By: The Grit Staff
I have spent the last three dog training seasons living out of a cardboard box. Huck Finn fantasies aside, I am just cheap. Before you make a call to the Department of Family Services, you should know that my kids sleep in beds in a real house.
My pigeons, however, enjoy temporary residence in discarded boxes. I cut in handle slots, a little Tom and Jerry mouse door, and a few vents in the top. Then I pop in the pigeons that I retrieve from a rooftop grain trap.
This whole setup works surprisingly well. I've caught and transported many birds in this manner. The only hiccup is when I hit the training field. There I'm certainly a laughable sight- wandering around the prairie, kick trap in one hand, old Subway bread dough box in another.
After concealing a bird or two for my pup to find, I get to lug the whole mess back to the truck. If only someone made a bag that would let me carry my training birds hands-free. The new Final Rise Training Bag is certainly not the first such offering, but it enters a narrow field.
Matt Davis and the Final Rise crew produce high quality American-made products. Their training bag stands out with its heavy-duty plastic mesh sides, providing plenty of ventilation for your birds till you plant them. It also holds up to brush and pickup bed abuse. Final Rise’s characteristically robust stitching secures the Cordura frame to these mesh panels.
The overall feel of this bag is svelte and light. The strap easily adjusts to be worn either at the hip or the small of the back. A metal snap is attached to one edge. Final Rise means this to secure the bag to a belt loop, but I like to attach a kick trap, e-collar remote, or puppy leash to it. It would be nice if there was a matching snap on the other side as well.
Final Rise says this bag will hold five pigeons, which I'd say is possible but a tight squeeze. I probably won't put more than three birds in it at a time. The spring clasp is easy to remove a bird from and close, even with one hand.
Both sides of the training bag have three divided mesh pockets that hold the literal and proverbial bells and whistles of dog training. The large pockets could hold a water bottle or a check cord, while the small pockets hold your e-collar remote, treats, or a training pistol. However, these pockets are basically divider flaps with no top closure. I won't be putting anything in them that I’d regret losing in the tall grass.
Overall, this bag is similar in capacity and function to most of its competitors, but with the superior construction that Final Rise is known for. Personally, I wouldn't mind if this bag was a little larger and heavier, especially if it had a dedicated water bottle sleeve and top closures on its pockets.
The Training Bag bag runs 80 bucks from Final Rise, which is almost double the cost of similar bags. It's definitely more expensive than my old Subway box. Is it worth the price for a quality American-made product? Plenty of bird-doggers seem to think so. The Final Rise Training Bag is currently sold out.
*The Grit bought this product with our own dang money. We were not compensated by the manufacturer for this review.
