The Nookie Turbo jacket is designed to be a performance led premium whitewater kayak jacket utilising the same high quality materials as the Nookie Charger Drysuit. This thing is tough with double sals (neoprene outer/latex inner) on the neck and arms. What makes this jacket stand out is that it is also made at Nookie’s HQ here in the UK. There are very few UK based paddling firms that actually still make their gear in the UK. Top marks to Nookie.
Over the years I’ve gone from liking adjustable wrist seals over latex to liking the simplicity of no adjustment. I really like the idea of the additional neoprene seals being as simple as possible. No additional adjustment required. For those that like to wear a watch outside of the latex seal but insider of the neoprene seal this will be problem.
Drain holes have been created where required. These have been laser cut into the fabric. They are there as it is possible that water could get passed the outer neoprene neck seal and pool within the two layers of fabric.
The jacket has a deep double layer waist to maximise your dry seal by layering your spraydeck waist seal (or Nookie Pro Bib Pants – Double Waist) between the two. I am sure it will also work well with pants/bibs from other manufacturers.
The inner waist is EvoTX4 fabric making it easy to put on and the outer waist is a stretch neoprene band with low snag velcro (with cold finger grabs as seen in the image below) for an adjustable tight seal. If you pair the Nookie Turbo Jacket with the Nookie Pro Bib Trousers – Double Waist they can create a nearly dry two-piece drysuit with the added benefit of the versatility of a jacket and trousers combination. Throughout my testing the jacket has been worn with board shorts.
The EvoTX4 4ply Nylon is designed to be an exceptionally waterproof and breathable flexible fabric. In key areas the jacket has been reinforced with EvoTX4 500D Nylon, such as on the arms/elbow area shown below. This has a similar weight a toughness to Cordura so should stand the test of time. I’ve brushed my elbows multiple times against rocks and spiky bushes whilst out paddling and there is no sign of damage at all.
The Nookie Turbo jacket has a 3D articulated cut is designed for maximum freedom of movement in your kayak or canoe. Seamless underarm paddle-zones are strategically placed to reduce the risk of seam failure and increase freedom of movement.
Overall I have found the fit really good. The shape of the arms in particular work well with no excess fabric to snag yet they maintain a good range of movement.
The whole jacket is taped on every seam and is coated with Durable Water Repellant (DWR).
Over months of paddling in the UK the jacket has held up well with no obvious signs of wear. The taping remains well secured and the latex seals are still good. So I reckon if you are after something that will hold its own and will last at least a couple of seasons then the Nookie Turbo is great place to start your search.
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