Whetman Equipment River Rat 12m Throwline

The River Rat is a compact reach rescue throwline, made by Whetman in Devon. At 340g and roughly the size of a bag of coffee it is small enough to live in a pocket or sit on a belt all day, which is rather the point. The throwline that helps is the one you actually have with you.

It is built for the unexpected rather than for planned safety cover, so think of it as the line for a swimmer who needs reaching quickly. Twelve metres of 9mm floating line is enough to reach someone and bring them somewhere safer. If you are setting up deliberate cover on a harder rapid then a longer 18 or 20m line gives you more reach to work with, but as the line you carry every single time you get on the water, this one is hard to argue with.

The single buckle that closes the bag doubles as the grip for throwing and for repacking, and the flared opening makes stuffing the line back in quick. Nothing on it corrodes, so it is as happy used for coasteering or sea kayaking as it is on a river.

• 12m of 9mm, 16 braid floating polypropylene line in red and yellow
• Line strength 5500N
• Net dry weight 340g
• Cone shaped bag in heavy duty polyester canvas
• Single buckle closure that doubles as the throwing and repacking grip
• Float fitted into the base of the bag
• Flared opening for a quick repack
• End of the line easy to reach, and it can be untied from the bag if needed
• No corrodible parts, so it suits sea and coasteering use as well as rivers
• Belt loops fit webbing up to 50mm, with two positions on the Whetman Water Belt
• Made in Devon, UK

Pairs with the Whetman Equipment Water Belt. For a line designed specifically for throwing from a sea kayak, the Whetman Equipment Limpet 14m Sea Throwline uses a thinner 6mm line in an even lighter bag.