Palm Rescue 825 & 850

Equipment Review - WWTC 18m Classic Throwbag system

One of the things that we often see on our swiftwater rescue courses are throwbags floating off downstream. The throwbag having self released from the student on a swim. The new throwbag range from WWTC has been designed to stop that once and for all. The range consists of 15, 18 and 27m, bags and has been available since the beginning of the year, We have been testing their 18m classic belt system to see what the advantages and disadvantages of this system are.

The system consists of a easy to pack 18m throwbag and a separate tunnel belt system to waist mount (or thwart mount in a raft). The bag is good to throw with a 8mm Polyester / Polypropylene line with a tensile breaking strength of 1031 kg (703 kg with a figure of eight knot). Due to using Polyester in it's construction, the rope has an excellent abrasion resistance unlike most throwbag ropes. The bag in narrow, but with a strong conical form, repacking is still fast even with large hands.

One of the features we like the most is the karabiner pocket on the side of the bag. This small padded pocket holds a karabiner already clipped into the rope which makes the bag safe to throw with a karabiner already attached, and the victim can not get their hand stuck in the loop of rope as it is in the pocket. The only problem is that it is so well made, victims need to be shown where it is, if they need it.

The waist belt is solidly made with a tunnel to slide the throwbag into. This protects the bag when it is not in use, so that thinner & lighter material can be used to make the bag it's self. Releasing the bag and placing it back into the belt does take some getting used to and takes a few seconds longer than some other systems on the market. However it is the ONLY detachable bag that stays put in whitewater and it still has a front quick release to be able to ditch the entire bag & belt if needed to.

All in all a great throwbag system, especially for raft guides and swiftwaterrescue teams who want to have a waist mounted throwbag.

We have a limited number of WWTC 18m Classic Bag & Belt systems for sale, please email for details.