Ian Golds large backpack...

Message

#1 Post by **stevecrow74** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:23 pm

ok.. mine just arrived today.. what can i say... well the words large back pack is a bit of an understatement.. massive or huge would be more fitting..

having now retired both my rucksack and travel fishing bag the back pack has managed to fit not only all the tackle that was carried in both rucksack and bag it also has a neat compartment for bait..

the back straps are well padded and comfortable to wear, comfort is especially needed for me due to having a bad lower back, and also comes with a shoulder strap and four small velcro straps(well, mine did anyways) which make it handy for attaching loads of different things to the four hoop/straps on the top of the backpack.. and has a large pocket behind for bits and pieces(i wonder can i fit a cushion in there

)

with more pockets than fourtycoats (the younger fishers might not get that) there is plenty of room for rig wallets, gloves etc etc. both side pockets come with a nice little loop/strap which for some reason holds the 50cm Ian Golds match measure perfectly (strange that

)

upon opening the top compartment there is plenty of room to fit the cooler compartment(will get to that in a bit) and comes with three separators which can be adjusted with velcro to suite any holding space required..
in the lid of the top is a large zipped pocket , the lid has also an adjustable strap to prevent it completely flipping over(nice touch)

upon opening the front via two zips at the sides and velcro along the top you will see three shelves all well spaced for plastic trays, the top shelf contains the cooler bag, as mentioned before this also fits in the top compartment of the bag(thats how big it is) well padded with silver interior i can see this getting plenty of use keeping bait frozen, worms and crabs cool and any fish for the pot fresh.

what more can i say.. i like it.. it holds all that you will need, and then some..

fully packed and on the back the weight is nicely spread across the shoulders and without the hard edges you get with seat boxes..

fair play to those that designed it (and no i'm not under any commission)
it is well worth its weight in Gold(pardon the pun)

p.s. the one i have is the prototype with the Elite logo before they realised that Fox were using the logo..
from what i have been told there are only 12 Ian Golds 'Elite' backpacks in existence... i guess its a limited edition then

[img]http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/2701/13092007pp0.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/17/13092007001ca9.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7189/13092007002yj2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/2451/13092007003lo3.jpg[/img]
as you ca see i like daiwa reels.. 2 7ht's sl20 sl30..

[img]http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/3462/13092007004rj5.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1174/13092007005bb3.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/3720/13092007006xr0.jpg[/img]
just to give size of trays(they dont come with it though)

[img]http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/1788/13092007007uq5.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/5260/13092007008ye0.jpg[/img]

thanks again Tom

#2 Post by **happyguy73** » Thu Sep 13, 2007 11:54 pm

Glad to see you took the plunge and ordered one Stevecrow74!

I was very happy with mine as you probably gathered from my short report

glad your happy with yours too

#3 Post by **contender** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:53 am

Blad to hear you like the back pack. i think they are great. Although i opted for the smaller pack it still has ample room for all i need to carry and would highly recommended them.

#4 Post by **corbyeire** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:04 am

heres a question for ye

would it still keep the water out on the bottom of the bag when its on the sand when beach fishing

its one of those things that gets to me - you leave something down on apparently dry sand but as you konw yourselves over time it sinks a bit under its own weight and gets wet

looks a great job alright - must go fishing with one of ye soon and have a right gawk at it

Rockhopper · #5 Post by **Rockhopper** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:38 am

corbyeire wrote:heres a question for ye

would it still keep the water out on the bottom of the bag when its on the sand when beach fishing

its one of those things that gets to me - you leave something down on apparently dry sand but as you konw yourselves over time it sinks a bit under its own weight and gets wet

looks a great job alright - must go fishing with one of ye soon and have a right gawk at it

Corby,

If you mean would the fabric act like blotting paper and suck the water or damp into the fabric the answer is NO! the fabric is made from a 600D Polyester with a thick PVC backing...water wont get through the fabric, but obviously anywhere there are zips would let some water penetrate as would the mesh pockets on the sides and back. All of the materials used on the body, straps and the mesh is rot-proof, all of the plastic parts are made from ABS plastic, this is less likely to be brittle in cold weather...the only metal on the bag is on the zip sliders, they are made from powder coated aluminum....you can buy plastic sliders but they wear very fast (like within 3 months) and are more problematic than aluminum.
The base of the bag is made from a heavy rubberized fabric that is very tuff against wear, also on the base you have 5 heavy duty grip feet that keep the bag quite high, like on rocks or the deck of a boat....the bag has many "D" rings to attach things or secure it to something if needed.

