Seat Boxes?

Hi all,
Are these a good investment, anyone got any comments on them?. considering getting myself one as an xmas pressie.
What about the accessories, side trays, conversion kits, accessory tray and all that, are these worth while.
Is the box on it's own simply a big bucket? with no inner trays etc or does it come with compartments and trays etc.

Any comments welcome.

Ta
J

I've the beta box and it really is a big bucket. Saying that it cuts down on the amount of gear you lose, gives you a seat and helps prevent your gear getting fouled up with mud and sand.

Carrying it around by strap is difficult so I got the full brakeaway conversion kit though I still wouldn't go rock hopping with it. One downside of the backrest is I can't fit in the boot of my car as its a saloon. I also have the lead holder which means the leads are best place not to put a strain on my back. The lock is also handy as the lid does tend to flip open.

Donagh

The beta box is the most widely used seatbox and I would definately invest in the breakaway conversion to go with it, as for the other accesories its up to personal preference.

Donagh do you know you can lift the backrest bars off alltogether to fit the box in the boot?

As the man mentioned, 'you wouldnt go rock hopping with it'.
A box is grand and handy if the mark is easily accessible like a beach or pier. If you spend the majority of your fishing time on the rocks or trying to negotiate your way down a cliff to get to these rocks, then a bag is the only way. I bought a lovely daiwa bag a couple of years ago, tough aul sack I have to say.

The mustad sea rover rucksack is a great buy for the rocks. It has won awards too. Nicely designed and not too big.

Got one last week and as stated above, it's not for humping around over slippery rocks and yes it is a big bucket. Instead of buying the Shakespeare (overpriced) inner sections I bought a pair of cat litter trays for £1.30 each. Bloody things were too wide with their lips but I cut the lips of and tied string handles on them through a couple of drilled holes each side which seemed to do the trick. Now have seperate (extremely cheap and functional) sections that I can lift out and replace without my gear rolling about all over the floor. If, unlike me, you take the time to measure the inside of the Beta box I'm sure that suitable trays can be found for a lot less than the purpose built ones.

thanks for the tips guys

- Jon

Probably a very obvious statyment to make, but I'll say it anyway.
Make sure to clean it out regularly, as many of them will be waterproof, which means that water will stay in it as well as out of it...
Not nice to do a spring clean and find an inch of water in it and a lot of rusty rapalas!

I gotta say that I reckon a seat box is heaven. No, I wouldn't go rock hopping with one. I have the conversion kit so that it has the back rest and can be carried like a rucksack. I can fit it into the boot of my Mazda 323. The best thing for me is that when I want to go fishing I just pick it up, grab some bait and walk out of the door, no messing about trying to organize things. I always empty it out the day after I've been fishing, get rid of anything that shouldn't be there, (old newspaper, chocolate wrappers and the dreaded sand etc) then you're ready to go again.
It's also a good place to hide things from the wife and kids, if they dared to open the box they're greeted with a lovely whiff! Anyway, I wouldn't buy one for xmas, I'd get someone else to buy it for me!
Good luck.