Beach shelter or brolly?

[Trampster]

Just how big is your trailer.? When I was a wee lad my old man used to tow a 21ft Monza caravan behind a 1750cc Austin Maxi.

4 metre bed, 5.5 metres overall, and 3.5 tonnes Gross weight. It's a Wessex one, but similar to an Ifor WIlliams. Bit like this one:



Not many vehicles legally capable of towing a 3.5 tonne trailer. Land Rover range, Jeepy, I think the XC90, Audi Q7, VW Toureg and a few others.
There's an article here, but it doesn't mention Jeep as the towing capacity of many vehicles has been reduced in recent years, and Jeep especially since bloody Fiat bought Chrysler Europe out in 2014.

Vehicles with a 3,500kg towing capacity

Need, a tough, strong car for towing? Here are the best vehicles that have a 3.5-tonne towing capacity, from luxury SUVs to vans

www.buyacar.co.uk

 

[Topwater]

Never used either. Good clothing does me. Usually waders and a good jacket.

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Never used either. Good clothing does me. Usually waders and a good jacket.

Whilst I agree with you, a shelter/brolly does make life more comfortable in extreme weather.
I've had some very jealous looks from the other group in Norway when they see jax and I loading up the car and the brolly goes in!

 

[Topwater]

Never sea fished in Norway (though I have fished a few rivers for salmon there) but in Sheltland the weather can get pretty bad in the winter months. Waders and Musto HPX have never let me down. Shelters and base camps etc would be the very height of luxury! Do you have a kettle too? Cake?

 

[Mr Fish]

Never sea fished in Norway (though I have fished a few rivers for salmon there) but in Sheltland the weather can get pretty bad in the winter months. Waders and Musto HPX have never let me down. Shelters and base camps etc would be the very height of luxury! Do you have a kettle too? Cake?

And a stove, frying pan, sausages, bacon…

 

[Topwater]

How the other half live eh

 

[Shirleycodlin]

Never sea fished in Norway (though I have fished a few rivers for salmon there) but in Sheltland the weather can get pretty bad in the winter months. Waders and Musto HPX have never let me down. Shelters and base camps etc would be the very height of luxury! Do you have a kettle too? Cake?

Lol, no!
I too have musto hpx clothing, it's the k9s spheroids!

 

[Ianpick]

I think the key thing is that a brolly will not stand up to the bad weather that a buddy will.
A buddy is a lot more difficult to cart around but it's better to be over-gunned than cold and wet. You can also get a better kip in a buddy.
Also if you're a long way from a toilet and have been on the beach for a long time and need some bucket and carrier bag time, you might appreciate the privacy that a buddy can provide (been there, done that).

 

[Mr Fish]

I think the key thing is that a brolly will not stand up to the bad weather that a buddy will.
A buddy is a lot more difficult to cart around but it's better to be over-gunned than cold and wet. You can also get a better kip in a buddy.
Also if you're a long way from a toilet and have been on the beach for a long time and need some bucket and carrier bag time, you might appreciate the privacy that a buddy can provide (been there, done that).

I think also it just depends where you live and the kind of marks you fish and the sessions you’re used to.

On my coast and even more so up the BC, there’s very very few marks where you could even pitch a buddy, due to the tide range.
A few big pebble beaches like Bossington where you could put one up and fish around the top of the tide but you’re probably taking four hours max.

So generally we target tide windows and do shorter trips, whereas on much of the south coast especially the tide barely moves from one week to the next () so people have got into the habit of longer sessions with base camp and all the trimmings etc.
Nothing wrong with that, but even when I travel to chesil I probably don’t stay more than eight hours as my ‘shorter session’ mentality seems to be hardwired now.

I can see the benefits of a shelter but just don’t feel the need for one, especially as I don’t fish down there that often.
Carrying what I can only easily carry is another hardwired setting, as up here you’re liable to be hiking over coast paths, rocks and boulders, so stoves and tents are a luxury you can do without!

Neither approach is wrong, just explaining my take on it and as I say, totally get why south coast anglers especially settle in for the long sessions with a shelter.
If I lived down that way and fished the shingle beaches more often, I’d probably do the same.

 

[JohnL]

Horses for courses really.

Most often I use an original John Holden Beach Buddy that must be over 20 years old. Great for shingle beaches where you can bury the edges in the shingle so it stands up well in the wind. Being out of the wind and rain really makes a difference (well it does for this soft southerner, at least). Can be a bit of a game to get it set up in a strong wind though. If the wind really gets up I also have a couple ropes with bags on the ends that I can fill with shingle for extra stability although if it's that windy then perhaps it's time to get off the beach anyway.

