RRP - £60
The Peak UK 15m waist mounted towline is unique in that it can be adapted, with some additional hardware, to be a deck mounted system. It’s also unique in that it looks like a 1980’s bum bag and has a neon day glow colour scheme to match. This is a complement because it does look good and matches the rest of Peak UK kit’s colour scheme. The bag is also very roomy which helps with repacking the rope at sea.
Another unique feature is the elasticated webbing damper. Considering that we don’t particularly like added elasticated parts to towlines this is the best that we have used for its minimal size and snag free design. If you too are not a fan of added elasticated parts on your towline and want to remove it you can but you would need to cut it off and save the marine grade stainless steel D ring to use as the anchor to the waist belt for the rope.
The 40mm webbing belt is fastened with the usual plastic cam buckle release & toggle. There is a slider to allow adjustment of the buckle position to be set central around your waist. The 15m of 7mm floating polypropylene rope has a plastic floating sea dog clip and a small float. We didn’t find the float necessary with this setup but it was easy to remove by undoing knots and it would prove to be handy if you wanted to swap out the clip for something non floating.
The bag is made from tough 600d polyester / ripstop nylon with a quick draining mesh base. The base isn’t quite as tough as the rest of the bag and we found it to be the first part to show wear but it is good for a few years of use and abuse. On either side of the bag are plastic split D rings to attach the clip too. This is great for options and it has a double headed zips to accommodate this. The zips are metal which is fine for regular use but they don’t appreciate being left unused for a longer period of time.
The price of this towline aims it at the budget conscious beginner but it may also has everything that an experienced expert might want.
By Philip Clegg
Approaching two decades of working in the sea kayaking industry, Phil can be found on a daily basis coaching and paddling on the coastline of Anglesey. That’s when he’s not travelling the world expeditioning, coaching and testing kit.