Comfortable, practical and stable
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'Continental' type seat boxes have always fascinated me, probably because they do look like a great piece of kit, whether you use one or not. Compare a modern seat box with a wicker basket, or even the plastic seat box originally introduced by Shakespeare and the difference is staggering. The old seat boxes were just that, a box, while the modern 'continental' seat box is a work of art in both design and construction.
Non-marking, double extending leg system
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I've got an X5 and it's the fourth seat box I've had over the years (not counting wicker baskets and plain plastic boxes) from four different manufacturers. If I stood those four boxes together the evolution of the seat box would be plain to see.
Stronger, easier to use, more comfortable, and lots of great innovations.
The X Box range from Preston Innovations is a joy to use, once you've got it to the water! Yes, like all the larger seat boxes, once you've filled it with all the odds and sods we carry, even though bait and some other items are carried in a separate bag, you need a trolley to transport it to a swim that is more than a few dozen paces from the car park.
That is an accepted fact anyway, and there is no way round it short of employing someone to carry it for you (I wish!). And that would be the first snippet of advice I would offer anyone who is planning to budget for a top of the range seat box like the X Boxes from Preston - include the cost of a decent trolley, preferably the one sold by the same company and made for the job.
The non-marking leg system is a massive advantage over the old clamping systems still used by many seat boxes.
Non-slip cassette footplate
| It wasn't just the marks on the legs from the clamping screws, but the ridges that formed that prevented the legs from sliding easily. The legs also have not one but two means of extending, which is very handy on undulating banks where you need to be able to make fine adjustments to get the seat box level and stable.
The cassette footplate is another big plus; no more fiddling about fitting a separate footplate and having to carry it in the net bag. Now you just undo a couple of screws and slide it in and out with no problem at all. Add to that the fact that the footplate has a non-slip covering and wherever you fish you can adjust the legs and be sitting on a non-slip, level, safe and comfortable platform.
Moreover, the cassette system means that the locking footplate is extremely stable and rigid. Unlike some footplates you can stand on it without any danger of it folding and collapsing.
Protective pole recess
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Rather than a groove that goes the full depth of the seat the X Box has a V-shaped recess. This is much better as it helps to hold the pole in place in a cross-wind - simple, but a nice touch that. Same with the pin that locks the side trays in place. Not just a plain pin but an L-shaped one that sits firmly in a recess.
Much depends on how much gear you carry, but there's an X Box to suit you, from the smallest X2 with its two shallow cross drawers, to the big X6 with its two shallow cross drawers, two shallow front drawers and two deep front drawers. If you want to go bigger and more elaborate than that then you need to be looking at the Preston Innovations Space Station - but that's another story, perhaps for another day.
Side tray locking pin
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Complaints? Just a couple of minor ones. The lid latches are a bit fiddly; I think there must be a better design on the cards somewhere as all this type of seat box use the same lid latch. And the weight which, as I've said, you need a trolley and fisheries with decent paths round the banks. But continental type seat boxes and weight (including all the scaffolding) are confirmed bedfellows.
The X Box range have been designed by match anglers who know all about fishing comfortable and efficiently, and it shows. The box is indeed comfortable, well made, stable, easy to use and comes with a greater range of accessories than Victoria Beckham, and a damn sight more useful too. It's a joy to use.
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pete proctor
