PeakUK have stepped up the game with a complete redesign/update of their PFD range.
River Guide Vest:
New materials, a better cut and fit are combined into a very smart looking River Guide Vest (£139).
Category: Gear (Page 88 of 135)
I’m very fortunate to be in the position of getting hold of new kit well before it is released. This now includes the Intergalactic dry suit from Norwegian company Sweet Protection.
Sweet have been in the whitewater game for years but the Intergalactic marks their first and long awaited move into the dry suit arena. The Intergalactic is built from Gore-Tex Pro material and is backed onto a fabric that is both supple and tough. The Gore-Tex used is the 3 – layer Performance variety that is designed for extreme and extended use. I have a number of bits of kit, including a Sweet Shadrach made out of the same material and although it feels quite soft I know that it will take a beating and come back for more.
Peak Design are a US based company who design innovative camera accessories. The one that has caught my eye is the Camera Capture Clip with the POV kit.
From Peak Design:
Need to turn any backpack strap, belt or strap-like object into a mount for a GoPro® or any P.O.V. video device. Shoot video in ways you’ve never imagined with these durable and ultra-versatile products. Buy Capture and P.O.V. Kit together and save $5 off retail prices when purchased separately.
What you essentially have is a quick release system that allows you to attach your GoPro to belts and straps. I’m thinking it could be a great addition to my GoPro mount kit as it will allow me to securely fasten the GoPro to the shoulder strap of my PFD.
I have a set on order and expect it very shortly.
As well as making sure I have all the necessary safety kit (PFD, helmet, throw line, whistle, pin kit) I like to have a range of kit with me that can be used in emergency situations. If a trip were to turn into an epic it is possible that someone may have been injured and/or we could be stuck out in the middle of nowhere.
Therefore my kit centres around three key elements/purposes:
I like to carry a range of kit that will help keep me and/or my paddling buddies warm and offer a little shelter.
If someone gets injured I’d like to go someway to help patch him or her up.
I’d like to ensure that morale stays high.
I have to weigh all of these needs against what is practically possible and the weight I can actually carry in my boat. Regardless this kit needs to be carried in my boat or on my person and needs to be kept dry. I am currently using an Exped Cloudburst dry sack for the bulk of the emergency kit that I carry. It is based around a traditional roll top dry bag but it has straps so that it can be used as a rucksack. It has a volume of 15 litres which means it is big enough to hold the essentials but will still fit in the back of my Liquid Logic Stomper.
Sam Crooks kindly edited his River Erme video for use on Unsponsored. Thanks Sam. It is well worth the watch and highlights the importance of undertaking whitewater rescue training.
River Erme Kayak Pin Rescue. from samcrooks on Vimeo.
Short video of a kayak becoming pinned on River Erme in Dartmoor UK. The video highlights the rescue of paddler and multiple technique attempts to extract boat. This video has been edited to remove faff time however I feel the essence of the rescue is outlined and other paddlers can learn from the techniques we used.
My review of the Dragorossi will be appearing in the next issue of The Paddler.
Many thanks to Martyn Butler for supplying some awesome images and to Phil Mitchell for styling it in the shots.
Liam Chambers’ new Pyranha Burn III looks superb. The Red/White/Blue colour scheme really suits the shape of the boat. We’ll be seeing more of this boat in Liam’s videos over the next few months. Continue reading
River Tawe Jan 2014 Scotty camera mount experiments from Five Element Productions on Vimeo.
A test of the Scotty kayak mount with a GoPro. WARNING: This video contains shots of mild white water kayaking slowed down in an attempt to make it look far more dramatic than it actually was…
This trip also resulted in a rather embarrasing swim after going through a stopper and hitting an edy by mistake before getting sucked back into said stopper for a head pounding. Scotty mount survived it nicely though!
Music “Flying Alaska V.2” by Everlone (soundcloud.com/everlone)
I spent lunch time today carrying out a few kayak repairs by welding up a couple of boats. The first was a 6 month old Pyranha Karnali which had been damaged after its pilot left it to run the Morriston River Race by itself. First impressions indicated that the nose of the boat has been turned up, however the hull shows no sign of deformation.
Using a GoPro can mean that your camera angles are pretty much the same – from the helmet or from your boat. Sometimes the best shots are those that rely on the camera being on the bank, on a bridge or on a paddle. But at the same time you don’t want to be hauling a great pile of kit that takes ages to set up. In my boat a carry a small GoPro roll bag that contains a few bits and bobs for my GoPro while I am on the river. This includes spare cards, battery and a gorilla pod. Small tripods are super useful but you need a way of attaching your GoPro camera to them.
Image above shows the Mount Star GoPro mount rigged up as part of a zip line wire system.
Sometimes a simple product just blows you away and this has certainly happened with the Threewaves Nose clips. I’ve been so impressed I have brought a few pairs back to the UK. If you fancy a pair give me a shout.
I’ve been using Smiley nose plugs for longer than I care to remember and have never moved away from them. I am a firm believer in the use of nose plugs and each of my helmets has (had) a Smiley nose plug attached and they have served me well. However that may have just changed with the arrival of these new nose plugs from Three Waves.
A couple of months ago I was kindly sent a pair of ThreeWaves nose clips from Germany.
I’ve been using Vertical Element full carbon custom crank paddles for some time and love them. I was able to get a custom set of paddles (left handed) on a cranked shaft ordered and delivered within a couple of days (inc a weekend). Awesome service and a great British product.
James Bebbington has put this little promo together about VE.
Pure Land Expeditions
Northshore Watersports
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