I headed up to the high Uintas to spend some time at my family’s cabin. As we were planning the trip I told my brother that I wanted to try my Ribz pack and we planned a day hike into some lakes we fished as kids. When we arrived at the trailhead it was pouring rain but we decided to just go for it.
As I loaded my Ribz I explained to my brother that this was designed to make the stuff I needed more accessible during the hike. I packed the Ribz with a few snacks, a small water bottle, a small box of fishing lures, matches, bug repellant, and a small knife. Then I threw the rest of my gear in my day pack and off we went.
We were about a mile into our hike when it stopped raining. I took my hat off and shoved it into my Ribz, it was nice not to have to stop. We passed the first lake and headed to the second. There is no trail to the second lake but a hill full of large boulders to climb down. I noticed that the Ribz stayed out of my way during the climb. When we arrived at the second lake the sun came out. We took a second to take off our rain gear and then headed out again. We hadn’t gone 100 yards when we were enveloped in mosquitoes. I grabbed my bug spray out of my Ribz and we didn’t even have to slow down.
In between the second and third lake there is a small stream full of native brooke trout. The trout are small but full of color. When we were kids, catching these trout was the highlight of hiking into these lakes. So we started fishing this stream as we made our way to the last lake. I chuckled as I rigged up my pole and caught three fish while my brother was still digging things out of his pack.
The rest of the trip was similar. We had a great time and caught plenty of fish and relived some childhood memories. I used the Ribz pack as my fishing vest the rest of that weekend. It seemed to carry my gear pretty well. I liked the way it held everything very close to me. It kept my gear away from my elbows and allowed me great range of motion. The zippers curve down at the end of the pockets and gave me great access to my items. The Ribz holds more than I thought, and still keeps it out of my way. The only down side for me was carrying my small items. I had my line clippers, my knife, and a lighter in one of the small pocket in the inside. It was hard to get to the right one. But for items the size of a compass up to a water bottle, the pack worked great. My brother even asked where he can buy one.
Product provided for free by the manufacturer for review purposes.