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Beach shelter or brolly?

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 .
View attachment 36389

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
That’s very similar to my vintage Dave Dowcra brolly Dave….
 
When putting it up in a breeze its like controling a huge kite that wants to take off,

Off topic, but that reminds me of one fearful day years ago when I tried to put a full length fly sheet over a 45ft artic trailer on the quayside in Avonouth docks!
The sheet caught the wind and lifted me clean off the trailer - I managed to hang onto it but how I didn't end up in the drink I shall never know! Scary!
 
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 .
View attachment 36389

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
Hi Dave
That does look a decent bit of kit.
As you say, much easier to move around.
I have scoured the internet but cannot find any TFGear brollies around, the only brolly of a similar design is the Tronixpro.


Not sure if this is of a similar ilk?
Will do some research.

Thanks for the heads-up on Kilnsea, it is on my list :)
Much appreciated.
Johnny
 
Tracker ones have a front on so the wind doesn’t get under them..
 
We have a rocky coast and piers and one flat beach , so it’s hard putting a tent up on a pier and rocks ,
No , if you have bad weather where there is a will…..A587CDD1-5618-4C90-9170-07435CB06906.jpeg

00B1B4E4-5831-4DF0-812A-9DE34B7B2F22.jpeg


There is a way.

I have put up my brolly on Filey Brigg, which is as rocky as any place, sadly no photos, because the weather was pants .




Dave
 
Looks very similar, bu I think the fabric may be a bit thinner, I made a couple of storm poles for mine but tbh never needed them.
For the price it would be worth a punt I think .


Not sure if it has fibreglass ribs or not, as it does not say. I would give it a miss if it was fitted with steel ribs.

Dave
 
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.
Hi JohnL
Thanks for your reply.
Some good food for thought.
Been looking at some flotation suits, a good alternative.
I am tall and skinny, so not sure I would get a one-piece to fit (without being huge around my belly or at half mast/cutting me in half!), but they do look properly bombproof in crap weather.
I have done a lot of climbing in the mountains, but some of that kit is a bit too light for rough stuff at the beach!
 
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 .
View attachment 36389

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
Thank you :)
Good food for thought.

Will definitely check out Kilnsea.
 

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