Hobie Cooler Bags Review When out kayaking keeping your food, drinks or even a feed of fish cold can be a little tricky as you may need to compromise some storage space for esky space. In the past I have always used a generic style esky which got the job done, that being said I was never 100% happy with it either but when I started using my Hobie crate, it took up the space I had for the esky so I had to find another way to keep my food and fish cold whilst on the water.  The Hobie chill bag was the obvious choice and as it turns out a product I am pretty stoked with how good the Hobie cooler bag actually is.

First up let’s have a look at some specifications and what cooler bag options are available. When jumping onto the Sunstate Watersports website you’ll find 4 size options, starting with the smallest named the Compass all the way through to the XL which is perfect for the offshore crew chasing the blue water species like tuna.   All the bags are made from high quality materials including thick closed cell foam wrapped with a vinyl outer.  The zippers are heavy duty and durable against the elements and with the d-rings stitched into the bag tie it down is simple. For me I found the medium Hobie cooler bag to be the perfect size for my style of fishing, which is predominately estuary, so flathead, tailor, snapper and just nice size table fish.

The medium Hobie cooler also works really well on my Hobie PA 12.  Whilst I have been setting up my PA 12 I have two main ideas in mind on how I’m going to use the kayak.  The first and most obvious is using it as a day mission fishing weapon and the second is, I have plans to do some camping and multiday unsupported missions.  So with this in mind I have two positions in the kayak I use my cooler bag. When I’m out fishing I try and limit the amount of gear I have stacked on top if the front hatch, so the esky bag is always positioned under my seat which keeps the bow clear while casting and by having the bag under the seat it’s super handy to drop fish in.   For those multi day missions I have planned, empty storage space in the kayak is going to get used up quickly when loading your camping gear, fishing gear and general clothing and food.  In this case by strapping the cooler bag onto the front hatch provides extra storage and keeps the space under my seat free for additional items I need for my trip.

To keep the bag cold all day I use 2 frozen cordial bottles as my freezer bricks when out fishing and this is more than enough to keep the bag cold and chill off my catch really well, even on those summer days.  Space wise there is enough to hold both bottles, 5 mid 50cm flathead and I still have plenty of room left over for food and drink.  The big zippers are awesome and makes it easy to open even when you’ve got a fish in one hand and you’re trying to open the bag with the other.   Overall I’ve been really impressed with how cold the bag is when on the water and how easy it is to keep clean once you home, literally just hose it out and let dry.  Hot tip:  these bags also make for a great dry storage option especially when heading out on a yak like the Hobie Lynx.

So if you’re in the market for a cooler bag check out the Hobie range, there is literally one to suit any kayak and fishing style.

Screaming Dragz

OutCastAngler