6 Best Folding Fishing Nets For Backpacking That Won’t Weigh You Down

You’re miles from the trailhead, casting into a crystal-clear alpine lake as the sun dips behind the ridge. A flash of silver, the line goes tight, and you realize the beautiful brook trout on the end of your line is bigger than you thought. This is the moment you’ll be glad you didn’t leave a landing net behind to save a few ounces.

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Key Factors for a Backcountry-Ready Fishing Net

When you’re carrying everything on your back, every piece of gear has to earn its place. A fishing net is no different. The perfect net for a roadside stream is often a clunky liability five miles into the wilderness. Your primary consideration is the classic backcountry triangle: weight vs. durability vs. packability.

A net for a quick overnight trip can afford to be a bit more robust. But for a multi-day trek where you’re covering serious mileage, every ounce matters. Think about how the net will travel. Does it have a simple clip to attach to a D-ring on your pack, or will you need to stash it inside? Look for designs that fold, collapse, or telescope into a package that won’t snag on every low-hanging branch you walk under.

The hoop size and handle length are also critical compromises. A larger hoop provides a bigger target for landing a fish, which is especially helpful when you’re tired and perched on an awkward rock. A longer handle gives you precious reach from a steep bank. Both, however, add weight and bulk. Your decision should be based on the type of water you fish and the size of fish you realistically expect to encounter.

Tenkara Rod Co. Net for the Minimalist Angler

Imagine you’re on a fast-and-light traverse where fishing is more of an afterthought—a pleasant way to end a long day of hiking. You’re not targeting monsters; you’re just hoping for a few small, beautiful trout. This is where a simple, elegant net designed for minimalism truly shines.

The Tenkara Rod Co. net is built on this philosophy. It’s incredibly lightweight and features a classic, fixed wooden handle and hoop that speaks to the simplicity of the tenkara style. It’s not meant to fold or collapse, but its small profile and feather-light construction mean it can be easily tucked into the side pocket of a pack or lashed to the outside without a second thought. This is the net for the angler who values tradition and has fully embraced the less-is-more ethos of the backcountry.

PLUSINNO Floating Net: A Feature-Rich Budget Pick

You’re gearing up for a weekend backpacking trip to a popular lake basin. You love to fish, but you’re not ready to invest in top-tier, specialized equipment just yet. You need something that works reliably without draining your adventure budget.

The PLUSINNO Floating Net is a fantastic starting point for exactly this scenario. Its standout feature is right in the name: it floats. Dropping a net while trying to manage your footing on slick rocks is a common and frustrating mistake, and this feature is a simple solution. These nets typically feature a collapsible handle and a folding hoop, making them easy to pack, and they often come with a lanyard and clip right out of the box. While the materials may not have the refined feel of premium models, the practical, get-the-job-done design offers incredible value for casual backcountry anglers.

Goture Folding Net for All-Around Packability

For the dedicated backpacker who fishes on almost every trip, a reliable and unobtrusive net is essential. You need a tool that deploys quickly when you need it and disappears when you don’t. It has to be tough enough for consistent use but compact enough that you never question bringing it along.

The Goture folding net design is a masterclass in packability. The triangular hoop often folds down with a simple one-handed motion, and the handle collapses, creating a remarkably small package. This design is arguably one of the most space-efficient on the market, allowing you to slide it into a pack’s water bottle pocket or small exterior pouch with ease. It strikes an excellent balance between a functional hoop size, decent durability, and a weight that won’t punish you on long ascents.

Frabill Power Stow for Its Compact, Sliding Handle

Picture yourself fishing a tight mountain stream with thick willows crowding the banks. You can’t get close to the water, and you need to land a fish from a few feet away. A standard short-handled net just won’t cut it, but a long, fixed-handle net is impossible to carry through the brush.

This is the exact problem the Frabill Power Stow series is built to solve. Instead of just folding, the handle slides and telescopes, allowing for significantly more reach than other compact designs. When you need it, you get the extension of a much larger net. When you’re done, it collapses into a surprisingly stout and manageable package. This added mechanism does mean a slight weight penalty, but for anglers who consistently find themselves needing that extra reach, the tradeoff is absolutely worth it.

Wakeman Collapsible Net: The Ultralight Choice

You’re planning a section hike of a long trail, and your spreadsheet is filled with the weight of every single item, down to the gram. You want the ability to land a fish in the high-country tarns you’ll be passing, but your baseweight is sacred. You need the absolute lightest functional net you can find.

The Wakeman Collapsible Net is a prime example of a design that prioritizes weight savings above all else. Built with a lightweight aluminum frame and a fine, coated nylon mesh, it feels almost weightless in your hand and on your pack. The handle typically telescopes and the hoop folds, ensuring it takes up minimal space. This is not the net you choose for wrestling powerful fish in a heavy current. Its ultralight construction is a deliberate compromise, sacrificing some measure of durability for an unbeatable advantage on the trail.

Orvis Nomad Emerger Net for Carbon Fiber Durability

For the angler planning a multi-day expedition into a remote river system, gear failure is more than an inconvenience—it can derail the entire trip. You need equipment that is as tough and resilient as you are. You’re looking for a lightweight, bombproof tool you can depend on, season after season.

The Orvis Nomad series represents the pinnacle of landing net construction, and the Emerger is perfectly sized for backcountry use. Made from a carbon fiber and fiberglass composite, it’s astonishingly light yet incredibly strong and rigid. The clear rubber net bag is gentle on fish and won’t snag your flies. This is a premium tool with a price tag to match, but for the serious angler who demands uncompromising performance and long-term durability, it’s an investment in countless future successes on the water.

Choosing Your Net: Rubber vs. Coated Nylon Mesh

The material of the net bag itself is a final, crucial decision. It directly impacts fish health, your frustration levels, and the net’s overall weight and packability. There is no single "best" material; there’s only the best material for your priorities.

• Rubber Mesh: This is the gold standard for fish safety. The smooth, soft material is gentle on a fish’s protective slime coat, making it the ideal choice for catch-and-release. As a massive bonus, your hooks will almost never get tangled in it. The downsides are significant for a backpacker: rubber is heavier and far bulkier than nylon.
• Coated Nylon Mesh: This is the ultralight backpacker’s friend. The fine mesh, often coated with a rubberized material, is incredibly lightweight and packs down to a fraction of the size of a rubber net. While the coating helps protect the fish, it’s generally considered less gentle than a full rubber bag. It’s also more prone to snagging the small hooks used for trout flies.

Your choice comes down to a simple question of priorities. If your primary concern is minimizing impact on the fish and you can afford the extra ounces, choose rubber. If your main goal is to keep your pack light and compact for a long-distance trek, coated nylon is often the more practical and necessary choice.

Ultimately, the best net is the one that’s with you when you need it. Don’t get paralyzed by the pursuit of the perfect gear. Pick a net that fits your budget and your style of adventure, toss it on your pack, and get outside.