I respectfully (but heartily) disagree with the resposes above. I, too, am about 175 lbs and have righted my Hobie 16 several times solo...without bag or assistance. But those were in ideal conditions....relatively flat water and big wind. I've also been in conditions where there's no way I could have righted it solo without the larger bag.....big waves and lighter (~8kt) wind...alone and a mile or so offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Many people will tell you that if there's enough wind to dump you then there's enough wind to right solo. However, this doesn't account for situations where a malfunction (trap unhooks or trap line breaks, for example), a lapse in judgement (aka stupidity), or even a rogue gust (that you won't see for the rest of the day) causes you to flip. Believe me (but don't ask how I know all this), when your out there alone and drifting toward the rocks on shore, you'll be glad you had the larger bag!

I got the big bag and practiced with it in NO wind....I can just barely right the boat in such conditions, but knowing it's possible is worth a lot. If you're gonna go bag...go BIG!

Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi USA

P.S. to Tom: It was nice to meet you and sail with you guys at Cat Caper. Hope to see you again on the water somewhere this year!