Packing for a Successful Fishing Trip with Tight Loops Fly

Packing and preparing for a fishing trip doesn’t need to feel like a chore–if you are organized, of course. If you’re like us and have a checklist for every type of outdoor activity imaginable, that small piece of paper labeled “fishing trip essentials” becomes your roadmap for the weekend ahead.

With Pelican, we’ve designed our products to put your mind at ease, ensuring that every piece of fishing gear you hold near and dear is stored in an organized and protected manner. We asked avid outdoor enthusiasts and Team Pelican members, Aimee and Chase Bartee for their expertise on how they prepare for a successful fishing expedition.

Known as Tight Loops Fly on Instagram and YouTube, they are filmmakers, photographers, and artists. Upgrading from their 1985 Volkswagen Van, named Bullwinkle, they now travel the countryside in a Toyota Tundra outfitted with a Four Wheel Campers flat-bed camper as they document their love for fly fishing and camping, making memories, and telling stories through their photography.

We asked Aimee and Chase for a handful of tips and tricks they use when embarking on their next fishing adventure.

What Pelican products do you consider essential for every fishing trip, and why?

Aimee and Chase: As professional fly fishing filmmakers and photographers, we have a ton of equipment that comes with us on the water, and needs to stay dry, safe and organized. A Pelican 1535 Air Case and 1510 Protector Case as well as Pelican gear wraps travel with us everywhere we go, on the water and off.

Can you share any tips or tricks for efficiently packing and organizing your gear in Pelican cases?

Aimee and Chase: Using Trekpak Kits and Pelican’s padded dividers make organizing a breeze. We've customized all of our cases to the exact size and shape of our individual gear. Everything has its place, and it's easy to see/remember where things belong!

How do you ensure your fishing equipment stays safe and dry in harsh weather or wet environments using Pelican products?

Aimee and Chase: Working outdoors means we can never fully predict the conditions we'll encounter in the field. That's why we use Pelican; it's all the insurance we need. We're rough on gear, and our sensitive equipment gets thrown in and out of boats, on the banks of rivers, in the rain, blazing sun, through the woods and over mountains, and we can always trust that as long as it's secured in Pelican cases and wraps it'll come out safe and dry on the other side.

What’s your favorite Pelican product for multi-day fishing trips, and how does it help you stay organized and ready for action?

Aimee and Chase: Our go to piece of kit for big trips with solid infrastructure are Pelican Air cases. They're the perfect blend of rugged construction, reliability, and lightness for ease of use in the field. They're just as effective in the airport as they are in the backcountry, and that versatility helps us eliminate superfluous gear. When we're going deep, and need to be light, our cameras, lenses, and other sensitive equipment get bundled in gear wraps and nestled in a backpack.

Follow Aimee and Chase at @tightloopsfly as they embark on their next adventure with Pelican!