Every year in the industry we see new products come out. Many of them are only slight variations of their competitors. Generally, when a good product is made it can only be tweaked and improved so much. The only way to really make waves with something new is to completely reimagine it. This is exactly what our friends over at Riversmith did with their Convoy Gear Roll.
There have been countless iterations of the classic wader bag. Riversmith aimed to improve the features offered in a wader bag and combine them with the best features of a great tote. What they created is undeniably the best wader/gear bag on the market today.
With a complete ground up redesign of the modern wader bag, this one looks unique. Riversmith opted for a roll design with reinforced panels that helps maintain its structure. Other roll style bags end up lopsided and the extra reinforcement of this gear roll ensures it packs consistently and is easy to carry. A shoulder strap allows the angler to carry it a short trip from their car to the garage, or to a tree to hang it on. For longer trips, the roll can be configured into a backpack. This is why the reinforced structure is so crucial for compact packability on a trip or for travel if you are carrying it long distances.
The roll has a top strap that can be hung on the side of your vehicle, from your tailgate, or hung in a nearby tree. From there the bag unrolls and you suddenly have all of your gear presented to you like a walk in closet. Three separate compartments organize your gear on the bag.
The uppermost pouch is fully waterproof and is great for storing valuables that you don’t want to get wet. It is made of a durable rubber material and features a fully submersible zipper. This could be for your keys, wallet, phone, change of clothes, fly boxes, tippet, spare reels, etc. Because the bag rolls on itself, this pocket is crucial because it ensures, after a day of fishing, that your wet waders and boots won’t soak your valuables.
The middle compartment is for your waders. Depending on the size of your waders, you can fit up to 3 pairs in the stretchy mesh pouch. The beauty of this pouch is that it stretches and contracts depending on how full your bag is. Whether you are packing for yourself or a friend too, this bag can carry it all. This pouch is also where you’d store wet wading things like Patagonia Sandy Cay Pants, a pair of Backcountry Skinz, or Patagonia Yulex Neoprene Booties. The mesh on this layer breathes to aid in your waders drying, and if you forget to take your waders out after a long day, this pouch will help them air out.
The lowest section is for boots and is made of a different material. This pouch is fabricated out of a wide hole rip-stop mesh. This allows rocks, sand, and debris to leave when you put your dirty boots in after a long day. The large openings on this layer also aid in your boots airing out after being soaked in the river. Depending on your boot size you can fit 1-3 pairs of boots in this section.
On the backside of the boot pouch, the bag features two sleeves for rod tubes. If you have a Riversmith Rod Vault, this is a mute issue, but most people do not and this makes packing up for the day convenient and organized. The panel splits and can hold a net as well. With an adjustable strap, the bag can accommodate anything from small hand nets to large steelhead boat nets.
On the backside of the middle compartment for waders there is a drop-mat for changing. Walking with your wader booties on the ground is a great way to ruin a several hundred dollar pair of waders. The same goes for walking on the ground with your neoprene wet wading socks. This mat is folded and aids in providing structure for the bag to maintain its shape when packed full.
With all of these features it can be difficult to imagine how this thing would even close up. Rolling the boots up to the waterproof compartment, there are two heavy duty straps that lash the bag shut. When packed both lightly, and at full capacity the straps have several point to attach, and closes comfortably.
This bag is great for anyone, and I mean anyone. Whether you have a small sedan or a full sized truck this bag will aid in organizing your trunk or bed space. The bag is configured to unroll to the width of a truck bed and perfectly lays out from side to side. For those of you with rod vaults, this bag can solve other issues for you like hauling gear, and organizing valuables.
Many of us partake in other sports outside of fly fishing. This bag makes a great gear tote for ski/ and snowboard gear. Just like with fishing gear it can haul snow pants, boots, coats, goggles, mittens, etc. For upland hunters this can be great way to haul boots, shells, other gear, and a change of clothes. No matter your circumstance this bag will preform in and out of fly fishing season. Whether you are a summer angler, or you fish year round, this bag will impress you every time you break it out.
I have been running this bag for about 2-3 months and really waited to write this review to put the bag through the wringer. I have a River Smith 4 Banger Rod Vault so I do not use the tube storage for the bag, but use every other feature of the bag every time I go out. Most notably, this bag has kept the back of my truck more organized than ever. We hall have our own ritual for gearing up riverside, and this bag has made gearing up more pleasant than ever.
It has been packed up for fishing, mushroom picking, and more. This fall and winter I will be using the bag to load up my upland gear and snowboard gear in a few months. I truly believe that there is not a better gear tote for the outdoorsman on the market today. Swing by the shop and check them out, or if you’re out of state, click here to shop online. Well ship it right to you.
-Simon