Plenty of room inside to get well back out of the rain. The disadvantage is that it's quite an extra weight to carry, especially on a long trek on shingle. It's also a bit more bulky to transport than an umbrella which could be a problem depending on what car you have although I think some of the more modern designs are better. Not so easy to set up on beaches with bigger boulders or flat rocks.

An umbrella is OK for less extreme weather and a bit lighter to carry. Can also fit a rope (or two) with a bag for shingle/rocks to keep it more stable. I don't use mine that often though.

There are other places like flat beaches or where the tidal range is large where it's a nuisance to keep moving up and down the beach. In this case, most people seem to prefer something like a flotation suit and forego a shelter altogether.

You can already see that there are a few different opinions on what works best. Most of us will have tried all sorts and come to our own decision on what to use for the venues we fish. I'd advise taking a look at the beaches you plan on fishing and see what people are using there.

 

[Trampster]

I think also it just depends where you live and the kind of marks you fish and the sessions you’re used to.

On my coast and even more so up the BC, there’s very very few marks where you could even pitch a buddy, due to the tide range.
A few big pebble beaches like Bossington where you could put one up and fish around the top of the tide but you’re probably taking four hours max.

So generally we target tide windows and do shorter trips, whereas on much of the south coast especially the tide barely moves from one week to the next () so people have got into the habit of longer sessions with base camp and all the trimmings etc.
Nothing wrong with that, but even when I travel to chesil I probably don’t stay more than eight hours as my ‘shorter session’ mentality seems to be hardwired now.

I can see the benefits of a shelter but just don’t feel the need for one, especially as I don’t fish down there that often.
Carrying what I can only easily carry is another hardwired setting, as up here you’re liable to be hiking over coast paths, rocks and boulders, so stoves and tents are a luxury you can do without!

Neither approach is wrong, just explaining my take on it and as I say, totally get why south coast anglers especially settle in for the long sessions with a shelter.
If I lived down that way and fished the shingle beaches more often, I’d probably do the same.

I think another reason why shelters get used more on the South coast is some folk live quite a way inland, and travel some distance, to fish maybe for 24hrs or more, so it does make sense to have a 'base camp'.

 

[ouchthathurt]

I think another reason why shelters get used more on the South coast is some folk live quite a way inland, and travel some distance, to fish maybe for 24hrs or more, so it does make sense to have a 'base camp'.

They may as well be carp anglers…

 

[chesilpete]

I have a few of each and use them all from time to time.
Chesil is the best beach in the country for using a shelter because of shortish tide range and shingle to hold it down.
In general its the beach that dictates whether you can use a shelter, do you have access to a medium to hold a shelter down? is the tidal range so great that you are going to spend no time in the shelter anyway?.
Then there is the weight question.
The biggest and best shelter is the Golds Bigaloo, but its bloody heavy so its good if you generally fish close to the car then you may as well have the most space, easiest to erect and a big door. Why live in a 1 bed bungalow if you can have a 4 bed detached eh!?.
Over the last few years I have used 3 different shelter for different reasons.
An old Daiwa (same as shkaespeare salt beach shelter) this is the lightest and largest in terms of weight to space this is my second one of these and this one is about to disintegrate through use and neglect but its done about 4 years so thats fine at 25 quid a year its a consumable item.
I will just buy another......
The advantage of this shelter and most of my mates will testify to this (lazy btards) is that you can squeeze 2 blokes into it.

If I am going down to chesil and the weather is filthy and I am doing a big walk I take a Shakespeare Beach buddy convertible, these are the lightest in weight of all decent shelters and you can bury them deep and over the last 30 years (the DNA of this design goes back to the original sundridge shelter from the 90s) I have not had one fail, they just wear out eventually.
They are small but make an excellent base camp shelter big enough for one bloke some brew up gear and a dog.

Probably the best shelter out there and also the absolutely most annoying one is the IMAX FR. My relationship with this shelter is proper love hate.
So positives, it is without doubt the best when you do the weight X space X ease of use calculation there is no doubt of this but........
You either have to take it down into its bag or else you have to strap it to your rod bag to transport it.
Both of these things are a mare, taking it down when its wet especially if your on a sandy beach is just a pain, and strapping a wet one to your rod bag means your rod bag will be completely unbalanced. The issue is two fold the design means that it will not go "flat" the shelter has "shoulders" which gives it that desirable profile on the beach but also means that the weight is in the top of the shelter.
The bloody things also double in weight when wet!.
BUT
They dont blow over, they have a massive footprint and dont leak so I take mine out when its filthy weather and I am not miles from the car, it does a great job (before it drives me mad).
The answer of course is to be sensible and dismantle it into its bag everytime and wash and dry it when you get home......... if you are actually capable of doing this....... then this is the best shelter for you no doubt.

