I have had the Chub Super Deluxe 110 Litre Rucksack for about a year now, so it is time for me to put pen to paper and review how it has performed.
The first question has to be, why a rucksack?. Previously I had managed with a large carryall into which I bundled everything. Not the most practical way of going about things, but as I already had the carryall, it was cheap.
I had two major problems with the carryall, the first and most important of them was that like most carryalls they are slung over one shoulder. This is probably ok if you are young and fit, although there was a recent study of back problems in school children that pointed to the probable cause being the carryall loaded with school books and slung over one shoulder. As I have Osteoarthritis in both knees, also no doubt in my back and my neck, it seemed sensible to explore other options.
Before the carryall I had a trolley onto which I loaded a black Shakespeare seat box loaded to the gills with all manner of gear, including spares for just about everything. In theory a trolley would seem to offer the benefits that I was looking for, but due to the knee problem I was always in pain. The reason for this is simple to understand. To make any forward progress you have to push off with alternate legs. This means that the knee joint, if damaged, has to be bone on bone to give sufficient push. Trolleys are fine when on a smooth surface, but become something different when being dragged over a rough field, and even worse when the field has been reduced to deep mud by a milling herd of cows.
I think that the African woman that you see in films carrying large loads on their heads have the right strategy, with the weight straight through their centre line, but I can imagine the comments if you were to turn up at the lake with all of your gear perched precariously on your head!
The next best alternative seemed to be a rucksack, that if adjusted correctly would sit tight to the back. A far better option than having something slung over just one shoulder. At least the load would be stable, evenly distributed and carried close to a centre line.
So much for the theory, but what about the practice.
Firstly you are going to have to make a choice on which make and model you purchase. Go to as many tackle shops as possible and try them on. Do not be swayed by make, and what logo is on the rucksack, and what status that would give you with your fishing mates. Pick something that is the right size for you, that is well made with good stitching, and feeling robust in its construction. Make sure that it can be adjusted to fit your circumference and also that it has as many adjustment points for it to be carried high or low on your back as you would like it to be. Above all else TAKE YOUR TIME.
I settled for a Chub rucksack as I felt inwardly that it offered very good design and quality. There is a vast array of adjustable straps so that it can fit you any way you like. The comfort, once it is loaded and strapped to your back, is very good, and far better than the army ones that I had to carry all them years ago when I was doing my national service.
It is extremely comfortable and the padding is superb. I had a choice of three Chub rucksacks, namely 55 Litres, 90 Litres and the 110 Litres.
Now I felt that the smaller one was just a bit too small, especially when waterproofs, spare jumpers, etc, were going to have to be carried, certainly in the winter. That left the two larger ones. Now it seems to be a fact of life that the more storage space you have, the more stuff will find its way into the storage and within a very short time there will be no room left.
Think of your wife’s kitchen or the fitted units in the bedroom. They are immense when you first purchase them, but within a short time you have run out of storage room.
As weight was always going to be a problem for me, my initial preference was for the 90 Litre one. In the shop I remember picking up first one and then the other, and there was not a lot of detectable difference between them as far as weight was concerned, and as the larger one was only £ 10-00 more than its smaller brother I finally settled for the larger model.
Another thing that swayed me was that I thought the pocket set up on the larger model offered better storage options. On the 110 Litre rucksack there are five pockets. The long pocket takes my stainless steel 1.8 Litre flask, together with a mug, tea bags, milk powder and a container with some Oxo cubes in it, (don’t forget the spoon), also in this pocket fits my float tube. The larger of the pockets on the front of the rucksack takes my large Fox system box, together with my lightweight summer waterproofs. The upper smaller pocket takes all manner of things including glasses, disgorgers, forceps, wire cutters, the bite alarms etc. The two pockets on the right house bait boxes, Avon scales and my first aid box which is in fact a Drennan 2 pint bait box, and a set of tent pegs for the Brotel. Having stowed away all of the smaller items you are left to ponder what you are going to find to fill up the immense central compartment. In mine I carry my Protak lined suit for the winter together with a sleeping bag (more of that another day), a bait bucket and some ground bait, and my Drennan bait waiter.
I am not too bothered what the material is that the rucksack is constructed of, and what hi-tech terms are used to describe its construction and salient points, I am solely interested in its ability to do the job.
The outer two pockets and the long pocket have double zips on them and the top of the pockets go down over the zips to make the pockets waterproof. The zips have large end tags to them which is great when your fingers are cold in the winter. The two smaller pockets on the right of the rucksack have no zips, and rely on the pocket lid covering the entrance hole. Inside the main compartment section are two draw cords, one to constrict the top of the rucksack, and the other to constrict the seal of the central section.
In the top zipped pouch is a very large waterproof cover that once extricated from its pocket completely covers the loaded rucksack, and has a drawstring to pull the cover tight, which is especially handy in wet and windy weather. My estate lake is very muddy through the winter months, and the rucksack has been liberally covered with the stuff on numerous occasions. When I get home, I wipe off as much mud as I can, and then give the outside a wash off with warm soapy water. It is hard to believe that it is now a year old.
On the front harness there are two D shaped rings, and I have no idea what they are for. It is possible to tie on a rolled up sleeping bag or unhooking mat etc, but I had another idea. With the rucksack on my back, and the rod quiver over my right shoulder, I was left to carry my chair in my left hand. No problem with that except that on a long walk it was a bit tiring on the fingers. My plan was to see if it was possible and feasible to somehow fasten the chair to the D rings. I needed something that was both quick and easy to use. After trying various options I finally settled on a single bungee. Now none of my bungees would go through the D rings, but I remembered that I had an old and tatty bungee in the shed. This one was stretched to breaking point in one place and was a bit threadbare. The end hooks were much smaller and less substantial than my newer bungees, but they went through the D rings. I cut the bad end off the bungee and remade the end fastening metal link. With the rucksack on, I simply thread the bungee through the two D rings and then attach the hooks to the chair. The chair is carried edgeways on with the legs out to the left and the back of the chair which is well padded up against my chest. This works well and gives me a free left hand, and it seems to balance out the rucksack on my back with the chair on my front. My only concern was that the weight of the chair would damage the D rings or weaken the stitching. So far nothing has given way or broken.
An annoying problem I had with the rucksack was that from choice I would like it to stand upright and so be sheltered as much as possible under the Brotel. More often than not it fell over, which was annoying more than troublesome. I solved the problem by pushing a bank stick down through the carrying loop and then into the ground. This arrangement allows the rucksack to maintain an upright position.
One additional point to mention. As I have said, I have a large Fox system box which I carry in the large bottom pocket on the front of the rucksack. I used to put the box into the pocket lengthwise, but found on a number of occasions that both of the lids clips were undone when I removed it from the rucksack. If you put the box into the pocket width ways and with the two catches at the top, then the problem is solved.
How has it done? Well, it is hard to find any faults with it, and I have to say that I am delighted with it. The material, the stitching and the general construction is of the highest standard, and for anyone in the market for a rucksack you will not be disappointed with any of the Chub range. Having such an infinitely adjustable harness, it is hard to see how this offering could be improved.
TECH SPEC
Chub Super- Deluxe 110 litre Rucksack
Mesh back cooling system. Massive padded main compartments with extending neck and draw string.
Five Large assorted size hooded pockets, all fully padded for extra protection. Largest front pocket boasts external mesh section. The ultimate long session rucksack.
Price: £ 99.99
