The Cuba trip is fast approaching and that means I’m begging and pleading for gear to be sent to Bonefish on the Brain World Headquarters. Largely, I’ve succeeded. Looks like the packing list is going to include rods/reels/lines from Orvis, Ross, Sage, Redington, Rio and Scientific Angler.
Now, important to note, I don’t get to keep all this stuff. I am forced to send it back to the manufacturer once my trip is done (and I finally get around to it, usually a month late). It’s a great opportunity to get my hands on some gear and see how it feels in the field. The good stuff will get talked about and the stuff that wasn’t so awesome (of which there is surprisingly little) doesn’t (unless you ask me directly).
One of the reels I’ll be sporting is the F1 from Ross. I’m excited to see this reel in action after seeing it in a couple of places over the past year.
It comes from 2 wt. to 9 wt., so I won’t be putting it on any Tarpon rods, but I should get to pace some bonefish on it. Very much looking forward to seeing how it performs. Field and Stream just gave it the blue ribbon for best new reel of 2011.
The F1
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Tags: F1, Ross Reels, Ross World Wide
I have never understood the concept of sending back the gear you are testing. Rods and reels cost nothing to make and they should be lucky to have folks that are willing to test and write about their stuff. I rarely take gear for free. I prefer to pay for things so that I can write honestly about the stuff I use. I do love free stuff though!!!! hmmmmmm
I know what you mean. Still, I guess it feels more on the up and up if I send the stuff back. Once Patagonia asked for a hat and sun mask back, which I thought was weird. Were they going to send that to someone else? But $500 reels and $700 rods… yeah, I can understand them not wanting to give me that stuff. It does mean I get a lot of loaners. On the Belize trip I had about $3K in loaned gear. I can’t complain, although I still miss that Nautilus reel.
Do you ask them for the gear to test or do they offer it up?
I asked. I had seen a loaner Vexis that Kyle had down in Andros and I haven’t demo’ed any of their stuff before. I have good contacts with Sage/Reddington and Orvis and got a loaner from Nautilus for Belize. So many companies, so much gear, it can be hard to get a hold of the right person. So many blogs out there, if they let everyone demo they wouldn’t have anyone to sell to!