

 two final touches would be...

a small sturdy handle for each main compartment

and incorporating some lumbar support into the bag itself

why start here instead of from scratch?  simple.  filson quality

made in america

this shit lasts forever

that's why

plus it looks better than anything else out there

what bells and whistles would you like to see in a pack?
which features are superflous redundant or overkill?
finally is it worth all the money?
why not start w/ a $10-$20 bare bones fagbag from target or somewhere
and customize it yerself?
(another project I'm considering and I can't find a reason no to try)

this is what we call marketing and research here at the a.f.a. labs
angling tools by design

I should also add that my regular and favorite fishing buddy has been tinkering w/
and customizing his shit as long as I've known him
and I'll happily incorporate (or steal) any of his fine ideas