Equipment Crossover

If you were to look around my “Man Cave”, you would notice along the walls a five tier book case with fly tying book and fly tying materials, fly tying table, a computer, TV and stereo, and the closet with all of the other miscellaneous gear for over night camping, backpacking, day hiking, kayaking, etc. I have noticed that my past or not so used gear and current gear is good for other sports or as I should say aspects of other sports.

For example, I have a Fishpond lumbar pack that holds two water bottles, several fly boxes, leaders, tippet, hemostats, and all kinds of fly fishing goodies. But as you look at the pack, it would be great for day hikes too. Again, it can hold a couple of water bottles, sandwiches, maps, compass/GPS unit, digital camera, or whatever small items you would want to take with you.

Within my pack, I also carry a headlamp. How is a headlamp going to help you fish? It doesn’t, but it is great to have when you are kayaking a river and your fishing spot is so great that you don’t want to leave the honey hole. Well, when the sun is setting and you are two miles from the take out point, I am willing to bet that you wish you had a headlamp to keep your hands free for paddling the kayak.

Yet again, here is another piece of equipment crossover; a kayak. I am not a white water kayaker, or touring kayaker, but I own one. I use my for fly fishing and have rigged it up to hold a fly rod fly rod in the front, or I can attach a milk crate in the back with fly rod holders, along with a soft sided cooler and gear/dry bag. I could go on all day with listing gear that crosses over into other sports.

The real question here that you should ask yourself is, “What gear do I own that could be used in other sports?” Who knows, you might find yourself floating on a river in a kayak fishing for a fat trout, backpacking to that quiet little spot in the Great Smoky Mountains, or biking along an old dirt road.

3 comments February 1st, 2008