I decided to go with the Speedloader at 50". I tend to be on a creek for the majority of my paddling so I was not looking for a big long bag that could hit a swimmer in the middle of the Gualey. I wanted small compact and easy to grab and use. The construction is simple; three foam panels wrapped in nylon all connected with mesh in between the panels. It is made this way so that when it is opened fully it resembles a large bowl that is easy to stack the rope back in as well as have the ability to float and drain water. When the bag is not in use the rope stuffs in quite compactly with a drawstring closer and an external strap around the circumference of the bag to hold things in a snug package. Closed the Speedloader is about the size of a large grapefruit roughly 7" X 5" X 5".
When it's time to use the bag just pull it out, undo the drawstring enough to grab the non throwing end, grab the non throwing end and toss. Once you've collected your swimmer simply open the drawstring all the way and watch the bag fold out into a big bowl, stuff all your rope back in (maybe it will take you 15-30 seconds), close up the drawstring, snap the buckle closed and you're ready to go again.
I love the compactability of the Speedloader. It fits easily in the rope/water bottle holder between my legs in my Mad Boy or Critical Mass so that it is always within reach and does not get in the way. In a practice session I was able to hit my target every time giving me the impression the bag is pretty accurate and easy to throw. It is amazingly easy and quick to re stack the rope. My only complaint so far is that the buckle that is used to keep things tight and compact when not in use tends to slide and loosen a bit. I would also like to see a slightly smaller diameter rope so that we could have maybe a 75' bag but roughly about the same size as the 50" bag I have now. I would have to say that Shane and the guys at Liquid Logic have made a great improvement on the standard throwbag design. Because of the ease of re stacking this rope I tend to dump it all out at the end of the day so that the rope can actually dry out rather then constantly sitting in a wet state. I love that I can do this.
2 comments:
I RECOMMEND THAT WE DO NOT HAVE KNOTS ON THE END OF OUR TROWBAGS AS IF ITS RELEASED IT CAN GET WEDGED BETWEEN ROCKS AND WEDGED IN TREES FORMING A DEAD MANS ANCHOR . CARABINER WILL JUST MAKE A BETTER ANCHOR.A CLEAN RUNNING END HELPS TO MAKE ROPE SAFER IN SWIFT WATER AND HELPS TO MAKE ROPE SYSTEMS RELEASABLE.IF ANYONE WANTS TO DEBATE ON THIS SUBJECT YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT WWW.WHITEWATERTRAINING.CO.ZA
Having a carabiner or a knot on the throwers end of rope is not dangerous unless they are released into the water still attached or tied. As well it provides an assistance in holding a tight rope that is much safer then wrapping the rope around ones hand or arm and allows for a quick tie off if the situation is deemed necessary. The knot on the receivers end is much smaller then the bag itself which will be being dragged through the water thus making the bag a much more likely candidate to snag or create a dead mans anchor. A carabiner on the receivers end is just something hard to injure your swimmer even more.
Rule number one, don't leave a rope in the river. We must manage our ropes responsibly.
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