The new "Deluxe" Tulli Horizon Chest Pack gets tweaked with polished ergonomics and extra storage capacity
 

Total Score: 9.00 + Best Value Award

Introduction: The original Tulli chest pack scored points for excellent storage capacity and respectable ergonomics, and offered fly anglers a quality alternative to the common fly fishing vest. Building on the success of the original, Tulli now introduces the Horizon Deluxe Chest Pack. This new pack is designed to suit the needs of all types of anglers, and boasts a redesigned layout, enhanced ergonomics, and supplementary storage.
 

About Sportgear: Sportgear.CA is based in Canada, and has always had a simple mission; To design and build gear that enhances all your outdoor activities. Sportgear.CA is the parent company to a number of brands, including Hawkeye Tackle, and the River Otter Bag company. Through these brands they have released a number of products including their Azen stormproof lighters, tackle boxes, leader boards, River Otter waterproof pouches, and of course...the Tulli Chest Packs. It was 2 years ago when we first looked at the original Tulli chest pack, and we were impressed with the unique design and quality layout which helped make it easier to organize your tackle, while still allowing for a great amount of freedom to move around. The new Tulli Horizon Deluxe takes the original design a step further by significantly reengineering the original, as well as offers an array of options to significantly boost storage capacity. The result is a chest pack which the company believes all anglers, not just fly fisherman, can make use of.
 

Impressions: The Horizon comes in one color, Olive, and I must admit I like the new greenish tone of the new pack much more than the tan color found on the original. The new pack looks a lot more full-bodied than the original, with scores of new straps and d-rings conveniently positioned on every angle of the pack. The Horizon also features Premium 600 denier grade water repellent fabric, a new chest strap design for accessing inner pockets, two redesigned front flap pockets for more gear storage, four redesigned mesh pockets to fit leader spools & small fly boxes, two large side “D” ring attachments for wading staff and side accessories, and a rod carrying strap.

The initial Tulli pack already offered more storage than any other vest we have tested to date, but was still shy of being big enough to accommodate large provisions like food, extra clothing, or camera equipment. While most fly anglers want a fly vest that is lightweight and easy to move around in there are times when longer trips require anglers to carry additional supplies. With most standard vests you are out of luck, and need to strap on another day pack.

The Horizon now features an interchangeable half and full back units. The half back is a flat pack which is capable of holding just the necessities or a hydration bladder, while the fullback is essentially a backpack with one large main compartment, 3 mesh pockets and a handy rod tube holder. The 902A fullback unit can be bought with the Horizon or as an option if you wish to have the choice of switching back and forth between the two back units. Strapping on the fullback unit more than doubles storage capacity, and eliminates the need for anglers to carry an additional pack on mid range excursions.

Real World Test: To test the Horizon we decided to head out to the hills and do some trekking in search of some out of sight streams. We loaded the Horizon up with all our fishing gear then proceeded to pack in plenty of extras including an extra reel, emergency water, snacks, lunch, sunscreen, bug repellent, and even a compactable fleece.

Storage: The Horizon is truly the SUV of fishing vests/packs. This chest pack is designed to hold all your fishing tackle and then some. Traditional fly fishing vests are great for fly boxes, tippet, and strike indicators, but the undersized pockets do little for bass anglers. Trying to cram a hodgepodge of jigs, spinners, and cranks in your fly vest is a tricky feat, not to mention the challenge of trying to organize them in some straightforward easy to access way. This is not the case with the Horizon which features two massive front pockets, each capable of holding a 3500 series Plano box. All in all there are 14 pockets which is just about the right amount to offer plenty of storage and still remain organized. Half of these pockets are mesh pockets which allow you to stow wet lures until they dry. Easy Velcro under flap pockets make it easy to draw tools like tweezers, hemostats, or pliers quickly, and 8 D-rings can be uses to snap on frequently used tools like hook files, nippers, or even a wading staff.

In the rear the flat back unit is excellent for short trips and you can easily stow flat hydration packs and energy bars. The fullback pack is like a mid sized backpack and is capable of holding large plastic lexan bottles without putting any pressure against the arch of your back. 

A easy to use layout provides generous storage for more than just fly boxes

Next Section: Ergonomics and Ratings