I just returned from a week-long painting trip out on the east coast using my new Belly River, and it performed flawlessly! Nice and compact for easy carrying and a breeze to set up and take down. Panels snap into the panel holder very securely yet are quick and easy to move around and remove. What a pleasure it was to paint without having to manouver around panel clips! Being able to clip the panel in up higher helped keep my shirtsleeves out of the paint too. Having four panels in the lid even pushed me to paint that extra panel every day. The sunclips came in very handy and, with some judicious easel placement, worked to keep both the painting panel and palette area shaded. If the sun started to creep in, it was very easy to tilt the panel holder back or forward - no messing around with pesky wing nuts or knurled knobs.
I carried a couple of 8x10 panels in the piggyback along with my 6x8's and found that the larger panel worked even better in the sunclips. Having both 6x8 and 8x10 panels in the lid proved a nice option when deciding what size panel to use while on site. In the past I've always carried a mini tool kit for tightening screws and making makeshift repairs to equipment, but the Belly River is so robust I never even unpacked the tools on this trip. Judging by the envious looks of my fellow painters, I think I had the best looking box as well! Thanks again, Ben, for coming up with a great design and for so meticulously making such a well crafted pochade.
-Rob