I’ve had my Aqua Endura Small Carryall for almost a year now and I must admit that I’ve grown extremely fond of it. In terms of my angling kit, it’s become a trusted friend that can always be relied upon to perform without question no matter what the conditions on the bank.
I’m a very lightweight angler and my normal overnight kit consists of a bag, a bedchair, quiver and associated bits and pieces, and anything that can’t be walked to my chosen swim in one go gets left at home; no barrows or whatever, just a minimalist set up that allows me to come and go quickly and get on with the job at hand with no fuss.
As such, my luggage plays a vital part, as not only does it get my gear to and from the swim, it houses it during my stay too. I fish throughout the year without a front on my shelter, so just have my bag easily accessible at the head end of my bed where I’m in and out of it throughout my stay to locate and use various bits and pieces. Unlike many who seemingly have their bivvies decked out like a room at the Ritz, I like to keep everything pretty much packed away, which speeds up my pack up time (12-15 minutes from fishing to walking back to the car all packed up) and also allows me to move quickly should the fish be showing somewhere else.
My carryall is a vital part of this approach and acts as the hub of my focus during each session, acting like one big tackle box storing all of my end tackle, stainless, alarms, tackle box, brew kit, bivvy pegs, scales, water, clothing, torches, food and whatever else. As such, it gets an extreme amount of hammer, as I tend to fish two quick overnighters each week throughout the year. I can only describe its condition after a year of this kind of abuse as remarkable – it’s still mint and with a quick wipe down could be passed off as new.
Much of this is down to the heavy duty materials used in its construction, and with no offence meant, there’s a massive difference between what some companies will claim to be ‘heavy duty’ and what Aqua consider heavy duty! It’s been absolutely bombproof throughout and despite a few occurrences where I thought I must have done it some damage, it remains totally unmarked. I’ve never been one for keeping tackle looking pretty; it’s there to serve a purpose and so the fact that it still looks, well, pretty, is high praise indeed!
As for functionality, it’s perfect. I’m sure many manufacturers make gear with shoulder straps that they never actually envisage will get used such is the popularity of carp barrows, and you only have to walk a short while with some and it feels like cheese wire on your shoulder – not so with the Endra. The padded shoulder strap offers extreme comfort no matter how long it’s on my back. Once at the swim its solid reinforced base means moisture can’t get in – even when on wet ground – and so my gear stored inside is always just as dry in the morning as it was when I arrived. A good example is when I foolishly failed to put the lid on my water bottle correctly – I don’t know at what point it came off but when I arrived at the swim and opened my bag up there was an inch of water in the bottom just sitting there waiting for me… oops!
There’s a good selection of pockets with those on the sides and front having heavy duty zippers, and the full length rear having a flap down fastening with air vents – great for storing items which can go back damp like bivvy pegs and scales, etc. All the zipped pockets have proper over-flaps which cover the zips to prevent rain getting in, and are just another example of the quality design used in its construction. I think the true test of any product is the potential lure of another, and in this instance I can honestly say I think I have the best there is and I know it’s going to be with me for many, many years to come.
Product specification;
• Size 590 mm (w) x 320 mm (h) x 290 mm (d)
• 2 external mesh pockets
• 4 external deep padded pockets
• 1 removable internal security pouch
• Moulded neoprene shoulder strap
• Oversized zips on main compartments
• Security key chain (internally)
• D ring (external)
• Reinforced base
The Aqua Endura Small Caryall retails for around £69.99 and is worth every penny. What else can I say… other than get one!
Julian Grattidge
November 2012
