Tackle
The best fishing backpacks: sized by the boxes they carry
Forget liters. The published number that matters is how many 3700 boxes go in.
By Sawyer V. · Last updated · How we pick
The short answer
Buy by published box capacity. The Plano Weekend Tackle Backpack 3700 takes up to three 3700 boxes in the main compartment plus two 3600s in the bottom pocket, and ships with two 3700s. A backpack wins when you walk to the water; a shoulder bag wins when you do not.
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Quick picks
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best fishing backpack Plano Weekend Tackle Backpack 3700 Up to three 3700 boxes plus two 3600s, a molded waterproof base, sternum strap and two boxes included. | Bank fishing, kayaks, and any walk longer than the parking lot | $74.99 · Check price on Amazon #ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026 |
| 2 |  Best if you are not walking far Plano Guide Series 3700XL Tackle Bag 20 x 11 x 14.5 in, seven 3750 and three 3650 StowAways included, hard-backed 1680 denier with a molded HDPE base. | Boats, trucks and short carries where shoulder carry is fine | $106.75 · Check price on Amazon #ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026 |
Box sizes, decoded
Plano’s numbers look like a code and are actually a footprint standard that most of the industry follows. Once you know them, published capacity becomes a useful figure.
| Size | Roughly | Holds |
|---|---|---|
| 3600 | The smaller footprint | Soft plastics, terminal tackle, small hardbaits |
| 3700 | The larger footprint | Crankbaits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, bigger lures |
The published exterior of the Two-Tier StowAway 3700 is 14 x 9 x 2.75 in, which is the 3700 footprint in physical terms. Three of those side by side is what the backpack’s main compartment is built around.
Our tackle boxes page covers what goes in them, and how to organize a tackle box covers the part most people skip.
Backpack or shoulder bag
This is a walking question and nothing else. The moment you carry tackle more than a few hundred yards, two straps beat one by a margin that grows with every step.
Backpack for bank fishing, kayak launches, any trail, and anywhere you also carry a rod in one hand and a net in the other. Both hands stay free.
Shoulder bag for boats and short carries. It opens flatter, stands up on its own, and you get at it without taking it off.
Our bank fishing setup makes the case for carrying less than you think you need, which is a better answer than either bag.
What actually fails
The base. Wet ground, then a wicked-up bottom box, then rusted hooks. A molded base is published on both of these and it is the single feature most worth paying for.
The zippers. The backpack publishes heavy-duty molded tooth zippers. Coil zippers on a fishing bag pick up grit and fail at the corner where you always pull.
The straps, at the anchor. Padding is comfort; the stitching where the strap meets the body is what breaks. Nothing published tells you about that, so it is worth checking by eye before you load it.
Waterproof, water-resistant, and the honest position
Neither of these is a dry bag. The backpack publishes a water-resistant fabric and a waterproof base; the bag publishes a hard-backed denier shell and a molded base. That combination sheds spray, wet grass and a shower.
It does not survive a kayak going over or an hour of hard rain, and nothing here claims to. If your phone, keys and wallet need to stay dry regardless, they go in a separate dry case inside the bag — our dry boxes and cases page covers that properly.
So what do I actually buy?
Decide by carry distance first, then by how many 3700 boxes you actually need. Almost everyone needs fewer than they buy.
Plano Weekend Tackle Backpack 3700
$74.99Three 3700s plus two 3600s, waterproof base, two boxes included. The answer if you walk.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Plano Guide Series 3700XL Tackle Bag
$106.75Ten boxes included and published dimensions. The answer if the bag lives in a boat.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Plano Guide Series Two-Tier StowAway 3700
$15.99The 3700 box itself, two tiers with independent latches, for the deep-tackle problem.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
The picks, in full
Every card below lists the specs we could read off a published page, the URL they came from, and one honest reason you might not want it.
1. Best fishing backpack
Plano Weekend Tackle Backpack 3700
Plano
Up to three 3700 boxes plus two 3600s, a molded waterproof base, sternum strap and two boxes included.
The published capacity is the reason to buy it: three 3700 StowAways in the main compartment, two 3600s in the bottom pocket. That is a real number you can plan against rather than a volume figure that tells you nothing about whether your boxes fit.