I have had Ian Golds Igloos but I think they do not have the right characteristics for me, I always find them draughty, they are heavier that the Shakespeare Salt type and offer less usable space. If you have one and love it then its the right shelter for you, just not me.

I Picked up a cheap brolly this summer for use when I want a little bit of shelter from the wind and some shade,
Its a Daiwa NZON square brolly and its been bloody handy, its quite well made, weights not a lot and will give you a base camp with enough room to get out of a shower and keep your gear dry.
It probably not designed for what I do to it but I bury the back edge and stick the pointy bit in the shingle and its going no where. They are 40 quid or so on the bay.

Last but by no means least.
I have an old Dave Dowcra signiture brolly with wings..... I know there are modern versions from other manufacturers.
I have spent 1000s of hours in mine since I bought it in 1990 ish.
It can be made cosy or can offer the biggest amount of cover of all of the above. The wings are massive and when I used to take my kids when they were younger it was pefect.
Its now dated, fairly heavy etc but I like it for lying around on the beach chilling out plaice fishing.

So if my house burnt down and I lost all shelters what would I buy?.
The Shakespeare salt I think its the best compromise.

 

[Mr Fish]

I think another reason why shelters get used more on the South coast is some folk live quite a way inland, and travel some distance, to fish maybe for 24hrs or more, so it does make sense to have a 'base camp'.

Agreed, and I think for some part of the experience is spending 24 to 48 hours on the beach.
I suppose if you live in Slough or the midlands, it’s a bit of an adventure lol.

It doesn’t float my boat - I don’t mind proper camping on a site with all the gear, but if I was down that way for that long I’d be booking a hotel or caravan!
But each to their own - it doesn’t affect me what they do, as long as they take their crap home with them or bin it.

 

[Trampster]

Agreed, and I think for some part of the experience is spending 24 to 48 hours on the beach.
I suppose if you live in Slough or the midlands, it’s a bit of an adventure lol.

It doesn’t float my boat - I don’t mind proper camping on a site with all the gear, but if I was down that way for that long I’d be booking a hotel or caravan!
But each to their own - it doesn’t affect me what they do, as long as they take their crap home with them or bin it.

Sod proper camping! The last time I went 'proper camping' was on the Scottish moors in my teens, when I was in the Army cadets. I drew the short straw and ended up in the same tent as our NCO adult instructor. He didn't secure the tent properly whilst we were on night exercise, and a Horse trashed the tent, ate all of our dry goods (biscuits tec.) and trampled our sleeping bags & clothes into the mud.

Only been 'camping' once since and no tent involved - took my Transit van to Pallingdon in Dorset for a coarse fishing stag weekend! Proper bunk in the back, doors I could lock, and no chance of it blowing away!

 

[chesilpete]

Sod proper camping! The last time I went 'proper camping' was on the Scottish moors in my teens, when I was in the Army cadets. I drew the short straw and ended up in the same tent as our NCO adult instructor. He didn't secure the tent properly whilst we were on night exercise, and a Horse trashed the tent, ate all of our dry goods (biscuits tec.) and trampled our sleeping bags & clothes into the mud.

Only been 'camping' once since and no tent involved - took my Transit van to Pallingdon in Dorset for a coarse fishing stag weekend! Proper bunk in the back, doors I could lock, and no chance of it blowing away!

I would say one thing thats particularly relevant at this time of year.
Fishing when the temp is close to zero with wind chill hoping for one big old cod is easy if you are warm and comfortable.
Freezing your spheres off is no fun and makes it really hard.
Sitting there warm with a hot brew with your mates having a chat whilst expectantly watching one of a bank of rods to pull round or drop slack is easy.

