The beast of the bank! Jake Fowles looks at the Four-Wheel Barrow Platform XXL from Penrose, a really manly piece of kit!

Long walks, uneven banks and shallow margins are commonplace at many natural venues. But what do we do when we are presented with no designated man-made stage, no obvious flat spot to lay down our seatbox, or a swim that only starts getting deep enough to catch fish well past the length of our pole?

This is where barrow platforms come into play. Not only do they allow you to load copious amounts of tackle on to them, but by removing the handles and wheels on arrival at the peg and adding four legs we are able to forge our own platform, whether that is in shallow water, on uneven rocky surfaces or among waterside foliage.

Finding a stable platform that gives you the utmost confidence to do everything you usually would on a standard man-made peg is integral and with the added risk of potentially dangerous swims where they best come into play, they are a necessity in certain situations.

The Beast

The Penrose Four Wheel Barrow Platform XXL comes with four 26in legs, four wheels and a set of handles as standard. The mainframe is 32 inches long and 24 inches wide and is finished in a black metallic polyester coating, with all plated parts featuring a gold finish. The large frame gives plenty of room for gear, both to transport to your peg and to position your box once set up.

Despite the size, once dismantled the platform barrow can be stored easily without taking up too much room. It’s also not too heavy – it is made from metal so it isn’t exactly carbon-fibre-esque but I am certainly not struggling to lift it in and out of my car boot, and I’m no Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Versatility

The wheels can be attached in a number of ways; the most stable setup is to have them set in all four corners on the outside of the platform base. This gives the barrow a large surface area, making it extremely stable and also very easy to push long distances with next to no effort.

Setting the wheels under the barrow helps to keep it more streamlined and will be of benefit on narrow towpaths. Further to this, manoeuvrability will also be increased because the narrow wheel base will mean the turning circle is greatly reduced. Finally, although a slightly less stable way of constructing the barrow, by choosing to just fit two of the wheels and attaching them in the middle fittings, the barrow platform will be very agile and easily manoeuvred, making the barrow element very functional in a range of situations.

Ultimate Stability

While out on the bank testing the barrow I was able to see what it was capable of. Faced with a rocky bank, there is no way I would have been able to position my box among the uneven, dangerous surface in confidence. By removing the wheels, adding the long legs and dropping them among the rocks, I could easily get it level and place my seatbox on the platform without any risk of it falling or giving way.

Further to this, the platform is large enough to ensure you are able to keep the majority of your gear close by. So, in swims where you have to get into the water you won’t need to leave too much up the bank behind you, keeping everything within reaching distance.

Pushing the barrow is effortless as well! The four-wheel setup helps to spread the weight of its load; even with all of my gear on I was able to push it along without having to try too hard, but I’d have no problem switching to a two-wheel setup if necessary.

Overall this is a very impressive piece of kit from Penrose; very sturdy, functional and with the added benefit of being able to alter its setup to suit your needs!

RRP: £165

Contact: 01246 475117

www.penrosedirect.co.uk