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From RiverAndReef.com Reviews
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Miscellaneous
Most of us spend a fair amount of time travelling to fish, since few are lucky enough to live on their home water. Travelling fly fishing isn't just about aircraft, 99% of our excursions would involve a road trip. Usually, it means a pile of fishing gear in the back of your vehicle, perhaps if your particularly organised a plastic bin or duffel. But Loon Outdoors have now released the perfect road trip bag in their Loon Travel Wader Bag. Loon are best known for their innovative and environmentally friendly products like floatants, sinkants line clears and more. But for 2004 Loon have added a range of gear including some nice looking rod and reel cases, the vest/harness "Flak Jacket" and the hip belt style "Fishing System". Let me say firstly I'm seriously rapt with my Bag, which features one of the best designs I've come across. From the outside it doesn't look remarkable, a simple box shape, 13" long x 24" wide x14 tall. Its heavy duty olive cordura, with a waterproof bottom, and removable handles (good for air travel), with all walls lined with (fairly thin) foam for protection. On the front is a slit pocket with a changing mat. Pretty standard stuff proving that the exterior doesn't maketh the bag. Inside is the good stuff! Hanging off the front and two sides, of the zip out cavernous interior, are rectangular pockets (genuine 4 sided "boxes" if u like) each big enough to take a pair or wading boots or waders. A second zippered slit pocket is on the inside wall. At the back are a couple of standard slit pockets for other gear, and a row of pocket which will each take a standard fly box. For my wife and I, boots, gravel guards and belts go in the side pockets, other gear goes in the slit pocket on the front of our "boot box". Two pairs of breathables in the middle plus 2 wading jackets and 2 vests (did I mention its big). I can also get my 5 piece in here, and a tripod. (I know because Im packing for New Mexico) The third front pocket "box" contains sunscreen, insect repellant, reels, head lamps, heater pads, gloves hats etc. The smaller slit pcket has extra indictor, tippet spools, shot leaders etc etc. Two people, heaps of gear and its still not full. Which in fact is the only reason this bag doesn't score a 10. Loon's marketing department got a little carried away pushing it as a backpack/travel bag. For a start the thin "backpack straps-carrying handles" aren't comfortable enough for backpacking for any length of time, with the amount of weight you can put into the bag itself. To my mind a serious air travel bag needs rollers, (or a proper harness) but these would add weight/cost to the bag. What this bag is perfect for is road trips and for that purpose it excels. And after all this is what all of us do most. The wader bag will keep your gear organised, dry and safe during road trips to your home waters or further afield. Its the kind of thing you can keep all your gear in waiting for a trip, toss it in the car and off you go. For one person, the bag is useful enough to serve as a gear and tackle bag as well. At $89US its a bargain compared to others on the market and huge step up from everyday duffel bags. See it pictured on the Loon website or hike yourself along to your Loon dealer and check it out. Score: 9/10 © Copyright © 1998-2007 RiverAndReef.com |
