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

Category: Gear (Page 75 of 135)

Hou Canoes – Hou 13 Review

10 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

Hōu Canoes are a new UK-based company who are manufacturing open Canadians ranging from 13 to 17 foot with choice of red or green colour.

Hou Canoes

Looking to do more canoeing on both flat and easy moving water, I bought a Hōu 13, the smallest canoe available in their fleet at 13’3”. The moulds were designed by Colin Broadway (a UK based canoeing legend) and were very successful for many years under his company name Mobile Adventure, the Hou 13 being closest to the old Majorette, re-using a perfectly good design from the past. The other canoes in Hōu’s fleet are also created using reclaimed and recycled moulds, re-established and re-outfitted in the North West of the UK. Continue reading

Winter Time

9 November 2014 / / 2 Comments

The last few days here in the North East (UK) have been pretty cold. A couple of mornings have even included getting rid of some pretty thick ice from the car windscreen.

Keeping dry and warm becomes really important as it gets colder.  Part of this is making sure the gear I am using does its job well.

This includes making sure that by boat has no leaks and that my deck is up to the job.

Winter Time
Winter Time

My winter paddling gear is as follows – PFD, helmet, boots/shoes and spraydeck don’t real change through the seasons, although if it is really cold I might wear a Playboater Titanium Earwig. The Earwig helps take the edge off that sensation you get when your head hits cold water.

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Present Ideas for Paddlers (2014)

9 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

Here’s a run down of a few of the things that kayakers, canoeists and SUP paddlers may like as a pressie from Father Christmas. All could be useful and all are items that I either own or have tested.

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I am assuming that other large bits of kit are already on the list!

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Liquidlogic Flying Squirrel 85 – First Impressions

8 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

Review by: Kirstie Macmillan

At 8’9″ (266cm), the Liquidlogic Flying Squirrel 85 is much longer than my current creek boat, a Wavesport Recon 70. Despite the Squirrel’s sporty length, it is surprisingly light and doesn’t feel like you are paddling a barge!

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GoPro 4 Vs GoPro 3+

8 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

For the last few years GoPro have updated their range of POV action cameras each and every autumn. 2014 is no exception with the release of the new GoPro 4. So the question is, go for the Hero 4 at full RRP or find one of the many bargains to be had on the Hero 3+. GoPro 4 Vs GoPro 3+ – which one to go for? Hopefully you get the information you need right here.

GoPro 4 Vs GoPro 3+

Now I am in the fortunate position of being able to get hold of newly released gear pretty quickly so have had a fair bit of time with the Hero 4 black edition as well as owning a Hero 3+ black edition for a year. My cameras spend most of their time hooked up to either a Sweet Strutter kayak helmet or the kayak itself.

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Zet Kayaks – New Kayak

7 November 2014 / / 1 Comment

In around two weeks time Unsponsored will have the full specs on Zet’s new kayak. In the meantime check out these images of the new boat in action.

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Many thanks to the guys from Zet for allowing me to share these images on Unsponsored.

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Yak Chinook Dry Pants – First Look

5 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

Yak are the kayaking/canoeing side of the Crewsaver company. In the past Yak have catered for the middle to lower end of the market with some fantastic hardwearing kit for centre and club use. Although functional and hardwearing they didn’t have the same appeal as some of the more well known brands. However I think that this is about to change. Having seen quite a lot of the new Yak range over the last couple of weeks I can safely say that I think they have come up with some great looking designs that appear to be very well thought out.

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Palm FXr Longterm Review – Bren Orton

3 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

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Bren Orton gives us opinion on the FXr PFD from Palm. Bren is a Palm paddler but I would have to say that I agree entirely with the review. It is an awesome bit of kit that is well worth checking out. Continue reading

GoPro The Frame Mount – Review

2 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

The second edition of GoPro’s The Frame Mount has seen a fair bit of use over the last few months and probably a great deal more use than with the first edition frame.

The Frame Mount

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Ace Of Spades: Strahl

2 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

A short edit showing the new Ace Of Spades kayak in action.

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New Jackson Kayak Zen

31 October 2014 / / 1 Comment

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Jackson have updated the very popular Zen.

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Liquidlogic Flying Squirrel 95 Vs Wavesport Recon 93

30 October 2014 / / 0 Comments

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Over the last few weeks there has been a great deal of interest in my thoughts on the Flying Squirrel versus the Recon. I have a review underway at the moment and will be publishing it after a little bit more time on the water with the Squirrel. In the meantime here are a few very initial thoughts, comparisons and specs.

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