Aqua Porducts RS3 Sling and Sleeves - 29/05/2009

As a mate of then-Aqua employee Neil Smith, I was lucky enough to have one of these three-rod slings made up for me over a year or so ago, and I loved it.

Tester: Marc Coulson
Test period: 12 months plus

At first it housed my barbel gear, including two rods, sticks, brolly and net, but more recently I struggle to find time to go barbel fishing, so it’s now the protector of my light carp set-up. Okay, so I am lucky enough to have had one made for me, the beauty of dealing with a company like Aqua, which still manufacturers many products at their UK premises. However, the three-rod RS has now been added to the range and I reckon it’ll prove to be a real winner. The same simple, yet functional, design remains, but in a compact format that is ideal for the angler who doesn’t need anything like the larger four, five or even six-rod versions.

I can fit my Aqua brolly inside without problem and, at a squeeze, my Fox Evolution will also go into the central sleeve. My rod can then attach either in sleeves or directly onto the outer body. One, simple pocket houses my landing net and a couple of storm poles and, bingo, I’m ready to fish. In a further bid to keep everything compact, I am using the new lightweight rod sleeves, made from the same material as the Aqua bivvies. They’re simple to use and, while not padded, they offer some limited protection. To be fair, on this light set-up, I use some rod tops to protect the tips, so fully padded sleeves are not required.

VERDICT
√ Great, compact quiver in the same style as my favourite Aqua RS4 and RS5.
× If anything, the central brolly sleeve could be just a little bit wider