Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
Since the production of the I.T.S deck Playboater has long been established as one of the best spraydeck manufacturers in the UK if not the world. Over the years I have owned three Playboater decks. The first being an I.T.S deck followed by two workdecks. I still have all three and all three are in A1 condition. Even the I.T.S deck which by now must be an antique. None have been replaced through damage of any sort and have only been retired when new boats have come along.
The 4Fun, FINALLY a boat for the taller paddlers… This boat has been geared towards those out there, who like me are tall, (6’04”) But not exactly on the heavy side (12 1/2 stone last time I checked). It’s big on foot room, and can easily accommodate size 12 feet. It’s a river runner/playboat. So it won’t be the most radical boat on the river/ weir, but it can hold its own.
Specs –
Length: 6′ 8″
Width: 26.75″
Height: 14.375″
Volume: 63 gallons
Cockpit: 36″ x 20.75″
Weight: 34 lbs
Target Weight Range: 165 – 220 lbs
Continue reading
I received my Vixen helmet in November from America. Decided to buy a closeout (or end of line) helmet to save a few pounds and a friend brought it back to England for me. They retail at £100+ (see System X); I have a super chix one (chrome rim) which I think costs a little more.
The Frostfire Moonbag comes in two varieties one zipped and the other closed via a drawstring. This review is for the drawstring version.
Here is what Frostfire have to say about the moonbag –
“The Moonbag is a patent pending bag designed for easy changing from wet and dry clothes. The bag opens out into a circular changing mat that has a heavy-duty nylon base designed to protect your feet. A padded centre aids comfort while an easy-to-clean plastic top makes for an ideal changing platform.”
Continue readingThe Five Ten (5.10) Nemo Shoes are one of the best ways to keep your toes protected, and they let you walk as safely as possible in tough terrain. Like most neoprene shoes, these guys are warm and comfortable. What set these shoes apart from others are their soles. Their soles are made of 5.10’s Aqua Stealth rubber, which 5.10 developed specifically for technically savvy anglers, kayakers, canoeists, ww raft guides and search & rescue workers. The soles are also very flexible, which allows you to squeeze your feet quite comfortably into the smallest of boats (I had no problem getting into a disco with size ten feet). But they still protect you from those nasty little stones that always seem to find the boney part of your sole.
I found using the shoes on the Teesside ww course for rafting three to four times a week meant that the soles wore down rapidly (within about 3 months), however the soles can be replaced by a 5.10 recommended company for a cost or with a DIY kit that’s available on the net! I also found that the mesh outer could rip quite easily is caught on a raft seam.
Continue readingJ3 Industries is a US based company who produce state of the art composite helmets. Currently, J3 has 5 different styles of helmets for the public market including a womens line. J3 has sponsored several progressive kayakers who have competed in national and international whitewater kayaking competitions and who are at the forefront in exploring new rivers, developing new moves and tricks, and creating first descents on rivers nationally. J3 Industries is also the official sponsor of the United States Freestyle Team.
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.
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.
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
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