The Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel is a rugged fly fishing rod and reel travel case that’s tough enough to fend off sticks, rocks and drops. Short of driving over it with a pickup, it’ll protect your gear. It easily carries and secures several rods, reels, fly boxes, and fly fishing accessories.
While most fly fishers like to keep their critical gear with them as a carry-on while flying, the Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel should also be tough enough to be checked if you have to.
Meanwhile, my primary personal interest in the Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel is as a fly fishing gear organizer. Most of my fly fishing gear goes into a very large duffel bag, but that means I’m carrying multiple rod tubes and reel bags inside the duffel. That’s redundant.
I purchased the Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel so I could streamline the storage and protection of my fly fishing gear. Why? So I can pack lighter, travel faster, and get out on the water at a moment’s notice.
Plus, I can pack backup rods and additional gear for friends and family. Let’s take a closer look at the Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel:
Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel: ‘Super Tough’
First, the Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel is more of a case than a duffel — it’s built super tough. The exterior is made from a burly 1680-denier dobby ballistic fabric over a high-density closed cell foam compression molded casing.
If you drop the Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel down a steep and rocky bank — I haven’t, yet — I’m sure your rods would survive.
Ditch the Rod Tubes
Meanwhile, what about organization? The Bounty Hunter Vault will hold up to 8 rods and 10 reels. It’s long enough to hold a rod tube for a 9-foot, 4-piece rod, but it’s designed to carry the rods without tubes. Your rods should be inside fabric rod bags, of course. (It’s also long enough to hold 10-foot, 4-piece rods.)
As for customization, the section for your reels has five adjustable separators. By moving them around, you can create the right size sections for some fly boxes, a camera, or even sunscreen and bug repellant. A soft mesh zippered cover keeps your reels from shifting around.
The lid has three large mesh zippered pockets that are great for thinner fly fishing accessories like leaders, strike indicators, forceps, etc.
Shop the Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel direct from Simms and get free shipping!
On the Go
The Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel comes with detachable backpack shoulder straps. At first I thought this was a bit of overkill — until I fully loaded the Vault Duffel. After you fit a half-dozen rods, a half-dozen reels and some extra fly fishing accessories, you might be surprised at the overall weight. Especially when you realize that the Bounty Hunter Vault weighs in at nearly seven pounds empty.
So the removable backpack straps? You can leave them at home, but if you expect to haul the Vault Duffel through multiple airports, you might appreciate them. If you already have a carry-on backpack, the Bounty Hunter Vault still comes with a standard shoulder strap.
Another cool travel feature is a built-in, retractable luggage tag. If you lose the duffel and your gear, good humans might return it to you.
Any Cons?
There are no real cons to the Bounty Hunter Vault, but we would like to see a grab handle at the end of at least one end. Why? When you’re packing gear into vehicles, the ends are often the most reachable part of a bag.
All-in-all, the Simms Bounty Hunter Vault Duffel is a super tough rod and reel travel case. It has room for some fly fishing accessories, and I’ve even managed to fit a small net inside the middle area. If you’re heading out on a fishing expedition of a lifetime, you can’t go wrong with the Bounty Hunter Vault. Better yet, if you’re looking for a great way to organize your best fly fishing rods, reels and gear, nab a Bounty Hunter Vault and get yourself one step closer to hitting the water. Very highly recommended.
Get the Gear:
- Bounty Hunter Vault – direct from Simms
Check Shipping/Pricing: Aventuron | Fishwest
