Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view

Tag: First Look (Page 2 of 6)

GoPro Hero6 Black – First Look

Here we have a GoPro Hero6 Black – First Look. The GoPro Hero6 Black has been released to the public and we have one at Unsponsored HQ for review.

Does it look familiar?

GoPro Hero6 Black - First Look

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Palm Equipment Bolt Throwline – First Look

We have the new Palm Equipment Bolt throwline in for review at Unsponsored HQ. The Bolt is the big brother to the Lightning throwline released last year and replaces the Palm Alpine throwline.

Palm Equipment Bolt Throwline - First Look

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Palm Equipment Rash Guard – First Look

For me one of the best bits of kit to own for summer paddling has to be a rash guard. I have owned a few over the years and they form an important part of my gear line up. Rash guards can be worn on their own as an outer layer to ward off sun burn (UPF 50+ sun protection in this case) or worn as part of a layering system under a short sleeve dry top if it isn’t that warm.

Most of the rash guards available out there are from the world of surfing. There are a number of manufacturers from the paddling world who are producing rash guards with paddle sports in mind. The one shown here is from UK based company Palm Equipment.

Palm Equipment Rash Guard

If you are looking for your first rash guard or looking to replace and old one then the Palm Equipment Rash Guard is one that is worth considering and we have one in at Unsponsored HQ for review.

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Palm Equipment Poncho Grande – First Look

The Palm Equipment Poncho Grande is designed to make getting changed at the beginning or end of a paddle session a little more comfortable for innocent bystanders. As well as being more comfortable for the user who is getting changed. No more slipping towels or bare backsides.

Palm Equipment Poncho Grande

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Black Rapid Sport Breathe Camera Strap – First Look

Since making a move to a new Nikon Camera five years ago I have been using Black Rapid camera straps. The strap of choice to date has been the RS Sport 2 camera strap. The strap is designed to be worn across the body and allows the camera to be carried to the side yet be easily brought up to the eye to take photos. The big advantage of such a system is that the shoulders take the weight of camera gear rather than the neck. I have found this to be a really critical factor when I have been taking photos at an all day event.

Black Rapid Sport Breathe Camera Strap - First Look

The RS Sport 2 has performed faultlessly over the last few years. The Sport strap has been recently updated with a new profile and new materials therefore we have just made the switch to the new Sport Breathe.

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Suunto Ambit Peak 3 – Review Updated

We love tech here at Unsponsored HQ and when we can combine that love with the great outdoors it gives us a warm glow inside. So getting hold of the new (at the time) Suunto Ambit Peak 3 was quite a day.

MY GPS of choice up until very recently was a Garmin Foretrex 401 (as favoured by many members of the armed forces). It did its job well but I didn’t use a great deal of its features apart from getting a GPS location fix when things got a bit sticky. Although it did what I needed it to do technology has moved on and it’s always great to have an excuse to upgrade some tech. The Ambit Peak 3 came recommend from a friend of mine who had used pretty much everything else that was on the market at the time. I have owned the Sunnto Ambit Peak 3 since December 2015 and have used it weekly since that time.

Suunto Ambit 3 Peak - First Look

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Peak UK Deluxe Drysuit – First Look

Just like the other Peak UK gear we had in recently the Peak UK Deluxe drysuit was first seen back in 2015 at the Paddle Expo in Germany.

Peak UK Deluxe Drysuit

After having some time time checking the suit out and discussing its design with Snakey it was clear that Peak UK had taken some time to develop there next generation of drysuits.

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Sweet Protection Sabrosa Dry Top – First Look

The Sweet Protection Sabrosa Dry Top has landed here at Unsponsored HQ. This may well be an exclusive, it’s not even on the Sweet Protection website yet. It would be fair to say that I have been waiting sometime for Sweet to put a short sleeved paddle top into production and it’s finally here.

Sweet Protection Sabrosa Dry Top - First Look

I think that originally the Sabrosa was not designed to be a full on dry top and was billed as a spray top. However on arrival at Unsponsored HQ it is clear the the Sabrosa is a full on short sleeve dry top. It even states it on the swing tag.

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Immersion Research Shawty Drysuit – Review

It’s no secret that in the world of paddling, females are the minority. Therefore it is very hard for us to find comfort in most paddling kits, as they are generally tailored to a male figure. I’m sure many ladies will agree with me that finding a snug fitting yet practical drysuit is probably one of the most challenging parts of being a paddler. But as the female paddling community continues to grow, the increase in women’s kit means a huge improvement in the overall experience for us all.

Immersion Research Shawty

When I first began kayaking, I was 13 years-old and strongly against cold weather paddling. It only took a couple of winter club trips to persuade my Dad that a wetsuit just didn’t cut it. When choosing my first suit, I felt DamX was the best option, as their suits are made to measure. I loved my suit, but as I progressed, I found it to be restricting, mainly due to its weight.

Immersion Research Shawty

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Waka Gangsta – First Look

As soon as I’d heard about the release of the Waka Gangsta I put down a deposit at my local kayak shop so I had one guaranteed for the first shipment. This year I’ve paddled the mark one Tuna quite a lot on a mix of steep creeks, class3/4 river running and the odd day on something big and bouncy. I’ve also managed to get my hands on a mark 2 Tuna on numerous occasions and seen the improvements that have come through from the mark one.

Waka Gangsta - First Look

I’d got wind of a larger design coming from Waka early in the summer so I held off buying a mark 2 Tuna on the basis that the mark 1 and 2 always worked for me but felt a little bit like they weren’t performing to their full potential.

Waka Gangsta - First Look

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Gopro Hero 5 Black Edition Hands On Review (UK)

Friend of Unsponsored Dale Mears has put together a neat little walkthrough review of the new GoPro Hero 5 black edition.

Gopro Hero 5 Black Edition Hands on Review (UK)

Here is my GoPro Hero 5 Black edition hands on review. Features a walk through of the cameras features and some stills taken whilst whitewater kayaking and some raw footage.

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GoPro Hero5 Black – First Look

We have both the GoPro Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session here at Unsponsored HQ for review. Since the release of the Session we haven’t used the Unsponsored Hero4 Black edition so I was interested to see how the the new Hero5 compares.

GoPro Hero5 Black

Firstly the Hero5 takes on some of the features of the Session. This includes the lack of case and the use of the frame, one button video/photo and improved sound capabilities. The footage capability of the Hero5 is reportedly not that much different to the Hero4, it does have a better sensor and is supposed to be much better in lowlight so we’ll have a good compare once we have a set of side by side shoots. The biggest improvement has been with image stabilisation and we are looking forwarding to checking that out.

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