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| Name: Stephen Gillis |
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| E-mail: smgillis@wsu.edu |
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Experience:
Stephen Gillis, smgillis@wsu.edu, has been fly fishing for 20 years. Spent five years guiding in Alaska for an outfitter that consistently gets good reviews from this site. I am a Northwest Salmon/Steelhead/Trout junkie and also fish internationally as much as possible. |
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Product Being Tested:
William Joseph 3D Access Wader Bag. This bag features a fully waterproof base, panel access on two sides, two panel access outside zippered compartments, changing tarp that folds up into the waterproof base, waterproof zippers, fabric recessed carrying handle, webbing shoulder strap, rod carriers on either side. The bag material is heavy cordura nylon, very abrasion and pick resistant but not stiff. MSRP: $179 |
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Snapshot of your experience with products of this sort:
I have tried various wader bags and soft duffels for transporting fly fishing gear over the last eight years, from leading manufacturers. Recently I had been using a HUGE soft duffel from Osprey designed to carry and transport internal frame back packs on airlines. |
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Date of Test:
June 28th to July 5th, 2006 |
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Place of Test:
North Idaho, wade fishing for westslope cutthroat. |
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Test Condition:
One day of rain and then blazing sun with temperatures in the 100’s. Night time temperature swing of 40 degrees so there was heavy dew every night. |
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Relevant related equipment or products:
Waders, boots, vest, car top rod carriers, assorted electronics (GPS, Radio, Camera) |
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Your experience with the product:
Looking at the bag initially, I was concerned it might not be big enough but I could readily see the advantage of the waterproof base and panel access doors. The two doors, which access the main compartment are located on either side of the bag, are large and the panel doors are made from a molded foam, which prevent the top compartment from collapsing on itself when loading/unloading. There are mesh pockets attached to the inside of each large panel door, a perfect place to store fly boxes, extra tippet, zingers, and little items that could get lost. The other two panel doors (also molded foam) are located on either end of the bag and give access to two more large external pockets, which are perfect for carrying sunscreen, bug dope, batteries – things you might not want in contact with Gore-Tex or electronic equipment. The entire top of the bag lies flat when you have the bottom waterproof base zipped open, which makes loading the base simple and easy.
For the first trip, I loaded two pairs of waders and boots in the waterproof base, along with a pair of tevas. Once the base was filled, I found the zippers close smoothly and easily - and the zipper handles are easy to find and hold as they are oversized with a grippy, dimpled texture (convenient in low light or cold hands!). I couldn’t believe it took all that gear! I then loaded my vest (William Joseph Creel), net, wading belt with accoutrements (knife, plier, pepper spray), wading jacket, couple of ball caps, car top rod carriers, dop and first aid kit in the upper compartment through the panel access. Loading all this in the top compartment was a snap. The bag really keeps its shape, even when the panel doors are unzipped meaning you don’t have to fight the to keep the bag open with one hand and try to load it with the other. Finding things inside the main upper compartment is easy as well, if you can’t find what you’re looking for on one side, just unzip the other panel and – voila, you have access to the entire compartment.
So with the 3D bag brimming with all my stuff for six days of fishing we arrived at our camp – where I promptly chucked it in the river. Rest assured, the waterproof base really is waterproof as are all the zippers and when it’s zipped up tight the bag floats, even over loaded with all the gear I crammed in it. I left the bag out over night just to see if the constant exposure over five nights and six days to wet/dry/wet would affect the fabric, zippers or water resistant integrity of the nylon and was pleased every morning and evening to find all my gear dry and nicely organized as I had left it. The bag also became a favorite spot for big stoneflies to mature on after emerging (maybe because of the natural colors of the bag?).
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Qualities you liked about the product:
The panel access doors, waterproof base, and changing tarp. No more ‘Crane Pose’ changing from waders to dry clothes or vice versa. The ability to separate wet items from dry items is very nice and the divider between the base and top compartment does not get saturated, so your dry stuff really does stay dry. Stonefly magnet. |
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Qualities you didn't liked about the product:
None, just a few minor suggestions:
Make the shoulder strap more comfortable; maybe a length of molded foam (like what’s found on the doors) on the strap would be good. Plain 2.5 inch webbing digs into flesh.
Some type of Velcro/snap closure on the inside mesh pockets on the panel doors: being able to close the top of the pocket would help in keeping small items from coming out of the pocket when the top compartment is laying flat when the waterproof base is open.
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Summary Comments
Best wading bag I’ve ever used. This bag is a perfect gear bag for any length trip - though you might need to carry an additional smaller bag for clothing, depending on location and length of trip. This bag has been on the water with me for over 43 days this season…which is why my review is a little late. |
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