Fox Stalker Rucksack

My old rucksack finally gave up

The straps on my faithful old Titan rucksack finally gave up, but fortunately it was just as I arrived back at the car after a rather fruitless trip to the river.

After getting home it soon became obvious that mending the broken strap would be a total waste of time, as not only had one strap come completely adrift, but the other was showing signs of serious wear. Still, it had lasted ten years, so it had done well.

As always, choosing a suitable replacement was a problem, so once again I asked the FM members on the forum for their advice and recommendations.

Everybody, of course, had a favourite which they would wholeheartedly recommended.

Perhaps more importantly though, those which should be avoided were also mentioned, saving me the grief of having to eventually find out that what I’d bought was not up to the mark.

Loaded with this valuable information I headed off to my local tackle shop.

I already had a good idea of what I wanted – something not too big, of good quality, comfortable, waterproof, and with ample pockets for tackle boxes, scales, camera, etc.

I finally opted for a Fox Stalker rucksack, this seeming to fulfil my requirements admirably. Now after three months of use, I feel able to give a totally unbiased opinion on it.

As with my previous review of the Leeda Umbrella, I speak as I find…

Firstly the good points

I particularly like chunky two-way zips on the pockets, plenty to get hold of during those cold days when your fingers are numb from the cold.

Chunky zips

As long as it’s not raining, I’ll also use it to take my mobile phone as the pockets in my waistcoat are already full to brimming.

Another nice feature is the waterproof ‘hood’ which releases from its own pocket.

Waterproof hood

Four small feet keep the rucksack off the ground and keep the base of the rucksack away from any mud or wet ground.

Now the not so good

Although the zips are great, there are no ‘tags’ to pull against, this makes zipping closed any fully open pockets very fiddly. Try zipping up a jacket without grasping the bottom hem and you’ll realise what I mean.

Four ‘D’ rings are fitted to the top of the rucksack, apparently to allow the user to attach a folding chair. For the life of me I cannot fathom out how you are supposed to do this.

I’ve tried several different ways of attaching my JRC chair using bungee straps, all of which leave a lot to be desired.

The carrying straps, which are all fully adjustable, are very good although once again there is room for improvement.

Shoulder harness

When it comes to removing the rucksack from your back, you have to slacken both shoulder straps to allow you to ‘shake off’ the rucksack and let the straps slip over your shoulders.

Far better and easier, I’d have thought, to have a proper quick release fastener on one or both straps, allowing easier rucksack removal.

Finally, the flask holder that’s incorporated into the rucksack is a great idea but it only takes a certain size of flask.

It would have been better to have had an adjustable holder (either elasticated or Velcro, for example) allowing any size of flask to be secured.