Simms Bounty Hunter 100 Roller

I'm off to CXI in July, and have been researching travel bags pretty heavily during the last 12 months or so. I'm taking lots of gear with me, so I need the best bag I can find to accommodate it all.

My bag requirements:

• Fit 8-10 rods safely and with with ease
• High Capacity
• Rugged
• High quality rollers
• Fit everything I need and be under 23kg

The final choice in the end was quite easy, as there was only one bag that satisfied all my requirements - the Simms Bounty Hunter 100 Roller. 

Design

The bag is a clamshell design with stretch gussets to maximize packing capacity, zip-away internal dividers, compression straps to condense your stuff, and interior mesh pocket organisation. There are lots of options for packing this bag, but I will use the bigger bottom section to store my gear, and the smaller top section for clothing.

For scale, the wading boots are size 13 and over 30cm long.

Rod storage

I always travel with lots of gear, and the most important feature I was looking for in a new bag was the ability to pack lots of rods both easily and safely.

The Simms Bounty Hunter 100 has 2 exterior rod tube access points that fit 2 rod tubes each, so that takes care of 4 rods in their tubes. These access points are lockable, and the tubes are housed inside internal storage sleeves within the walls of the bag.

With 2 rod tubes in the top walls of the main compartment of each side of the bag, the really cool thing is the rest of my rods will fit safely without tubes by sitting under where the hidden tubes extend into the main bag (pictured below). This means I can save weight by leaving my other rod tubes at home. If you are not comfortable with this approach, the bag will accommodate the usual 100mm PVC pipe with caps that most traveling anglers use in their bags for protection.

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Clothes

I really like the interior mesh pocket organisation in the top section - no more trying to find socks or jocks hidden somewhere in the bottom of my bag!

So what fits in the bag?

I've performed one quick test pack with the bag, and all the gear pictured below (there are 5 rods and reels) came in at 16kg packed in the bag. I'll be adding another couple of rods and reels, a first aid kit, towel, and some tying gear, but will make my 23kg limit easily, particularly given I normally take my boots as part of my carry on luggage.

The zip-away divider does a great job.

Bag Specs

APPROX. WEIGHT: 4.55kg. 
CAPACITY: 100 L,
SIZE: 76cm x 45.7cm x 35.5cm (30” x 18” x 14”)
​FABRIC TECH: Waterproof 1000D TPU nylon base; 600D PU coated nylon fabric ​

Summary

I made a list of the gear I'll be taking to the Island with me, and given the total value of the gear, it seemed pretty stupid to compromise on my travel bag.

Simms make outstanding products, and the Bounty Hunter 100 is no exception. It has been specifically designed for fly fishermen, is high tec, rugged, has lots of substantial grab handles, and even comes with a seam-taped waterproof roll-top bag to store wet gear for the trip home! 

​If you want the best fly fishing travel bag for International travel - this is it.