BTW...the heavy duty zips are all one piece spiral, some call them "self healing zips" as they dont jam or if crushed they will retain a memory and still work.

Having used both sizes of this bag myself for a long time, let me tell you this...everyone who asks my advise on what size to get is told the small will surprise you as to what it holds....then they buy the large to be safe

for a good session without any compromise everything you need will fit into the smaller one...there is no wasted space anywhere

Thanks for all the kind words regarding the bag, it is appreciated as the bag took a long time to think out and we did listen to anyone and everyone who made constructive comments.

Regards,
Tom.

Mr_Green · #6 Post by **Mr_Green** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:50 am

my constructive comment is, i should have one for free, for testing purposes...i have a big sway with anglers tom

...i can convince to like it

#7 Post by **derek yeates** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:57 am

I have one and its the dogs b*****s
only thing i would add to it is a waist belt like a normal ruck sac

#8 Post by **corbyeire** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:59 am

thats a comprehensive answer rockhopper

Rockhopper · #9 Post by **Rockhopper** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 12:12 pm

derek yeates wrote:I have one and its the dogs b*****s
only thing i would add to it is a waist belt like a normal ruck sac

Why no waist belt.....a few reasons....most users dont do long hikes....the back-pack bags dont really come far enough down the back to the hips, this is where you get more benefit from a waist belt.....9/10 times a waist belt would get in the way, it could even cause an accident if you got your feet caught in it during darkness or on a swaying boat....we did think about it but left it off.....sorry Derek

Davy boy.......with all the hours your working you can afford to buy your friends one

when would you use it, yer never out of the kitchen

Tom.

#10 Post by **derek yeates** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:31 pm

cant argue with those answers
its still the dogs any way (hate dog fish)

Mr_Green · #11 Post by **Mr_Green** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 1:37 pm

ah tom im a bit of a metrosexual when it comes to accesorries..u know i love them

#12 Post by **Bradan** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:02 pm

Mr_Green wrote: ah tom im a bit of a metrosexual

Heard that about you alright....

Rockhopper · #13 Post by **Rockhopper** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 3:25 pm

kinda makes you feel safe with your back-pack on doesnt it

Tom.

Mr_Green · #14 Post by **Mr_Green** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 6:26 pm

speaking of backpacks, TOMMMMMM!

#15 Post by MC » Fri Sep 14, 2007 10:39 pm

hi tom, steve

is the bag washable? easy to clean?

thanks

#16 Post by **stevecrow74** » Fri Sep 14, 2007 11:45 pm

MC wrote:hi tom, steve

is the bag washable? easy to clean?

thanks

looking at it i'd say its very east to clean.. a bit of soapy water should do the trick

(still not under commission, but probably should be

)

Rockhopper · #17 Post by **Rockhopper** » Sat Sep 15, 2007 1:30 am

MC wrote:hi tom, steve

is the bag washable? easy to clean?

thanks

Martin,

Like the new (self elected) test pilot (Steve

) said....soap and water and a stiff brush is all you need......btw....fabric that has a PVC backing is also rip-proof....as a friend of mine found out after cutting the head off a Mackerel on the lid of the bag....it cut the fabric but the cut wont get bigger or fray at the edges.....most fishing luggage is made of this type of fabric now.

BTW...Martin....I havent forgoten the "Z" rod bag.....there is just a hold up , it should be sorted soon....

Thats going to be made from the same fabric too.

Tom.

#18 Post by MC » Sat Sep 15, 2007 9:33 pm

Rockhopper wrote:
MC wrote:hi tom, steve

is the bag washable? easy to clean?

thanks
Martin,

Like the new (self elected) test pilot (Steve ) said....soap and water and a stiff brush is all you need......btw....fabric that has a PVC backing is also rip-proof....as a friend of mine found out after cutting the head off a Mackerel on the lid of the bag....it cut the fabric but the cut wont get bigger or fray at the edges.....most fishing luggage is made of this type of fabric now.

BTW...Martin....I havent forgoten the "Z" rod bag.....there is just a hold up , it should be sorted soon.... Thats going to be made from the same fabric too.no worries sir, look forward to showing it off
Tom.

thanks tom, think of changing from the box to this bag, may go for the bigger one, just have to be good and see what santa brings

Rockhopper · #19 Post by **Rockhopper** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 12:49 am

Geeezas Martin yer thinking about Christmas already......you will have to be good.....or else

Mr_Green · #20 Post by **Mr_Green** » Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:54 am

and no toilet paper ion sight...dirty ba***rd