Review: ZS2 Overlook 500 Chest Pack
Taylor Hutchinson 05.24.23
Fly-fishing combines a multitude of things this author loves. The outdoors, fishing, cool river water, and gear. Being a gearhead fills one’s mind with game theory, and how they can gain a competitive advantage in the sport being pursued. By gaming various scenarios or configurations, gearheads try to solve various problems. Half the time, they feel like they spend most of their time tilting at windmills. In the other half, they stumble across something novel that actually works well. There is a rush of adrenaline when a piece of kit gives one an efficiency gain that has very few trade-offs. While there is no free lunch when it comes to gear choices. Gearheads chase that dragon for the perfect niche item that has the fewest number of trade-offs. Chest packs or rigs are one of those gear pieces that will tend to stretch into a multitude of sports. While carrying fly-fishing gear on the body has a long history stemming back to the early 20th century with the fishing vest. Chest packs started appearing on the market in the last few decades. In recent years, several options have exploded onto the market. These rigs are built for anglers chasing minimalism and a streamlined design that still leaves enough room for the essentials. The ZS2 Overlook 500 seems to be one of the unicorns we gearheads chase after.
Umpqua’s ZS2 Overlook is a medium-sized chest pack at around 500 cubic inches (8.19 liters). It comes with a 4-point harness and features two different options for a back panel. The back panel can be configured with just a flat mesh back or a full 550 cubic inches (9.01 liters) backpack equipped with a net holster. This backpack panel can hold a rain jacket, a water bladder, and of course, a net. The workstation on the top side features Two ZeroSweep™ retractor stations, a foam fly patch, and a tippet holder that covers all essential accessories. Moving to the front of the rig, it has a MOLLE attachment panel allowing integration with ZS2 accessories and an ambidextrous hemostat station. Two mesh pockets adorn the front left and right side for quick access items such as spare tippet, split shot, or a small snack. The main compartment closest to the body is large enough to hold around 4-6 fly boxes. Lastly, the secondary compartment is great for tertiary gear such as a wallet, phone, or car keys. These compartments come with YKK zippers, as all nylon gear should. It comes in two color ways: olive, and a frog skin style camo pattern. Umpqua chest pack construction is robust and features design decisions that lend themselves well to modular fly-fishing chest packs.
The ZS2 Overlook accompanied me to North Georgia and the Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina. Setting up the pack was fairly straightforward. Hooking the nippers and hemostat in the retractor stations seemed natural. It is tempting to load down the two main compartments with several fly boxes, spare litter, and tippet. The goal was to keep this pack as minimal as possible. Its design does lend itself to being overloaded and bulky. “Light is right,” is a good motto to keep, especially when it comes to gear that offers modularity like the Overlook. When it is not packed to the gills, that chest pack does form well to the body and stays out of the way. The MOLLE panel was screaming for something to hook onto it. Clipping an iPhone into a Juggernaut Case and mounting it to the front fit together surprisingly well. This was beneficial for shooting great videos and photos while keeping my hands free and line in the water. The outside mesh pockets were stashed with tippet and split shot. The backpack panel housed my 3L camelback water bladder and routed the hose and nozzle nicely along the shoulder straps. Using the net holster did present some challenges moving and hiking up rivers. It either was hard to get access to when needed, falling out at the wrong time, or impossible to re-holster without a helping hand. A longer-handled net would probably fare better than the smaller net that was present. Thankfully, a friend lent me their clip-on magnetic solution that fits squarely on my support side PALS webbing for quick access.
Fishing with the Overlook felt very natural. One would hardly notice the weight while casting or striping line. Even with waders, the pack doesn’t ride uncomfortably or get in the way. The ride height is optimal for wading and keeping gear dry. From experience, even if one were to take a dip in the river involuntarily, be assured all the gear brought to the river that day would make it home attached. It’s good to know that Umpqua used quick-drying material and a judicious design that is water-resistant that drains well. The ride height is also crucial for having a workstation front and center for tying and retying flies, something for this trip that was tested often. Throwing the rod and reel over the head to rest on the neck to retie was an effortless task using the foam fly patch and when dealing with tackle. An extra set of “hands” makes even the slowest fishing days far less frustrating. However, when the fish are on, the fly pack disappears and an angler can focus on presenting the fly at just the right moment. Having the PALS webbing for the net staging on the support side was the right move. The iPhone clipped up front was ready to go for when the trout finally gives up the fight. At the end of the day, it is easily removed and the chest pack stows nicely in the YETI Go Box.
ZS2 Overlook provides the angler the edge to be adaptable for wading trips or float trips. The modularity and form-fitting design uniquely equip one for a multitude of fishing trips while preventing neck strain. The price point for the Overlook can be found at a street price from $129 on sale to $159. While being priced on the higher end, it provides that rare feature set and few trade-offs that gearheads love.
