Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
Double Dutch are a paddle company who are mainly known here in the UK for their superb slalom paddles. After spending some time checking out the rest of the whitewater range at Paddle Expo 2015 I’m wondering why we don’t see more of these paddles over here.
The whole range looks superb, a range of blade shapes made with different materials that are available on a range of shafts.
Werner has led the paddlesports industry with legendary paddles for 50 years. They’ve repeatedly set a high bar and now raise that bar again with a race inspired whitewater paddle called the Odachi.
Recreational whitewater paddles have put comfort and easy of use among the top of their priority lists and that’s why we see Werner’s “Neutral Bent Shaft” align the shaft, hands and paddle blade in a nice neat line. They also extensively use pronounced dihedrals to make the paddle feel smooth and stable in the water. These features are key ingredients of what makes Werners easy and predictable to use.
There were a few different option for breakdown paddle joints at Paddle Expo last weekend. Unsponsored took a brief look at each.
First up is from Palm Equipment.
There were a couple of sets of Werner Odachi on display last weekend at the Paddle Expo in Nuremberg. Throughout the few days I was there a constant stream of paddlers, retailers and manufacturers were checking them out.
The Odachi has been designed to fulfil the needs of the new breed of whitewater racers tackling the Sickline race and similar. The blade is some 49cm long and is symmetrical to allow for a more vertical paddle stroke.
Over the last few months we’ve had a fair bit of near gear at Unsponsored HQ lined up for testing. One of the hottest pieces of gear this summer has been the VE Explorer Aircore Pro Carbon Bladed paddles.
I had two sets of these paddles to test with different blade areas. These can be seen in the lower part of the image with a whitewater set at the top for comparison.
There has been a serious amount of rain over the last few days here in the UK, with many rivers being listed as huge on one of the river level sites. Bastien’s edit shows us what the water levels have been like further up north from Unsponsored HQ.
On a wild snowy and windy winter day, we went paddling the Upper Spean river on 6 and plus pipes then a massive River Garry. I can’t thank enough my poggies. It was a good day. Continue reading
Name: Aaron Kendall
Location: Loggerheads, Mold, North wales
I’m currently a outdoor instructor for Kingswood, based at the Colomendy outdoor centre. What seems to be the perfect location, although I seem to of missed most of the rain due to other commitments. Still getting plenty of low water runs in and the odd bit of water too.
Name: Eddy Mead
Location: Cardiff, South Wales
Boat: Liquidlogic Remix 79
I’ve paddled the Remix for a year now and have loved every minute. It’s super long with a narrow hull so it accelerates quickly and maintains speed. It’s got soft edges so it’s really forgiving but at the same time carves into tight eddy’s and into strong currents with ease. The Remix doesn’t have masses of rocker so boofing can require a little more effort but if the boat is being driven it cruises over everything. What’s unique and cool about it is the scoop on the tail, if dipped in the green whilst punching a big hole, it will give you a boost and accelerate away from the feature. Also the LL Badass outfitting if fantastic, super easy to adjust and super comfy without adding too much weight.
An interesting edit from the guys over at AT paddles.
Pro Team Manager Gareth Tate and Team Paddler Todd Wells put our Advanced Series paddles’ secondary strength to the test against the leading competitor’s paddles to some amazing results. Continue reading
Adventure Technology (AT) have always been known amongst whitewater kayakers for producing some of the best paddles that money can buy (the Elite Series). Unfortunately for many paddlers, the budget often doesn’t quite stretch far enough and we find ourselves opting for the cheaper and somewhat inferior options.
Since owning a shiny set of new custom made glass VE paddles I have found them to be an incredible piece of kit. I chose them with a cranked carbon shaft and as splits. The paddles have been put to the real test in Kenya’s steep creaks for the last five weeks. Before purchasing my VE paddles I heard a few people raving about them but I didn’t understand the fuss until I tried them for myself. After borrowing a set I initially took a liking to them and decided to buy a set for myself as splits so I could put the paddles in my boat for the flights and avoid any hassle with baggage getting separated or damaged.
A nice idea from our friends at Werner.
© 2024 Unsponsored
Theme by Anders Norén — Up ↑
Recent Comments