Review: SporaSub Dry Backpack

Introduction

I was looking for a new backpack to put my gear in since my old one broke. I was unable to find one like it (thick netting material, long enough for my fins, that can fold up), the ones currently on the market are not long enough. I need it to fold up because when I shore dive I cannot leave my bag behind so I need to be able to fold it up small and put it on my Best Hunter Okipa II float. I then found that SporaSub makes a dry bag that is a backpack AND long enough for freediving fins (dimensions (h x w x ?) are 109cm x 41cm x 21cm, not sure what the 21cm are though, maybe the top when it is closed?); I figured that I can also fold it up and put on my float, worst case if I need the room for other stuff it can even be tethered to the buoy and float next to it. Salvimar also makes a dry backpack too ("Dry Backpack 60/80"), but the old model was not long enough and the new model virtually has the same name ("Dry Backpack 60" and it shares the exact same model number) so I was afraid that ordering on online websites I would see the old model instead (many had a mix of the old name & new dimensions new name & old dimensions, etc). The Salvimar bag has removable straps that allow you to use it as a duffel bag and it is a bit wider (dimensions (h x w x ?) are 110cm x 44cm x 28cm). I liked the extra width but was afraid the strap attachment area being smaller that it made it more fragile; the SporaSub bag has a much wider attachment area since it is like if you take a padded backpack back and glue it to the dry bag. The Salvimar I think can fold up more since it doesn't have the padding part. I was also not able to find any good reviews on the Salvimar bag and the ones I found were on the old model. For all those reasons I went with the SporaSub bag.

Build

The build is ok, I am not sure how much weight it can take as the bottom looks like it is only glued. I think they should have stitched the seams for strength and then glued it tight:

The fabric is thick however, it is a type of flexible rubbery plastic covered cloth. The straps are ok, the back padding is nice so you don't have anything poking in your back and it also feels better than the plastic material against your bare back as it is made in one of those breathable materials:

The strap and back welding seems good thought, better than on the bottom:

The opening is like all dry bags except it has a male and a female clip on one side and a female clip on the other:

It has chest and  abdomen attachment straps to help secure it so it doesn't sway around and it makes it nicer to carry:

Usage

It works as advertised, I am able to fit my 87cm (total length) freediving fins, my wetsuit, gloves/socks, my float and it's pump, my net, the float line and anchor, my mask and tuba, a sandwich and some water, an insulated bag with an ice pack, a short rock speargun or even a 75cm speargun with the spear (110cm) off of it (the spear sticks out a bit). The straps and back are comfortable, more than expected, I could see myself carrying it a while with no issues, even in the sun.

With all of the stuff described above, including a short cave gun

I had one issue though and I think it is a defect, the abdomen straps have each a male clip:

On the videos I clearly see them having one male and one female clip so you can clip them together. I used it to my advantage though, I added a female clip to one side but kept the male clip:

When I need to fold up the back I just role it up and use the male clips to attach to the female clips on the top to secure it all:

When it is folded up I can still put my t-shirt, swimsuit, water shoes inside (the sandwich I put in another small dry bag) and it is still small (and water tight). I still think the Salvimar bag would have been a bit better to fold up though (and roomier). I am not sure about the build since I have not seen it physically, but if it is stitched and glued then it may have been better than the SporaSub bag, but too late now.

It is ok to carry around as a backpack, not so much as a duffel bag though (my previous bag, like the Salvimar bag also, you could do both). Also I miss having a small pocket in the front and a money pocket inside, but I guess this is not really what a dry-bag is for. I will simply buy a small bag and put it inside.

My previous bag was netted with a bottom drain so the water flows out (so you don't carry it around), it dried quickly (Nylon), while you are walking your gear dries a bit (and the water drips out) but when you had wet things inside, especially a wetsuit, it dripped in the car trunk. This new bag, being a dry bag, it is the opposite, it keeps the trunk dry (but you have to carry around the water so make sure to get as much excess water off your gear), the gear does not dry at all inside and the bag itself needs to be thoroughly dried inside after use.

I no longer carry my weight-belt inside the bag since the bottom looks like it could come undone with the weight, this means that either you need to put it on (I don't like having lead against my skin when I sweat and I always wonder if it can seep inside me) or carry it in your hand (which limits the amount of longer spearguns you can take (you can in reality put them all in the bag, the tips will just poke out), the number of fish you bring back if you carry them outside the backpack, and since you may no longer have any free hands it can limit the type of path you take.

