This is a good question. There is no single or simple solution.  I used to use an inexpensive backpack and it worked OK.  In the last 3 years I bought a Duluth fishing pack made of waxed canvas and like it a lot. It is pricey - but I figure it would last the rest of my life and I could hand it down.  I also more recently purchased a Duluth Rambler and Frost River Summit Expedition daypack.  The Rambler is larger and can carry my fishing gear plus some camp gear and emergency gear in the canoe. It has 2 side compartments for nalgenes or other stuff. The FR is similar but a bit smaller.  I plan to use it more locally for fishing northern Wisconsin lakes and streams from my canoe.  What I like about day packs is that you can consolidate all your gear in one place. As someone said earlier, you may want to bring your fish finder and some other odds and ends. This avoids having a lot of loose gear in the canoe.  As I said, there are many options but I think some kind of daypack that concentrates your gear is the way to go.

Thank you everyone for the comments! This will be our second annual Q trip this September and the first one we brought too much stuff. I'm trying to get down to the double portage instead of triple. I love my fishing gear and brought too much, considering I only lost one lure last year.
I'm going to look at the day packs as an option before I jump. The not being able to see, if strapped on the front is certainly an issue, especially given my bifocal glasses!

I really like the the soft tackle boxes. I broke down and got a duluth waxed canvas fishing tackle box. It can easily fit all my gear.  For a backpack, I got a Frost River Summit expedition. I feel these will last the rest of my life.  You can easily put in all you mention and more into the FR expedition and it is not too big. It will fit well in a canoe and looks classy.

MP, didn't post the "portable" version of that "tackle box".
It comes minus wheels, but has a real nice padded shoulder strap/hip belt and sternum strap AND most importantly a HERNIA belt.

Interesting possibilities MP.......my mind was all awhirl until I remembered that you can't use wheeled aids on the portage trails.......

I think some of you may find this to have possibilities as a tackle box. 
(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

mastertangler wrote on Feb 21^st, 2015 at 4:21pm:


alas... westwood beat me too it as i took too long to type

many of todays lures are made to catch fisherman and not fish. the shiny outer coatings are nice, but how many lures in your tray are chewed up by fish? how many chewed up lures catch the most fish?

thats why i like x raps and hot n tots in the pretty finishes, and taildancers for action. the xraps and hot n tots and internal foils so they dont get damaged as much as external foils.

plus, i jam them in so tight there isnt much room to wiggle and scratch.

I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference if your lures get scratched or not.  As soon as you use your lure whether casting or trolling they are going to get scratches on them.  Most lures should be fished close to the bottom which means you will hit bottom and therefore rocks.  So protecting your lures and preserving their pristine condition is good for about 5 minutes.  Plus, I have caught plenty of fish on lures that have scratches and paint knocked off.  If you are trolling for lake trout in deep water, you could actually keep your lures pristine for a long time.

As Al Lindner said what is natural about a fill in the blank (Daredevil, silver spoon, jig, Rapala, etc.).  Plus, fishing lures are primarily designed to catch fishermen, if they also catch fish so much the better.  I think structure, water depth, water temperature, time of day, wind, how deep your lure runs and speed of retrieve are much more important than a pristine finish.  It is similar to your canoe, remember when it was new and didn't have any scratches or dents and how proud you were to own it.  Now it has dents and scratches and it works as good as new.

I use an old style Plano waist pack (they don't make it anymore.)  It has two zip pockets that hold 3 @3500 Plano boxes (which are smallish) and has one other zip pocket that can hold soft plastics, stringers and snap weights.  I'm also able to get my Lipper and pliers in there as well.  So it's pretty compact and forces me to make choices before heading out.  I modified the pack by adding a better buckle but over all it's held up well.  I do carry some other stuff in a binder  - extra soft baits, line and the like but I pack that away since its back-up.  I've only been fishing for the past 6 years or so, so each season I'm getting a little clearer about how much I really need to take.  I tend to use the same stuff over and over and all that other stuff that I couldn't leave behind just ends up sitting there, laughing at me each time it gets carried back and forth across the portages.