KastKing Fishing Tackle Bags With Trays

This bag is going to serve as my new go to bag for saltwater. The medium size is ideal and is not too bulky to carry. Between the 4 tackle boxes, it’s well made and able to fit all of the lures and tackle I need for the day. The additional details of rubber feet on the bottom of the bag adds durability, reinforcing areas where it matters. The design of the bag comes with additional zippered storage on the sides and on top, great for my fishing and tools. A neat feature that I like is the dedicated pocket to hold your pliers. Overall, I’m happy with the quality and features you receive in this bag for the value.

My son loves his bag. Perfect. Holds alot

This review is for the medium size.
Full disclosure: KastKing provided this bag to me to test & review. I have used multiple KK products for years and was optimistic about this one filling some important roles.
I was not disappointed.

As an angler with many years of backpacking & camping too, I always want to know how many things any piece of equipment can do for me and if I can rely on it for the long haul.

THE SHORT VERSION: Solidly built full-featured compact bag; Holds 5 3600 trays (w/4 of them included), including bulkier Plano Edge or KastKing Hyperseal boxes. Great for kayakers, mobile bank anglers, or just as an excellent go-bag if you’re hopping on someone else’s boat. Would also work as a handy campsite bag or day hiker.

FIRST LOOK:
-Quality nylon. Nice hard non-slip cleat-style bottom looks like it’ll take a beating (AND keep the bag dry on damp ground which is a huge plus on a post-rain or swampy bank). Stitching seems solid.
-MOLLE (Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment) panel on the front = instant expandability. Great feature for hanging anything with a clip on it, even if you don’t use true MOLLE accessories.
-the American flag patch is attached by velcro and can be removed to provide 2 velcro strips that provide even more modular flexibility for anything else you want quick access to. Just stick an adhesive velcro patch on it & it’ll stick to the pack.
-padded velcro handle to join the hand-carry straps
-adjustable shoulder strap with quality moveable pad
-COLOR: Normally I like the fact that KastKing puts bright orange on their stuff. Makes it easy to spot (not leave behind) if you put it down. But I actually really like the solid color on this bag. Other than the white KK logos (& some black in the carry pads), it’s all one color. Even the clips and zip-grips are matching (army khaki in this case). I might switch to black to make it stand out if I wander away from it on a brushy bank, but having my bright orange scissors clipped on or my (yup, bright orange) scale sticking out of a pocket should do the trick.

THE BREAKDOWN:
THE FRONT (in addition to MOLLE/velcro mentioned above) has a small zipped pocket lined with soft nylon lining. I fit a large scale in it. Or 2 spools of line with room to spare. Or my polarized glasses in a hard case AND my Galaxy S23 Ultra in a case.
There is also a vertical slit MOLLE patch above it that you can throw a carabiner in to hang keys or glasses, etc on, or turn it horizontally and have a spot to hang lures by the hook if you want to keep a quick bait change handy. (SEE PIC)
Unzip the flap itself and you have a nice pocket for a few pouches of soft plastics, plus a divided mesh pocket on the back wall to hold small packs of terminal tackle &/or your fishing license,wallet, etc.
*A couple grommet tabs in here would’ve been a nice touch to attach soft bait sleeves like the ones in the KK Bait Boss bag (or similar size). The sleeves themselves fit perfectly though and add further contained organization vs loose packs. (SEE PIC)

THE LEFT: simple open pocket with a holster attached for pliers, with a velcro strap to secure them when you’re on the move. The side pockets aren’t pleated (don’t expand) but that helps keep the tight profile for it’s intended purpose intact. It also increases the hold on whatever you might stuff in (or clip on) them.

THE RIGHT: Same pocket as the left without the holster. I was able to fit a scale with lip grips (the KastKing model- not small) plus used the clip on my pliers holster to attach on the outside. A 5”x3.5”x1.75” plastic box I use for go-to soft baits fit securely too.
*The back end of this pocket has the most cleverly designed feature of the bag: first look shows a clip style adjustable strap. This could be used to hold a towel or extra shirt layer. But open up the vertical pocket next to it and a water bottle pocket is tucked away inside. It’s wide enough to hold a Hydro Flask or a Contigo travel cup and the strap further secures it in place. A little wider would be nice but if you want to bring a Nalgene, you can attach it elsewhere. If you don’t use it, it tucks away rather than flapping around on the outside. The pocket it’s in is also another nice spot to stash a spool of line or wallet & keys, etc.

THE BACK: The zip flap opens to horizontal tray access (4 3600’s, included with the bag) with a vertical velcro strap to hold them in place. Oddly, the mesh pocket on the outside isn’t mesh. It has mesh over a solid layer for some reason. But it’s a nice sized pocket with a velcro tab closure.

THE TOP: Main zipper opens the large lid to vertical access to the 4 trays inside and has a full size clear plastic zippered pocket that would hold soft plastics nicely while seeing what it is you’re reaching for.
Upper zipper lid flips open to reveal space for another 3600 tray. It’s a nice spot for a box of go-to lures or terminal tackle. OR if you’re a kayaker that uses app-based mapping etc it makes a perfect platform for an iPad/tablet (see pic). I also pulled the main compartment trays out (…as one would while fishing) to see if the iPad would still be stable and yes. The bag frame is built solidly enough that it didn’t even sag. If you don’t need a 5th tray (or mapping) it’s a great spot for snacks or a lunch tupperware, complete with a mini table to eat it on.
On the lid side there’s a divided mesh pocket which has the only real design flaw I found: If you use the open platform for a tackle tray or iPad/tablet, the lid is flipped open which turns the mesh pockets upside down. The better design would have been to reverse them to keep contents from falling out if you open it fully. Or add zippers/velcro to them so it wouldn’t matter.

THE CARRY: A bag for bank-beaters also needs to carry well and this one didn’t disappoint. The adjustable clip-on strap and moveable shoulder pad allowed me to wear it at my side with my elbow resting on it if I wanted to keep the water bottle handy or swing it behind me for going through tight brush to the next spot.

SUMMARY: A very sturdy, well-designed compact bag. I use 3700 size trays in my bass boat (or the bank when my SUV is close enough to access). The large size has you covered if you prefer bigger trays. But for covering bank, hiking to get to it in the first place, or kayaking, this bag carries everything you could possibly need and is built to do it for a long time. I definitely look forward to using it (with the iPad mapping) in my kayak.

BOTTOM LINE: Really solid products at reasonable prices is KastKing’s specialty and they’ve done it again here.

Great tackle bag. Lots of room. Zippers have been good so far. Perfect size to throw in the truck and go pond hopping.