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

Category: Gear (Page 92 of 135)

Sweet Protection Kit

7 November 2013 / / 0 Comments

Sweet Protection kit is back on Sportpursuit. No helmets as yet but plenty of thermals.

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Jackson Kayak Hip Pad and Footrest Modification

3 November 2013 / / 0 Comments

Jason Cole has kindly agreed for his hip pad and footrest modifications to be included on Unsponsored.

Extended Hip Pads

I added a couple of 10x12x6cm blocks of PE foam to bolster the hip pads, and found a use for the old bungees (attached to the bottom of the seat) to retain them in place.

Hip Pad and Footrest Modification

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Jackson Kayak Backrest Upgrade

3 November 2013 / / 0 Comments

Jason Cole kindly agreed for his Jackson Kayak Backrest upgrade guide to be included on Unsponsored. It looks like it could be a very worth while upgrade for older Jackson boats.

On numerous occasions I’d been at Lee Valley, with the backrest pulled in tight, thinking, “wouldn’t it be nice if it was just a bit bigger?”. It also kept slipping down, which I’d mitigated by fitting toggles, but it was still not 100%.

The other day I visited WWTCC and sat in a new Jackson Karma, bloody huge boat! But I was really taken by the new-style backrest – which are sold as kits. They didn’t have any in stock at WWTCC so got one from Squarerock as I was in a hurry to get one.

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HF Weasel Throwbag – Review

3 November 2013 / / 3 Comments

The HF Weasel is HF’s smallest and most compact throw bag. If space within your boat is at a premium then this bag may be the one for you. The Weasel fits even in the smallest kayak or can be fixed and carried on a waist belt (HF Swifty Belt).

If a throw bag is needed in a emergency you probably won’t have any time for a second go! Therefore the most important factors when using a throwbag is how well it throws, and how easy it is to get the bag to land on target. In both cases the HF Weasel fits the bill. I found the bag easy to throw both under and over arm. The rope pays out nicely during a throw and is also easy to repack if you do need (or have time) to have a second go.

HF Weasel Throwbag - Review

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Present Ideas For Kayakers and Canoeists

1 November 2013 / / 3 Comments

I get quite a few emails at this time of year asking for advice on presents for paddlers that won’t necessarily break the bank. 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.

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Helmets And Fit

31 October 2013 / / 5 Comments

One of my pet hates is folk who do not wear their helmets correctly. That goes for cyclists, climbers, paddlers, whoever. The main purpose of any helmet is to prevent the wearer being severly injured if they hit their head. Helmets and fit is an important concept.

Helmets And Fit Continue reading

Sandiline Extreme Drysuit – First Look

31 October 2013 / / 1 Comment

Sandiline are a Slovenian based company who specialise in high quality watersports kit including a huge range of dry kit. Sandiline kit has been available in the UK for a number of years via importers Squarerock. I’ve been interested in the Sandiline range for some time and this new Extreme DrySuit looks like it could be a winner.

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This particular suit has been picked up by SJ from North Shore Watersports. SJ will be reporting back on how well it performs over the course of the next few months. I’m also trying to source one in my size for review.

Features:

Years of experience in the production of kayak gear and sailing drysuits led us to develop what is considered to be one of the best & most beautiful kayak Drysuits on the market. Thanks to the newest Toyota 4 layer fabric technology our drysuit will keep you dry & warm in the most demanding conditions. Latex wrists and neck gaskets underneath very stretchable Ulstraspan neoprene gaskets ensures that no water enters from the dry suit cavities. The high performance cut combined with the very flexible TiZip Masterseal dry zippers let you move so freely you will forget that you are wearing a kayak DrySuit. Flexible Melco reinforcments on knees, seat, elbows and shoulders makes the Drysuit tear resistant and more durable with minimal impact to the suit’s flexibility. Continue reading

Palm Impact Spraydeck – Review

31 October 2013 / / 1 Comment

I’ve been using Palm’s Impact spraydeck for a few months now and am ready to feedback on its performance to date. Thanks to Palm Equipment and Northshore Watersports (for piggy backing delivery) I have a Palm Impact that replaces the Extreme as Palm’s top end neoprene bungee deck. First impressions are good. The deck looks and feels solid. It is well made and the black/lime colour scheme is bang on trend!

Palm Impact Spraydeck 4

On the outside there is a protective 4mm Armortex reinforcement to increase the robustness of the deck. This should make the Impact of interest to those who put their decks through a rough time.

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Astral Rassler – First Look

30 October 2013 / / 1 Comment

I’ve been using my Five Ten Water Tennies for the last year + and really like them but also have a set of Astral Brewers which are great in my play boat. The Brewers dry much faster that the Water Tennies but don’t have the same level of protection or stiffness as the Water Tennies. The Rassler takes the Brewer and beefs it up for tougher walk ins/outs.

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Wavesport Mobius

26 October 2013 / / 0 Comments

The Mobius has arrived here in the UK. Below are some shots of and by Dale Mears in his new Wavesport Mobius.

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Check out Dale Mears Photography over on Facebook.

It’s Cold

23 October 2013 / / 2 Comments

The frosty mornings are definitely here and keeping warm whilst on the water is the key. Therefore I thought I’d do a quick run down of the kit I would typically wear to keep warm whilst on the river. The key to keeping warm is to use layers of clothing and to keep as dry as possible.

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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.

My dry kit does change, as I tend to move away from using Dry Tops/Shorts to full suits.

To keep me dry I like to wear a dry suit. I have owned the Palm Spark Surface Immersion Suit and Immersion Research Double D Drysuit in the past and now use a Sweet Protection Intergalactic Dry Suit. Continue reading

Old School Series – R1 & R2 Riot Helmets

22 October 2013 / / 0 Comments

Seeing this a Riot Helmet for sale on Ebay reminded me of how much I really liked the fit and protection of the similar Riot Helmet I owned for several years.

Here is what I said about the Riot Helmets at the time I was using one:

The Riot helmet is no longer produced and has been quite difficult to get hold of. They came in two varieties the R1 and R2. Shell sizes are standard with the amount of inner foam being the deciding factor on size.

Riot Helmets(1) Continue reading

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