 

[Ladfromtad]

I have a few of each and use them all from time to time.
Chesil is the best beach in the country for using a shelter because of shortish tide range and shingle to hold it down.
In general its the beach that dictates whether you can use a shelter, do you have access to a medium to hold a shelter down? is the tidal range so great that you are going to spend no time in the shelter anyway?.
Then there is the weight question.
The biggest and best shelter is the Golds Bigaloo, but its bloody heavy so its good if you generally fish close to the car then you may as well have the most space, easiest to erect and a big door. Why live in a 1 bed bungalow if you can have a 4 bed detached eh!?.
Over the last few years I have used 3 different shelter for different reasons.
An old Daiwa (same as shkaespeare salt beach shelter) this is the lightest and largest in terms of weight to space this is my second one of these and this one is about to disintegrate through use and neglect but its done about 4 years so thats fine at 25 quid a year its a consumable item.
I will just buy another......
The advantage of this shelter and most of my mates will testify to this (lazy btards) is that you can squeeze 2 blokes into it.

If I am going down to chesil and the weather is filthy and I am doing a big walk I take a Shakespeare Beach buddy convertible, these are the lightest in weight of all decent shelters and you can bury them deep and over the last 30 years (the DNA of this design goes back to the original sundridge shelter from the 90s) I have not had one fail, they just wear out eventually.
They are small but make an excellent base camp shelter big enough for one bloke some brew up gear and a dog.

Probably the best shelter out there and also the absolutely most annoying one is the IMAX FR. My relationship with this shelter is proper love hate.
So positives, it is without doubt the best when you do the weight X space X ease of use calculation there is no doubt of this but........
You either have to take it down into its bag or else you have to strap it to your rod bag to transport it.
Both of these things are a mare, taking it down when its wet especially if your on a sandy beach is just a pain, and strapping a wet one to your rod bag means your rod bag will be completely unbalanced. The issue is two fold the design means that it will not go "flat" the shelter has "shoulders" which gives it that desirable profile on the beach but also means that the weight is in the top of the shelter.
The bloody things also double in weight when wet!.
BUT
They dont blow over, they have a massive footprint and dont leak so I take mine out when its filthy weather and I am not miles from the car, it does a great job (before it drives me mad).
The answer of course is to be sensible and dismantle it into its bag everytime and wash and dry it when you get home......... if you are actually capable of doing this....... then this is the best shelter for you no doubt.

I have had Ian Golds Igloos but I think they do not have the right characteristics for me, I always find them draughty, they are heavier that the Shakespeare Salt type and offer less usable space. If you have one and love it then its the right shelter for you, just not me.

I Picked up a cheap brolly this summer for use when I want a little bit of shelter from the wind and some shade,
Its a Daiwa NZON square brolly and its been bloody handy, its quite well made, weights not a lot and will give you a base camp with enough room to get out of a shower and keep your gear dry.
It probably not designed for what I do to it but I bury the back edge and stick the pointy bit in the shingle and its going no where. They are 40 quid or so on the bay.

Last but by no means least.
I have an old Dave Dowcra signiture brolly with wings..... I know there are modern versions from other manufacturers.
I have spent 1000s of hours in mine since I bought it in 1990 ish.
It can be made cosy or can offer the biggest amount of cover of all of the above. The wings are massive and when I used to take my kids when they were younger it was pefect.
Its now dated, fairly heavy etc but I like it for lying around on the beach chilling out plaice fishing.

So if my house burnt down and I lost all shelters what would I buy?.
The Shakespeare salt I think its the best compromise.

Much appreciated.
Some good food for thought

 

[Kine262]

A good shelter is often worth its weight in gold when it's raining, or a biting wind is blowing but as others have said, it all depends on venue and time spent fishing.
I used to have a Dave Dowcra brolly with storm flaps that was amazing. Super strong with a skirt along the bottom that you could pile sand or pebbles on to secure it. I have had three of us under it sheltering from passing squalls with room to spare and still had room to keep bait and tackle dry.

Nowadays I am a bit more selective on the days I go fishing so tend not to bother with anything other than a big waterproof coat.

 

[Goatfish]

I have a few of each and use them all from time to time.
Chesil is the best beach in the country for using a shelter because of shortish tide range and shingle to hold it down.
In general its the beach that dictates whether you can use a shelter, do you have access to a medium to hold a shelter down? is the tidal range so great that you are going to spend no time in the shelter anyway?.
Then there is the weight question.
The biggest and best shelter is the Golds Bigaloo, but its bloody heavy so its good if you generally fish close to the car then you may as well have the most space, easiest to erect and a big door. Why live in a 1 bed bungalow if you can have a 4 bed detached eh!?.
Over the last few years I have used 3 different shelter for different reasons.
An old Daiwa (same as shkaespeare salt beach shelter) this is the lightest and largest in terms of weight to space this is my second one of these and this one is about to disintegrate through use and neglect but its done about 4 years so thats fine at 25 quid a year its a consumable item.
I will just buy another......
The advantage of this shelter and most of my mates will testify to this (lazy btards) is that you can squeeze 2 blokes into it.

