Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
We are about to run a series of articles on the kinds of kit that paddlers are carrying to get them out of a tricky rescue situation. We are therefore very interested to hear about what kit individuals/groups are carrying/using.
If you are interested in contributing to the series then please either leave a comment on this post or visit the Unsponsored Facebook page and leave a message there.
Since the good old days of the LL Session and Session+, Liquid Logic has focused on designs for the park ‘n play market. They have been so successful that it often seems that LL have taken over the market.
The Hoss is a departure from the park ‘ n play side of the sport and aims it sights quite clearly on the river runners amongst you.
EJs take is really interesting:
“With 26 countries and the worlds fastest slalom racers, creekers, expedition boaters, freestyle kayakers, etc.. all competing, I am comfortable with the idea that this is the World Championships of Extreme racing. No race in the world has a stronger field. Green race has a very strong field but nothing like this. This is the real deal with huge depth of field. Any time you have 10 people stacked into 1 second, you have a strong depth of field. That is pretty awesome. 60th place was only 6.25 seconds behind 1st place in a single run. That is an average of 10 people in each second.”
More @ EJ’s Blog
After witnessing a couple of horendous MTB crashes I decided it was wise to make an effort and carry a 1st aid kit. From the outset I had two options, make up my own or go and purchase a pre-made one. I chose the latter.
After scouring the outdoor shops, and large highstreet chemists I chose a Life Systems first aid kit. Cotswold Outdoor had a few different Life Systems for sale but I chose the “Compact” 1st aid kit due to its size, size does matter! The carrying case is tough, reuasable and weatherproof. It also contained the essential basic 1st aid kit items plus it had a enough spare room for the kit to be customised.
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The GoPro HD camera seems to be the must have extreme sport accessory. The GoPro HD is the latest incarnation in the GoPro series. For such a small and simple looking camera it delivers stunning high-definition HD 1080p video in a very light, waterproof, robust and user-friendly package.
The GoPro HD 1080p comes in variety of flavours that contain the same camera system but a range of different mounting straps and options. The pack I purchased from Dogcam was the helmet mount package. Continue reading
You can’t ignore how this boat is named: it’s about getting air, and so much more. Riot’s created a spud boat that is faster, looser, and easier to get air in than any other.
Essentially it is an improvement upon the famed Disco. The Air is designed to get super-sized aerials and cartwheel on as many waves, holes and eddy lines as possible.
Riot realizes that one size does not fit all. This boat comes available in 2 sizes, the 45 for smaller paddlers, the 55 for larger paddlers. Continue reading
I have used a few small gas canister stoves over the last few years. The previous stove was a MSR Pocket Rocket which was really light, pretty compact but created a very tall and potentially unsteady platform for a hot pan.
I have always liked remote canister stoves and remember having an Epigas version many years ago. Last year I picked up the Primus Spider.
The stove is billed as being deal for all year round use. Many gas stoves suffer in cold conditions as the gas has difficulty vapourising after being in the canister. The Spider gets around this by having pre-heat tube that passes above the burner to warm the fuel before it eventually comes out of the burner. Most liquid fuel stoves use this method to vapourise the fuel, but often need priming before they will work. The Spider as a gas stove doesn’t require any priming. To light the stove the tap is turned on and use can use a lighter, match etc to get it going. The stove doesn’t have a piezo ignition, which I don’t see as a negative as if you really on such a system you will still probably be carry another lighting method just in case. So I believe for reliability and shaving a bit of weight off I can happily live without a built in ignition system. Once lit you do notice that the stove has a very loud roar, much louder than any other gas stove I have used and sounds must more akin to the MSR Whisperlight liquid fuel stove I have used in the past. Continue reading
I took delivery of my new Shred Ready helmet this week and was very plesantly suprised. Unlike Shred Ready helmets of old it is not a composite helmet but is made from tough ABS plastic. All of the helmets in the Scrappy range have a carbon effect appearance and come in blue, red, green or black and comes in three sizes S, M, and L. All Shred Ready helmets imported into the UK by System X are CE approved. So you can wear them in freestyle competitions, with the safe knowledge that you won’t get disqualified.
The Scappy is basically a plastic version of the ever popular Shaggy helmet and like the Shaggy may be worn with the peak at the front or rear. However, unlike the Shaggy the fitting system is very good with a two piece padding kit that velcros onto the ample foam padding at the front and back of the helmet. The chin strap also has a nice little feature, which is a curved buckle which when worn fits snuggly against the neck.
As helmets go – front, rear and side protection is good. Padding is more than ample and a snug fit is easily achieved. The strap system works well, is easy to adjust and doesn’t appear to have any slippage when worn. I found the helmet comforatble and light to wear to long paddling sessions and didn’t get huge amounts of water rushing from the helmet after a roll.
If you want a smart looking helmet whose carbon effect looks as good as real but won’t break the bank, go for the Scappy.
I had the chance to make a few changes to the set up on the Teesside International Whitewater Course today. Here are a few images from a very cold day on Teesside.
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