I am writing this review as I couldn't find any on the web about this product. I am a keen fisherman who has just recently gotten into specimen carp fishing.
This is the same deal as before with the bivvy it can't be bought of the shelf from a shop it has to be ordered online from either Carp-Zone or from there shop on E-bay. I ordered from E-Bay and it came very prompt and well packaged. Like the bivvy before this comes with free postage.
Lets put it together.
I started to get all the pieces out of the box and remove what seems like a load of packaging everything is wrapped in foam but this had protected the barrow in shipment. I find a bag containing all the gubbins for the barrow. Spacers, washers, and plenty of locking handles but alas no instructions on how to put together. So what I did was to just piece together what I could and see what was left to be honest it wasn't hard at all. While putting together I notice at how solid the construction felt everything slid into place as it should and I didn't have any "Well that doesn't look right " moments.
Space.
This barrow can take a serious amount of tackle. The overall width is 37" (94.5cm) when fully extended. This is wide and should be able to take most if not all bags across the width of the base. The length is adjustable too that is 67" (170cm) fully extended. That is a large area for tackle and it takes the weight no problem.
Along with the main base you have an adjustable rod bag rest on the front and an under barrow bag which is quite big too. The barrow bag is made from a thick material that doenst look as though it will rip easily and that too has adjustment straps all the way round so you can make it shallower if needs be. Me personally I use the bag to put my winter skin, ground sheet and extra panels from the bivvy in it.
I have read elsewhere that some of the other makers of barrow side and front bags will fit straight onto this with no hassle so you could have even more room.
On this barrow I can fit
- Large food bag
- 50 lt holdall
- Large rig station
- Rodpod bag
- 10 ltr water
- Two 5 ltr bait buckets
- Large sleeping bag
- Carp cradle
- Bivvy
- 6 Rodbag
- Bedchair
Manoeuvrability.
My previous barrow gave me instant backache and was a nightmare to push and steer even though it was from a top brand. This on the otherhand is a pleasure it is super easy to maneuver and is very light on the handles due to the size and the placement of the wheel on the base dependent on where you put your tackle on the barrow.
My local water has hills, drops ,mud and gates to get past I have had no problem with pushing this barrow fully load over any of this terrain as I said before its a pleasure to push.
My only concern comes when you go to put the barrow down. As you tilt the barrow forwards the foldflat legs do go forward slightly as there is no locking mechanism for them and if they fold under too much the barrow would fall backwards on its arse. I try and carry on going forward abit once the legs have hit the floor as this pushes them into place so you can let go of the barrow without it falling over. That is the only concern with this barrow and its nothing really.
Pack down size.
As this bown flat the wheel and handles come off and then its just a base, simples.
You could in fact pack it down even smaller if you wanted to take the sides and front off and split the base in two. All this is done by easy to turn locking handles. It is on the heavy side but then I suppose it has to be so it can take the weight.
arrow takes so much tackle I was scepticle at how easy it would fit in my car. It folds d
Conclusion.
This barrow for the money is fantastic I havnt seen another on the market like it for this price. What you have to keep remembering about the Carp-Zone price`s is that it is delivered to your door for that one price. Apart from the folding legs not having a locking mechanism I can't say a bad word about this barrow its got loads of space, its strong, it turns on a sixpence, It packs down small and when loaded right it is so light on the handles.
As Ive said before the longevity is yet to be seen as I havnt had it long but hopefully it will last a few years to come and hopefully all Carp-Zone products will be this good.
Personally I would recommend this to any carper and have done already.
UPDATE.
I have been using the barrow for a while now and so far so good. Nothing has fell off and nothing has broke which is always a good thing. The legs not locking into place is still a bit of a pain but it hasnt fell over yet.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this review please mention it when ordering.
Average Joe carp novice.
I have the same views, although a small bungee cord would sort the legs, or better still, a locking device. They drop due to their mounting design under gravity? My other concern is loading/un-loading stability. If I try to place two, team size boxes, either side of the centre line towards the front of the barrow, it will topple, loading or unloading. Therefore, additional support should be there. I`m looking around for an add-on clamp/leg type support simply for this task. Other than that, its a great load carrier, as long as you dont load to high?
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment. as for toppling i dont have that problem as most of my tackle is holdalls and is heavyer than the bed chair and other things that go on top. thanks again for the comment
ReplyDeleteI used the barrow today for the first time at my fishery. It would appear that if i dont extend the rear legs, the barrow is as stable as its going to get with regards to loading/unloading(With the rear legs in-place but not extended, the barrow sits lowest to the rear, therefore fairly stable between the 3 points of contact with the ground, however, extend the legs by as much as 3 holes, and the barrow becomes unstable,if using the full width of the barrow due to the transfer of the centre of gravity) Going to the swim was a laugh, but sitting and looking during the fishing, I worked out what was wrong? It was a joy pushing it back to the car, all balanced out. A bungee holds the rear legs in place for me, prior to setting the barrow down, as you so rightly indicated.
DeleteThanks for your original thread/review,it helped me with my purchase. Hopefully others will be better advised.