If I am going down to chesil and the weather is filthy and I am doing a big walk I take a Shakespeare Beach buddy convertible, these are the lightest in weight of all decent shelters and you can bury them deep and over the last 30 years (the DNA of this design goes back to the original sundridge shelter from the 90s) I have not had one fail, they just wear out eventually.
They are small but make an excellent base camp shelter big enough for one bloke some brew up gear and a dog.

Probably the best shelter out there and also the absolutely most annoying one is the IMAX FR. My relationship with this shelter is proper love hate.
So positives, it is without doubt the best when you do the weight X space X ease of use calculation there is no doubt of this but........
You either have to take it down into its bag or else you have to strap it to your rod bag to transport it.
Both of these things are a mare, taking it down when its wet especially if your on a sandy beach is just a pain, and strapping a wet one to your rod bag means your rod bag will be completely unbalanced. The issue is two fold the design means that it will not go "flat" the shelter has "shoulders" which gives it that desirable profile on the beach but also means that the weight is in the top of the shelter.
The bloody things also double in weight when wet!.
BUT
They dont blow over, they have a massive footprint and dont leak so I take mine out when its filthy weather and I am not miles from the car, it does a great job (before it drives me mad).
The answer of course is to be sensible and dismantle it into its bag everytime and wash and dry it when you get home......... if you are actually capable of doing this....... then this is the best shelter for you no doubt.

I have had Ian Golds Igloos but I think they do not have the right characteristics for me, I always find them draughty, they are heavier that the Shakespeare Salt type and offer less usable space. If you have one and love it then its the right shelter for you, just not me.

I Picked up a cheap brolly this summer for use when I want a little bit of shelter from the wind and some shade,
Its a Daiwa NZON square brolly and its been bloody handy, its quite well made, weights not a lot and will give you a base camp with enough room to get out of a shower and keep your gear dry.
It probably not designed for what I do to it but I bury the back edge and stick the pointy bit in the shingle and its going no where. They are 40 quid or so on the bay.

Last but by no means least.
I have an old Dave Dowcra signiture brolly with wings..... I know there are modern versions from other manufacturers.
I have spent 1000s of hours in mine since I bought it in 1990 ish.
It can be made cosy or can offer the biggest amount of cover of all of the above. The wings are massive and when I used to take my kids when they were younger it was pefect.
Its now dated, fairly heavy etc but I like it for lying around on the beach chilling out plaice fishing.

So if my house burnt down and I lost all shelters what would I buy?.
The Shakespeare salt I think its the best compromise.

I have one of those Dave Dowcra brollys too and I guess bought about the same time as yours. That was in the days when you phoned up and spoke to the man himself to order! Guess I must have used it for 20 or so years before buying my Golds Igloo.

 

[The Third Earl]

I think the key thing is that a brolly will not stand up to the bad weather that a buddy will.
A buddy is a lot more difficult to cart around but it's better to be over-gunned than cold and wet. You can also get a better kip in a buddy.
Also if you're a long way from a toilet and have been on the beach for a long time and need some bucket and carrier bag time, you might appreciate the privacy that a buddy can provide (been there, done that).

Not sure about the Beach Buddy, but I can say from personal experience an Ian Golds Igloo beach shelter is arguably the worst bit of kit I ever bought, for starters after using one in a storm its like carrying a 6ft corpse wrapped in a plastic bag on the way back to the car.When putting it up in a breeze its like controling a huge kite that wants to take off, and moving up and down the beach with the tide is a pain of a pleasure, the flaps that you are supposed to chuck sand on flap around like a flappy thing and chuck sand just everywhere, then when you get home and open it out to dry it there is enough trapped sand that suddenly wants to spread itself out like the beach it was last used on.

I sold mine after using ut 3 times, and was glad to see it go, swapped it for a TFG beach umbrella which in real terms has as much room , is no trouble to put up, is stable in the worst winds and takes up half the room .


Put it up with the wind behind you , bung in a guy rope tied to a bag of sand buried in the sand and it will stop a gale.

To move just lift the flaps, one movement to drop the brolly and carry it up the beach, bury the bag, put the brolly up and you are set to go.

BTW, Thats Kilnsea beach at Spurn, the caravan site is behind the brolly. Good spot for Coddies and Whitings in Winter, Smoothies and Rays in Summer and always some flatties to be had.

Dave