The Global Paddling Community

The last throwbag I bought was a Lotus, and this was probably around 1995. It was a pretty simple affair, just a bag with the standard rivet and a knot tied through it, a length of rope in a bag and a quick-draw closure. It did have a ring inside that kept the bag open when you stuffed the rope back in, but otherwise it was just a basic throwbag. Which was great by me, I'm a minimalist. But this thing is beginning to show it's age, the rope core is sticking through the mantel in a few places, the yellow fabric is not so bright anymore, so I was quite pleased to get a review sample from WildWasser to see what's new in the world of throwbags these days.

The WildWasser Quick-Draw is a damn fine piece of equipment. It feels like a piece of gear where someone thought of every conceivable amenity and then pared it down to exactly what was necessary and nothing more. The sample I received holds 60 feet of 5/16" polypro rope in a Cordura and mesh bag. There's a daisy-chain sewn to the outside to attach your carabiners and Z-drag hardware (noob note: never throw a bag to someone with carabiners attached, they hurt when they hit). There's a panel of mesh to allow for quick draining and a reflective strip to help increase the visibility of the bag. On the backside are two loops that you can run a belt through to attach the bag to the back of your PFD, making the whole thing very portable. Both of the loops have a rigid but soft plastic sheath that serves to protect the rope from metallic abrasion and keep the loop open easy hooking a carabiner through. These are all fairly standard features these days.

However, there are two features which make the Quick-Draw stand out in my mind. First, the opening for the rope is designed to roll up and clip via quick-clips into two straps on the side. The two straps can then be pulled tight which allows you to compress the entire rope inside the bag, kinda like those sleeping bag compression sacks. You can leave the bag uncompressed or you can tighten it down to a very compact little package with minimal effort. Muy bueno! Also, the webbing straps which are sewn to the bag opening are stiffer than the material, so it helps keep the bag open when you re-stuff it.

Second, there is a cinch-able strap with a quick-clip on the side that you can tighten around your wrist to make a jaunty handbag that will go with all kinds of different eveningwear - watch out Calvin Klein, here comes WildWasser! Just kidding. Without being told by the manufacturer, I assume this is a strap that you can secure to the inside of your kayak so that when you need the bag, just undo the quick-clip and it's ready to get out. So you've got it fastened securely in the event of a swim, but you don't have to take any precious time fiddling with a carabiner when you need it. Pretty good thinking. Also, for people who want to wear it around the waist and still want to be as "clean" as possible (minimal snagging possibilities), it can be removed. So you just stick this strap in your boat and clip the bag in and out freely.

SUMMARY

Everything you need and nothing you don't. Some people just buy the first throwbag they see at their local paddling store; this one is worth shopping around for. I'd like to see a bag that could hold up to 100' of rope as well, but for my purposes, this is just fantastic.

GALLERY