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flat back brolly

Stuart Prescott

Stuart Prescott

Senior Member
groans yes , another 'what tackle thread' :rolleyes:

im on the lookout for a new brolly

ideal criteria ....50 inch , flatback , fibreglass ribs , those are the easy bits , the problem comes when i want it in green rather than blue , grey , black and gold etc

is there such a thing available ???
 
Stuart, have you considered an umbrella with small sides, as an alternative to a flat back? I know they are usually considered to be purely for the use of carp anglers, but I think they have a place on the river bank, for those who use a brolly at times anyway.

Take a look at this..... FibreShield UMBRELLA - Korum, Fishing Made Easy

As you can see, in the picture the centre pole has been removed to allow more space inside. However, it can be used like a standard brolly with the centre pole in place. If the sides restrict vision in any given scenario, then one or both could be folded/rolled out of the way. It is just a way of getting the best features of a flat back...but more so. These are solid, strong utterly waterproof items with taped seams and so on, so you do pay for that in extra weight. Consequently, they are possibly not for the true roving angler that moves a lot and walks huge distances...but by 'eck they will certainly keep you and all your gear dry :D:D

PS, Although it doesn't show it in the picture, I would think it likely that you would need to use one or two storm poles to use the brolly without the centre pole...certainly in windy weather.

Cheers, Dave.
 
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the wings sort of put me off a bit if im honest , then there is the extra weight issue which sort of defeats the object of going for the fibre brolly

a 'friend' :p had the prestons flatback on the bank the other day , it looked pretty much spot on apart from the awful blue colour
 
Stuart Prescott said:
the wings sort of put me off a bit if im honest , then there is the extra weight issue which sort of defeats the object of going for the fibre brolly

a 'friend' :p had the prestons flatback on the bank the other day , it looked pretty much spot on apart from the awful blue colour
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The "wings" on the Greys are removeable. You can use it as a standard 50" flatback (in green) should you wish to.

However, I was looking for the original Greys brolly which was a simple flatback with or without pole shipping zipped vents. Unfortunately, they seem to have discontinued it.

If you decide that you can cope with storm sides, the Wychwood is a good bit of kit.
 
Thing is Stuart, I have looked at a lot of umbrellas recently, many with the fibreglass ribs you require, and really don't think they offer any saving in weight at all. In fact, they all seem hugely heavy to me (probably because I am getting older :p) In order to make fibreglass ribs stiff enough, the ones I have looked at have ribs around 8mm in diameter. Compared to the old metal ones, that is huge...and seems to me to make the change in material pointless from a weight point of view. There is also the fabric factor. In order to make a brolly truly waterproof, it requires a decent weight fabric. So...if you need a cheap, lightweight nylon version that will probably be little more than shower proof...then these, as you are hinting at....are NOT the way to go :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
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Terry Banks said:
If you can find a green one.........get it !
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I've got one of those green Waterline flatbacks if you want it Stu - very little use over the past few years, it leaks, has two broken ribs and the spike is bent so won't go back in the brolly. Other than that it's mint. :)
 
I am still using my 15 year old original Wavelock brolly with metal ribs! I have looked at countless replacements but I still stick with this because it's still almost faultless and still completely waterproof. It's certainly not light and the pole isn't removable but at 50 inches it's still plenty big enough for me.

Long live the Old School Wavelock!!!
 
Andrew Boyne said:
I've got one of those green Waterline flatbacks if you want it Stu - very little use over the past few years, it leaks, has two broken ribs and the spike is bent so won't go back in the brolly. Other than that it's mint. :)
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Everything is repairable, (within reason), the ribs can be fixed, the pole is easy to sort, roll it on a flat surface and tweak it till its straight, and most leaks can be repaired with seam tape or simply painting with Thompsons.

My favourite brolley is a Brotel, it is not strictly a brolley, it has more coverage than a brolley, a flat back, fiberglass ribs and only weighs about 4lb, because of the design if you take it down when its wet all the water ends up on the inside so the rest of your gear stays dry(ish). On a trip to France a few years ago I slept all week under one on a bedchair, never bothering to put the bivvy up.

They also have two zippable openings in the back which allows you to net a fish and push the pole back without getting wet.



The only problem is they are not available any more,
 
Adrian Williams said:
Everything is repairable, (within reason), the ribs can be fixed, the pole is easy to sort, roll it on a flat surface and tweak it till its straight, and most leaks can be repaired with seam tape or simply painting with Thompsons.
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Well i was going to give him it for nowt but if it's fixable - yours for £30 Stu?! :)
 
Stick it on eBay with your original description and see what happens, add the words 'classic', 'cult' and carp to your description and it will fly.
 
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