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In reply to Post #15
. . .Bought the Saber Everlevel in the end . . .got it new but cheap at £60 (Tackle Tavern) and even part exed my Aqua against it! Perfect size for UK fishing and lighter than most height adjustable metal frame cribs. Got Bespoke Angling Supplies to knock up a custom bag . . .perfect.
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Little bit late to this but the Cotswold Aquarius Les Graviers Cradle Mat is a cracking bit of kit.
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In reply to Post #1
Picked up a Saber Everlevel for a decent price . . .very light for the size (no middle leg) and easy to assemble. Footprint is perfect - not too small (like the standard Avid Safeguard I had) but not silly oversize either . . .perimeter padding is also good . . .only mild annoyance is that the cover is stitched to one side permanently and it comes without a stink bag for return trips; another BAS item shortly on order then!
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In reply to Post #1
I have a RH Cabrio Monster Unhooking Mat. Bit of a beast, but will take just about any carp.
I do use mine as a 'barrow bag', on top of the barrow with my P1 pod, Korum Ruckbag and the reels etc positioned inside it, and even as a carryall in the back of the car.
Have a look here at RH link for description
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Chub Xtra Protection Cradle.
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In reply to Post #21
please read post 16 mate 
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In reply to Post #16
I think the main problem with framed type mats, in relation to the incident with the fish that lost its tail, is that if a fish flaps you cannot lower it down to the mat supported. On a flat mat if a fish is lively you can drop your elbows to the ground with the weight on your forearms and your body over the fish, you cannot do that with a solid bar infront of you.
There's probably no perfect solution and all types of mat have their downsides under particular circumstances...
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In reply to Post #17
yes maybe Angling company's need to start looking at the design of the landing net mesh ?
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Get a scadle lightweight and you dont need to carry heavy Rubens around with you.
Oh and your wallet will be a lot lighter to 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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In reply to Post #16
Wow, that was a really interesting read. A fascinating observation and definitely food for thought. I don't think any fish should be lifted out if the water without a suitable sling to properly support the fish. Thanks for bringing this to our attention Oldgeezer. 👍
Starting to think that a suspended cradle like the Trakker Sanctuary will be more comfortable for the fish after that read.
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BEFORE people go off on one and BLAME CRADLES !!!!!!
PLEASE
Take 5 mins to read all of this as maybe the damage is all ready done before it gets to any sort of cradle or mat !!!
LINKY POO  
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In reply to Post #14
You're absolutely right. It's a fine line between weight, cost and at the forefront (and it has to be really) is the fishes welfare. The Solar undercover inflatable mat looks awesome but noy at £215 is a bit hard to swallow. It does however appear to tick every box regarding being compact when packed away big enough, thick enough and potentially very fish friendly. I'm in the process of saving funds to get back into carp fishing after being away from it for 15 years. If the Solar comes down in price I'll probably buy it. If not then it will likely be the Trakker Sanctuary cradles or the oval mat or possibly the fox equivalent as they all seem to give good reviews on fishcare (but not on packing away).
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In reply to Post #13
Totally fair point . . .I'm looking for the perfect solution I suppose, no one wants to add unnecessary weight if possible!
The mat in the vid looks way too small for the size of the fish itself . . whether it was detrimental to the tail snapping however I'm not sure . . .for me its the height off the ground - the guy should have been kneeling and not squatting on one knee to reduce the height between fish and mat / support . . .
To be honest, my ageing Aqua Combi is more than sufficient to handle UK carp up to 50lbs+ (it swallows a 40lb fish) the padding is decent and a simple zipped cover keeps the fish more than calm and safe. Flat mats do have their limitations on uneven ground however, and its the idiots who cannot use them / leave fish unattended etc that have forced fishery owners to ban them IMO . . .
Like the idea of inflatables possibly, but they are expensive and as heavy as the Trakker cradles . . .
