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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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Tackle