It does take a while to get used to a stripping basket. I found that the hard plastic baskets that are deep work better in windy conditions than the soft nylon ones. A laundry basket with a nylon belt would probably work fine. Up here in Maine,fishing in the surf requires a cautious approach with respect to safety. The basket should drain quickly and easily and using one means you can't wade in as deep as you can without one. The hardest thing to get used to for me is stripping the fly in on the retrieve. While it was akward at first, now I prefer using the basket both in the surf and on my boat.