Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Gear Review - William Joseph Eddy

Over the past couple years fly gear companies have listened to anglers requests and begun offering waterproof or highly water resistant gear items.  This of course makes sense as fly fishing is a water sport and it's also not uncommon to brave a storm or two while out.  As more anglers are carrying expensive camera gear on trips it's essential to have dry spaces to protect their electronics. 

One of the benefits of being a William Joseph Ambassador is that I get a few pieces of gear each year to run through the paces.  Lately I've been using the Eddy, which is one of the smaller gear bags out of the Storm Series.  The Eddy is a perfect choice for putting together a small kit for the kayak or when wade fishing.  Truth told the children have been using it a lot lately as well to keep their snacks and drinks in on family paddling trips.


The Eddy is sized at 360 cubic inches which might not seem like a lot but the simple design of just a large zippered gear space area and a small exterior pocket make the best possible use of each cubic inch.  Sonic welded construction keeps the bag innards dry and the only chance of water seeping in would be through the water resistant zippers which I've found have worked flawlessly in keeping gear dry.

The only downside I've found with the Eddy is the padded backside which acts like a sponge if this gear bag gets wet.  The padded shoulder strap also will draw up water as well if it takes a dip.  This isn't a big deal and I realize that the padding was built into the gear bag to aid in comfort, which is does quite well, but I likely would have been just as happy without the padding.  Not a big deal at all but something to consider.

The Eddy is priced at $45 and is available in either Stone (two tone gray) or Clay (dark brown/black).  William Joseph got it right with the Storm Series as the lineup has a ton of function built into each piece and the prices are in check as well.  

Look for the Eddy, along with the other Storm Series items, at your local William Joseph dealer.

If you want to buy online and would like to support a shop that advertises on T.F.M. then consider placing your order through Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co.  The Eddy is not listed on the Tailwaters website but can be ordered with a phone call to the shop at 1-888-TAIL-H20.

2 comments:

Robin said...

Nice price for a valuable product. Gonna get me one!

ShesaManiYak (Pamela Funk) said...

Thanks to you I've become a big fan of William Joseph. For my birthday a couple of months ago some of the ladies I work with went in together and bought me the Mag Series, Surge Fanny pack! Never would have dreamed they would have thought of such a thing but they wanted me to have it before I went to MT a couple of weeks ago.

And yes, YOU've turned me into a glass geek wannabe. I completely fell in love with the Gray Wolf 7' rod you went me to try out. I actually landed 29 trout on it while in Trapper Creek, Bitteroot National Forest! I'll be getting it shipped back to you soon, but to be honest I'd like to take it small mouth fishing one time before I do.

I will be buying a very similar rod as soon as possible! It really rocked.

Thanks Cam!
Pam