A molded waterproof base with anti-slip texture is published, and this is the feature that separates a fishing pack from a school bag. Every fishing bag spends its life on wet ground, wet decks and boat ramps, and a fabric base wicks that straight into the bottom box.
A sternum strap is published alongside padded shoulder straps. Loaded with three boxes of hardbaits, a pack is heavy and top-biased, and a sternum strap is what stops the straps sliding off your shoulders when you crouch to land a fish.
Two 3700 StowAway boxes are included. Buying an empty bag and then discovering the boxes cost as much again is the standard trap in this category, so this matters.
The drawback
Plano does not publish an empty weight, which is the figure you want when the whole point is carrying it. "Water-resistant" fabric is not waterproof, and only the base is published as waterproof — a genuine downpour will get into the main compartment. Three 3700s plus two 3600s loaded with hardbaits is also more weight than most people want on their back for a full day, so the capacity is a ceiling, not a target.
Published specs
- Main compartment
- Up to 3 of the 3700 stowaway boxes
- Bottom pocket
- Fits 2 of the 3600 stowaway boxes
- Included
- 2 x 3700 stowaway boxes
- Fabric
- Lightweight, durable, water-resistant
- Base
- Molded waterproof base with anti-slip texture
- Straps
- Padded shoulder straps plus sternum strap
- Back panel
- Structured, with foam pad sections
- Zipper
- Heavy-duty molded tooth
- Pockets
- Side bottle, interior stash, coated-zip front
- Empty weight
- Plano does not publish one
Specs read from Tackle Warehouse - Plano Weekend Tackle Backpacks 3700.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
2. Best if you are not walking far
Plano Guide Series 3700XL Tackle Bag
Plano
20 x 11 x 14.5 in, seven 3750 and three 3650 StowAways included, hard-backed 1680 denier with a molded HDPE base.
Ten included boxes against two is not a small difference. If your problem is that your tackle is spread across a shelf, a garage and three carrier bags, this solves it in one purchase.
Published exterior dimensions of 20 x 11 x 14.5 in tell you whether it fits the space you have — a boat locker, a truck footwell, a shelf. A backpack’s published box count tells you what goes in it; a bag’s published dimensions tell you where it goes.
Hard-backed 1680 denier with a molded HDPE base and non-skid pads is a heavier, more structured build than the backpack. It stands up on its own when open, which is what you want on a deck and irrelevant on a bank.
The drawback
It is a shoulder bag, not a backpack. Carry ten loaded boxes on one shoulder for half a mile and you will regret buying it — this is the wrong tool the moment walking is involved. It is also physically large, and a bag this size encourages carrying tackle you will not use, which is its own quiet cost.
Published specs
- Exterior
- 20 x 11 x 14.5 in
- Boxes included
- Seven 3750 + three 3650 StowAways
- Fabric
- Hard-backed 1680 denier
- Base
- Molded HDPE with non-skid TPR pads
- Carry
- Backpack straps, padded removable shoulder strap, side handles
- Extras
- Magnetic Dropzone, laser-cut MOLLE webbing, rod holders
Specs read from Tackle Warehouse — Plano Guide Series 3700XL Tackle Bag.
#ad how this is funded · price as of October 12, 2026
Questions people actually ask
What size fishing backpack do I need?
Count boxes, not liters. Two 3700 boxes covers most single-species days; three plus a couple of 3600s is a full bank-fishing load and heavier than most people want to walk with.
What is the difference between a 3600 and a 3700 tackle box?
They are footprint standards. The 3700 is the larger of the two and takes crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits; the 3600 suits soft plastics and terminal tackle. Bags publish capacity in these units.
Are fishing backpacks waterproof?
Not usually, and neither of these claims to be. The Plano backpack publishes a water-resistant fabric with a waterproof molded base, which sheds spray and wet ground but not sustained rain or a capsize.
Backpack or tackle bag for bank fishing?
Backpack. Two straps, both hands free for a rod and a net, and a base that copes with being set down on wet ground. A shoulder bag is better in a boat, where you never carry it far.
Read next
Sources
Prices on this page come from the retailer at request time and change without notice. If we cannot get a live one we say “check price” rather than show you a number that has gone stale. How we pick.