For many years I was of the opinion that bedchair bags were an unnecessary item of luggage; one of those additional extras whose only purpose would be to weigh me down even more and ultimately, give one more item of bulky luggage to find space for in my bivvy!
How wrong I was!
I did without for years, and transported my bedchair to and from the bank by means of a simple strap attached to the side of my bedchair. I thought this was the best and most effective way and took all the knocks, bumps, scrapes and damp patches that occurred on getting it to and from the swim as par for the course – besides, my bedchair was a JRC so it took all the abuse in its stride!
I must have fished this way for a decade or more, until on buying a replacement JRC bedchair I got a Fox Bedchair bag thrown in for free. My first thought was to sell the bag and carry on as normal, but as the bed was actually in the bag when it arrived, I thought I’d give it a go. To say it was a revelation is a bit of an understatement.
For years I’d had to endure a monster hike to get to one of my regular haunts (hence the need for lightweight transportation) which often included getting all my gear over three stiles dependant on which bank I wanted to fish. This meant lugging my gear over three barbed wire fences getting to the lake, and the same three on the return. It was a rare occurrence that I didn’t snag at least one item on a fence each session! My bedchair was the usual suspect. I keep my sleeping bag and pillow folded up within my chair and it was often a sneaky exposed bit of this that just managed to find a barbed wire spike. Now with the bedchair bag, not only did its outer stop it snagging, but it kept everything safely tucked away inside and shielded my bedchair from all the abuse it got from the elements and myself each time out.
It wasn’t all roses though, I found the build quality a little poor on the Fox Bedchair bag to be honest. The base was not thick enough so within a year the protruding arms on my bedchair had worn perfect holes in the bottom which then dropped it a couple of inches when you were carrying it. Also, the strap was a pain. As the zip only ran across the top of the bag, you could not get your bedchair out unless the strap was loosened to its maximum, and then each time I put it in, I had to then shorten it to its minimum in order to carry it over my shoulder. Once the holes in the bag were there, they were only ever going to get bigger, and so I knew I would need to track down a replacement. Picking which one was a no-brainer. I’ve had a number of JRC luggage items over the years, and none has ever let me down – some are still in full working order after ten years or more. That said, knowing the failings of my previous bag, I knew the new one would need to meet demanding criteria.
Happily, I can say that on my first inspection of the JRC Defender Bedchair Bag I knew I was onto a winner. The bag has a three-way zip which effectively allows you to peel the sides apart like a banana, and with both shoulder strap fixings on the same half, I knew I’d never have to alter a strap again. In addition its construction and use of materials was far superior to the Fox bag, and after only a few minutes of checking it out, I knew I’d be keeping it.
It’s only since I’ve been using it regularly this past month or so that I’ve noticed additional features which make it even better than I had imagined. On the top there is a heavy duty carry handle, and there’s another on the side three quarters of the way up. These two handles (which my previous bag didn’t have) make getting it in and out of the car an absolute breeze. Before I’d have to lift it into the car by gripping the actual bars of the bedchair through the bag, rather than lifting the bag itself, but now I’m able to use these extra handles to get it in and out of the car/house in seconds. It might not seem like much of a feature, but for me it’s made transporting a bulky item ten times easier – and for that alone it’s well worth the price tag.
There’s not much more I can say about it really. The build quality is excellent, the heavy-duty material will give years of trouble free use, and overall I give it ten out of ten – I literally can’t think of anything I’d change.
Although called the Defender, I’m guessing it will easily accommodate other makes of chair. As I say, I pack my bedchair with sleeping bag and pillow all included and it’s a nice snug fit, so you could pack even larger chairs without the sleeping bag, etc.
At the time of writing Trev’s are doing the JRC Defender Bedchair Bag for just £22.99, which to me seems excellent value for money.
Julian Grattidge
March 2009
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www.trevs-tackle.com
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