Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
The UK distributers of Contour products (Ultra Sport Europe) kindly agreed to send me one of the new Contour + 2 cameras for test. Over the last hour or so I have taken a few shots of the camera and have downloaded the apps for both my Mac and iPhone (more on them later).
I’m having a clear out of the kite store. More info –
Some times you need a bit of cord for a quick repair or even strapping down boats in an emergency. Carrying a hank of cord is not the most practical solution for carrying some “just in case kit”, but a Survival Bracelet is!
My survival bracelet uses US military approved 500 paracord to provide around 7ft of survival cord. The cord itself is 550lb breaking strain paracord. This is made by a Certified US Government Contractor, it is 550lb test line with a 7 strand core. 100% nylon and made in the USA.
This a Spyderco Tasman Salt. The blade is a rust resistant H1 steel. This knife has now found a new home in my PFD. A review will follow shortly.
My GoPro Hero 3 Black edition arrived this week. The form factor is identical to that of the Silver Edition I already have, as it’s the internals that are different.
One of the new GoPro “The Frame” mounts landed yesterday.
The mount is designed to house the new GoPro Hero 3 series (white, silver, and black). The images below show the mount being used with a Silver series HD3. Continue reading
This is the kind of stuff I love, folk finding a refined solution to a problem – this is exactly what Booicore have done.
Our sport nesitates getting changed at the side of the roads, in public carparks etc, which often doesn’t go down well with the general public. Keeping warm, getting changed quickly without offending passers by is sometimes a challenge. Booicore have created an all in one towel/hoodie/changing tent combination that is perfect for paddlers.
I ordered a copy of the White Water Safety Movie form Eddyline Films a few weeks ago after watching part of it (5-10 mins) at this years Tyne Tour.
Written, presented and produced by Bruce Jolliffe and Dougie Shannon the DVD aims to bring a realistic, no-nonsense introduction to white water safety to you.
Bruce and Dougie took a group of real students to the Spanish Pyrenees with award winning cameraman Paul Diffley, and recorded the coached demos and live practise to highlight what you really need to know to get to grips with this material.
The DVD was edited by a television professional with no knowledge of white water safety to ensure that the examples are as clear and concise as is possible.
White Water Safety from Bruce Jolliffe on Vimeo.
Accessories for the white, silver and black edition of the GoPro Pro Hero 3 are starting to pop up on Amazon and various other places.
In certain parts of the world boat theft is a serious problem and given that most whitewater kayaks are close to £1000 it’s a pretty serious and probably very lucrative business.
My boat storage at home is pretty secure but I do feel that my kayak is at its most vulnerable when it is sat on the car. My current car has a roof rack that securely bolts to the car which means that it is fairly easy to lock my kayak to the rack and know that it is relatively secure.
I have used one of these really simple Playboater Rackguards
The key is to wrap the cable around/through parts of the kayak that are hard to loosen off or remove. I like a loop around the seat pillar and through one of the rescue loops/handles as they tend to be fastened on using security bolts anyway.
Keeping warm is often difficult when you paddle whitewater during the winter. I find that the one area that is difficult to keep warm are my hands. I’ve tried neoprene gloves (which work once warmed up), the woollen/washing up glove combo and various other bits/bobs.
Many years ago I owned a pair of pogies (aka paddle mitts), I can’t remember the brand but they were blue/fluorescent yellow. They did a good job of keeping the wind off until they got wet, which meant my hands got wet and cold. Roll on ten years or so and I picked up a pair of Palm Rivertec Pogies. The ones pictured below are still used and must be well over 10 years old. Palm do a modern take on the Rivertec Pogies called River Tec Paddle Mitts
Pogies are designed to be fastened onto paddle shaft. Your hands go inside of the pogies and grip the paddle shaft as normal. Compared to wearing neoprene gloves or indeed any gloves at all improves the general feel and control. Some paddlers do find them restrictive as your hands need to be removed to access pockets, pull your spraydecks rip cord etc. In addition some designs can be difficult to get your “last” hand into.
The Immersion Research Comp LX drycag is based upon the cut of the LX cag. The main difference being that the LX includes a latex neck seal and 4 layer breathable fabric by Entrant. This is the same material that is used in the Double D drysuit.
© 2025 Unsponsored
Theme by Anders Norén — Up ↑
Recent Comments