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In reply to Post #12
Yeah the Trakker Sanctuary XL (and the standard for that matter) are heavy. Most people on here (intended at yourself) I've seen criticise mats for being too large (when packed away) or too heavy. However, after seeing that video with the carps tail incident, I've decided that I'm not going to be at all bothered by these two factors. I'd rather make sure the cradle or mat is the very best that I can afford. We seem to carry or barrow bivvies, rods, bedchair sleep systems, bait, food, rods and god knows what else and yet whinge about the packed size or weight of a suitable mat/cradle to protect a huge fish that's not really intended to be out of the water. It baffles me to say the least.
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In reply to Post #11
. . I've used the Gravier type mats in France in the past - whilst secure they are heavy and cumbersome and get even heavier when drenched. Have been using a large 'adopted' Saber cradle on my current syndy and they are barely padded on the perimeter - they are however mahoosive even with the biggest fish in the lake in it, so maybe oversized is best / safest? Never had a problem with cradles . . .saying that never had a problem with flat mats either!
Had a standard sized Avid Stormshield which I sold as was only using it on one dayticket water at the time; quite like cradles on this basis, don't however like the weight / pack size of most of them. Def a benefit on uneven ground, and also make lifting fish a lot easier from a squat position (rather than knees) IMO.
Will have a look at the Nash Gerry - do you know how heavy they are? Trakker also looks a quality product, but heavy at 7.5kgs for the large . . .!
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In reply to Post #9
Thinking about getting a cradle myself (trakker sanctuary version but not sure which size to go for). Do you find in general that the fish are calmer in this type of suspended cradle as opposed to a high walled unhooking mat or does it make no difference whatsoever.
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In reply to Post #8
I think you need to watch the video again. It's not a suspended cradle but a high walled unhooking mat where the fish loses It's tail. Infact the walls don't even look that tall on it. I think the main problem with that particular mat was it probably wasn't thick enough to cushion the poor fishes weight along with the fact that the angler took his eye off the fish momentarily.
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In reply to Post #8
nope I havent ?
personally never had a seconds problem
BUT like anything accidents can happen fish flip out of your arms people can fall over tons of things
so one person ( horrific though it sounds ) in god knows how many thousands that never have a problem drops a fish or whatever they did ? its strange as seen fish big and small flap about on the ground and never heard of a tail snapping ? something must of not been right with that fish as well surely ??
but its something that Im very careful about putting the fish in the cradle
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In reply to Post #7
I'm sure you've seen the video where the fish loses it's tail in a cradle basically the same as the one in your link, do you still think they are totally safe? Personally i like them but use the Fox product mentioned due to the lack of metal in play.
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In reply to Post #1
I have the original Nash elevator deluxe I like the way it packs flat there are newer versions out now
mine has a mesh in the bottom so the water drains and I prefer that to be honest
this shows some of them LINKY POO 
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In reply to Post #1
What about the new Korda basix cradle mat £59.99
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In reply to Post #4
. . .being a tart I've never like the look of those pop up mats (they seem flimsy / £120 feels steep for what it is) but after watching the vid it might be a good shout so thanks for rec . . .
Any other ideas?
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In reply to Post #1
Fox easy mat xl is what you want.
They pack down reasonable and weigh next to nothing.
Some one broke into my shed and stole mine last year and i have been on a Aqua combi mat since but want to move back to a fox soon when i can afford one,
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In reply to Post #2
Have you got the standard size or large? Does it dry quickly or retain water in the walls etc . . ?
Has bad reviews on this forum . .!!
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In reply to Post #1
Ive got a trakker inflatable cradle. rolls up and deflates pretty compact, easily big enough for those fish, and the three inflatable parts can come out of the cover for cleaning etc. seems very well made and robust enough, have only had it for 12 months or so, but has stood up to abuse well.
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Got a winter ticket on a new lake starting Nov 1st that requires a walled mat / cradle . . .have been using a supplied cradle on my current syndy and only currently own an Aqua Combi Mat (other than a compact Drennan Quickdraw)
Fish only go to high 30's / scraper 40's so don't need anything mahoosive - want something lightweight and packable rather than large and weighty
Was initially thinking of the large ESP Quickdraw however not sure the sides will cut it / are sufficient . .Saber Everlevel looks light for a framed cradle . . like the all mesh Trakker Sanctuary but it weighs a ton . .
Any real-world use recommendations / ideas? Cheers
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