Conclusion

It is not bad a bad product, it does what it was made to do and it is very comfortable to use. I happen to have different needs so I cannot put much blame on the bag. I am disappointed on the glued construction, stitches should be used IMO for a bag especially since glue ages not so well and it usually breaks apart when you are using it... I am not sure if I would recommend this product just yet. I would really like to compare it with the Salvimar Dry Back Pack (60/80, 2015 or 2016 model).

Update

I have used it a couple of times now and it is quite good. The glue has not undone yet, the padded back is nice when you have lots of stuff inside and the shoulder straps are comfortable. I still do not know how well it will age, but only time will tell. I would still like a carry handle on the side to carry it like a duffel bag sometimes.

Review: Sporasub One 50 Reel

Introduction

I was looking for a reel to put on my Beuchat Marlin Revolution but I didn't like the Beuchat reels. I wanted a vertical reel that had:

• some sort of drag/lock mechanism
• was reversible or had the winder on the right side when the gun was not flipped over
• had a low profile

I ended up choosing the Omer One 50 reel (black version) after searching and reading a lot or reviews:

Generally spearfishing reels are a joke, they are extremely simple and do not have many technological advances. I found that this one had some interesting features not found in other reels. I had to buy an adapter to make it fit my speargun. Here is a front view:

The 'Mimic' version

Build

As stated above spearfishing reels are very simple compared to line fishing reels. In the regard the reel is simple and has a build quality equivalent to other reels, I cannot say I was impressed but I cannot say it is bad since all reels would be bad in this case. It has a low profile as I wanted and the winding leaver is out of the way. I will talk more about that below.

Winding lever

This is one feature that is a bit innovative, the lever is stored inside the inner tube thus out of the way until you need it:

It then pops out so you can use it, it is made of metal. This does mean that to use it you have to do an extra step, some people may not like that. Also it feels a bit flimsy, this may be psychological. It is used like a line fishing winder once it is out. Also it can be reversed, although I could not find anywhere where on Omer's website on how to do this and I was afraid to force anything. Eventually a Speardiver forum user (Don Paul) posted some pictures on how to do this (original post available here):

I must mention to be very careful when doing this, the spring's "arm" broke on me even though I was careful. I got it replaced for free by Omer after explaining how it happened. Usually you can go through a local Omer representative (i.e. a store) but I was in a landlocked country when this happened and there was not a single store that carried spearfishing supplies, this is why Omer handled it directly for me. I have to say their support was swift and efficient, I can recommend them as a brand because on this, at least based on my experience. Usually people don't reverse the winding leaver unless they are left handed. I really didn't want to have to flip over my speargun and I wanted to be able to fight a fish from above a bit like a line fisher would. The line goes from the reel to the speargun's head through a small metal ring.

Line drag/lock mechanism

I am not too sure about this one. It has a ring around the winder that allows you to regulate the tightness (see all the above pictures); this allows you to lock it if needed or add drag. it also has a flap that presses against the wound line (hence the famous spring) that allows you to leave your reel with no drag/unlocked but still keeps the line tight enough:

The 'Mimic' version

This works great on my speargun since it has a special open head that grips the spear and should work great on closed heads but I am not sure if it puts enough pressure on the line that it would work on a fully open head. I can see how it could unwind and the shooting line would slacken and come off the line release and cause tangling. I am not sure the spear could fall out bit if it could that would be dangerous. I think some reels actually untighten as they spool but this one does not. I believe they untighten so that you tighten them to prevent the above issue and once the fish darts off it untighten to give it line. I originally suspected that I was using it wrong or maybe it is my reversing the handle that causes this, but I think that this reel never had this behavior because that it has the other mechanisms I spoke of earlier (even though I am not sure they suffice). Which is correct, which is better? I am not sure, being rather new to reels (I have 2) I can only speak with my limited experience. I have a reel that untightens when spooled, it works ok, I have used it only once so I cannot really judge it yet, I believe I was not impressed with the speed or ease at which it starts to untighten but I don't really remember. The Omer, as it works with me, is loose when hunting and once shot is stays loose but I can tighten it manually to augment the drag which can be useful when fighting a fish, I guess the other reel I have would make this more difficult since it would always need to be re-tightened. I would be interested on having more input on all of this from someone with more reel experience.

Conclusion

I think I am happy with this reel, so far it does what I think it should do (see my above discussion). I was impressed with the support Omer gave me, so I would consider other Omer products. I cannot yet say I recommend this product as I am not 100% sure of how it should work and if it does work correctly. As stated above somewhere I am not sure it would work well with a real open head speargun but I may just not be using it correctly.