I’ve always been a vest guy. My granddad fished with a vest, my dad used a vest, and I used my dad’s vest until it met an untimely end thanks to a barbed-wire fence. Even though I had to retire my dad’s vest a few years after I started writing fishing gear reviews, I didn’t give a second thought to incorporating any of the backpacks, sling packs, and hip packs I’d tried out into my normal fishing routine. Those products, while good, just weren’t as comfortable for me as a fishing vest, and comfort is a huge priority for me while I’m on the water.

The hardwood fire smoked and sizzled in the early morning mist as Benny arranged the coals so they might support the weight of a cast-iron skillet lined with strips of fresh bacon. The smoke curled slowly — almost lazily — through the naked, gray branches of the cypress trees where it eventually mingled with the morning fog over the lake and seemingly disappeared.