I've put a lot of tackle bags in my hands, and over the past 10-plus years in particular, I've had the chance to use the very best the tackle industry has to offer.
Traditional soft-sided tackle bags more or less have the same problem. Usually, you're forced to remove top trays in order to get to trays below. The search, especially during the heat of the moment or in lowlight conditions, can be maddening.
Lately, there's been an effort toward side access for trays in soft bags, and that's welcome (the Plano FlipSider series is a good example). But the most recent bag I tested, the 4870 KVD XL Gear Bag from Plano, pretty much blows every other system away.
Initial Inspection
I tested the 4870, which carries the name of Kevin VanDam, on a recent trip into the French River wilderness of Ontario, immediately off Georgian Bay about 2 hours north of Parry Sound. I faced a number of hurdles when packing. First, I planned to target three species – walleyes at first and last light (plus night), smallmouths during the day, and muskies here and there.
I decided to pack my musky baits in a separate bag altogether – they're too big and unruly to sit side-by-side with walleye and smallmouth fare.
So in essence, I had to pack one bag for two species, along with other wilderness fishing needs like headlamp, tools, emergency kit, attractant, weights, spare line, and much more.
And because a water taxi would be taking our gear to the lodge, and we'd be running smaller boats, I definitely needed a compact carry system.
When I first looked at the 4870 in the box, I was a little concerned – its outward appearance seemed small (its sister 4880 is bigger), and I started to think what I could do without on the trip. That all changed as soon as I reached in and grabbed the bag.
It's easy to remove a single tackle tray without disrupting the whole system.
Look and Feel
As soon as I grabbed the handle of the 4870 bag, I knew it was something different. Pretty much every other bag I own has "me too" dual fabric handles that seem to cut into your hands when you lift them.
The 4870 instead has a single heavy-duty foam handle that's amazingly stout and comfortable. It's unlike any other handle I've felt. And it's not sewn on – it's secured in a recessed manner with heavy duty rubber retaining soles.
From there, it takes only a second to realize that everything on this bag is heavy duty. Even the zipper handles have firm, oversized rubber grips that make them easy to find and work. The entire bottom of the bag's built with a heavy, molded waterproof base, the zippers themselves are weather resistant, and the fabric's tough but attractive.
As I inspected the bag, I quickly realized that Plano took no shortcuts. Everywhere you'd expect to get the standard, you get the heavy duty upgrade. I firmly believe I could use this bag for a decade or more and it'd hold up.
Packing
I had no trouble packing everything I needed in the 4870. It comes with four empty 3700 Series StowAway boxes, but I quickly found I could add two more trays to the heart of the bag.
I loaded the 3700 boxes with jigs (football jigs, shakeys and walleye jigs), plus some spinnerbaits, plastics (grubs/worms/craws/trailers), topwaters and other select hardbaits.
The trays stack inside the bag on their sides, and when you unzip one side of the bag, you can reach right in and grab what you need without having to remove any of the other trays. That's huge.
Because the bag curves at the top, I could stuff my bulky hook bag in above the boxes.
A really nice touch is that the boxes are restrained by mesh, so they don't tip over and spill out when you open one side. The mesh also includes pockets for miscellaneous tackle.
There are also two large side pockets, and two smaller end pockets on the bag. One of the side pockets includes a removable, waterproof day bag. I kept my license, plus maps and emergency kit in there. Bad news if you take a hook 200 miles by road from the nearest hospital and you don't have bandages and sterilizer. I also kept matches in there, plus a survival bar and package of emergency water.
Both sides of the 4870 open for access to the tray of your choice (left), and there's room on top of the trays to store a fairly bulky item – in this case, a hook bag (right).
The side pockets actually took a lot more gear than I thought they would. I added a few small tackle trays, spare spools, leader line, bottom bouncers, pliers, stringer, knife, fish-handling glove, flashlight and more.
I loaded the end pockets with about 20 packs of plastics.
I also hooked my worm-rig bag on the side, where the shoulder strap clips to the bag.
How the Bag Performed
The bag received high marks in all areas during my 5 days at the French River. Our boats were comparatively small, but the bag has a very small footprint for what it holds (22.75"L x 12"W x 12"H). It's also easy to lift in and out of the boat on a rickety dock.
I fished the bag in full rain for 5 hours and everything inside stayed 100% dry. That's huge when you have to rely on a small oil stove for heat and you don't have much time to dry things out.
I was easily able to find what I needed in short order, and never had to dump a bunch of boxes on the deck, or shuffle through a mountain of soft-plastic packs.
I also spent a lot of time nightfishing, where quiet anchoring was critical. I kept the bag at my feet, and was able to pull and return boxes in near silence. The box never slid around when the boat tipped, thanks to the molded rubber bottom.
With the above in mind, I'd highly recommend this bag to anyone. The price tag's a bit steep, but it's the best bag I've used, period. And it would be an especially good choice for co-anglers, because of its big capacity, hassle-free access and small footprint.
Notable
> The bag hasn't hit retail shelves yet, but will in December (would make a great Christmas present).
> The 4870, and the larger 4880, won the Best in Show award for tackle-storage products at this summer's ICAST industry tradeshow.
> MSRP for the 4870 is 129.99.
> For more information about Plano and its products, visit PlanoMolding.com.
