As I handed over £5.20 for two pints of beer in my local village pub, I thought to myself, “You don’t get much for a fiver these days!” Well, it appears that I should spend less time in the pub and more time at Aldi!
I must admit that I was slightly concerned when I received an initial press release from them, as the idea of a fishing shelter for £4.99 seemed destined to result in a bad review, but I have to admit that for what it is and for what it costs, this has to be one of the bargains of the year!
The shelter itself measures 240cm x 120cm x 120cm and comes with pegs and guy ropes. It is simple to erect, using three poles that fold down with elasticated cord inside them. Once up, you can peg out the front as in the photo here, or zip it up if you’re not intending to sit inside it whilst fishing.
Obviously, this isn’t the kind of item that is ‘heavyweight’ enough to replace a bivvy, but it will certainly come in handy if you experience a shower, or even want to keep the sun off your back. There’s nothing stopping you using it on overnight sessions, though, especially in the warmer months.
As someone who takes a lot of tackle with him when he goes carp fishing, I can see it being used as a separate storage area for me this year – somewhere to keep all the stuff I don’t need during the night.
Of course, those of you with kids will realise an extra benefit….my nearly-four-year-old daughter absolutely loves this ‘tent’ and, at just £4.99, you wouldn’t be worried about the little darlings breaking it somehow. Which they’ll invariably do one day, whether you let them play with your £5 Aldi shelter, or your cherished £300 bivvy!
This fishing shelter is due to hit the Aldi shelves in June and I can imagine that they’ll sell a lot of them. Other items are also being released and you can find details of them by clicking here.