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

Tag: Drysuit (Page 1 of 4)

Spade Kayaks Raindancer Drysuit

The new Spade Kayaks Raindancer drysuit! Available in blue and red. Made from the best Japanese 4-layer material and the finest Japanese Yamamoto neoprene.

Spade Kayaks Raindancer Drysuit

Designed and produced in Slovenia with the active support of Matze Brustmann. RRP €890.00

The Raindancer Drysuit will be available from mid to late October 2023. A women’s version is also already being planned.

Cold Weather Paddling Gear

We’ve just about hit that time of the year in the UK when it gets darker earlier and earlier, the weather has begun to turn and the water is that little bit colder. It’s a great time to start to look at your cold weather paddling gear and assess whether it is going to be up to the job.

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Cold Weather Paddling Gear

Being cold is not just uncomfortable it can also be life threatening. Having the right gear for the right conditions is key at any time of the year but the margin for error during the colder seasons is much tighter.

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Immersion Research K2 Union Suit – Review

Way back in 2013 Mark Mulrain kindly sent one of the new IR K2 Union Suits to try out along with the Royale spraydeck. As I get ready for some cold weather paddling tomorrow it is still the thermal I go to first if I am planning on wearing a drysuit.

Immersion Research K2 Union Suit - Review
Immersion Research K2 Union Suit – Review

The K2 Union suit is till part of the Immersion Research range. This is what I said about the K2 Union suit a few years back.

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Unboxing Counterfeit Level Six Dry Suit

Stig Larsson from Level 6 has purchased a fake Level 6 drysuit from Amazon.

Here’s the unboxing and comparison.

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Immersion Research 7Figure Drysuit – Review

The nights are drawing in. The temperature is dropping, and the rain is falling. I should be excited; the Scottish paddling season is kicking off. Months of blustery days, where the heavens open and you go paddling almost every weekend.

Immersion Research 7Figure Drysuit – Review

This year however my drysuit is stranded in Canada. Summer boating plans got kiboshed due to the pandemic and I’m back in Scotland without my trusted latex companion. The long john wetsuit drafted in as a reserve haunts my hallway. It was great in the summer. Warm weather days, and a laugh at the retro styling meant I was happy in it. Now it hangs in the hallway, dripping, like a form of psychological torture. Reminding me of what lies ahead. Cold. Wet. Miserable. 

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Immersion Research Arch Rival Front Zip Drysuit – Review

I’ve paddled for many years, mostly on the river Tay where I honed my skills with help of some pretty handy people from Perth canoe club. With a solid base I gradually progressed to local Perthshire runs, opening my eyes to what was possible in a kayak. I now regularly enjoy pushing the grade of my paddling to class 4/5 and tend to get out twice a week to keep me sane. Paddling has brought me all over the world, from India to Iceland, and over time I have come to appreciate quality equipment.

Even though I’ve paddled for a long time, my slalom experience meant that semi dry cags and neoprene shorts were initially the norm. I only recently experienced the luxury of a dry suit when five years ago I bought my first dry suit with the prospect of a brief visit to Iceland that October. I pushed aside the slalomer’s stigma against dry suits and got a new Immersion Research Arch Rival front entry dry suit. My first dry suit was a revelation! It opened my kayaking up to harder grades on cold, mind numbing Scottish winter days (when the paddling here is at its best). 

I swithered for while between a L and XL with my tall skinny stature. I found I would be too tall for the L yet too skinny for the XL. With help from the Immersion Research customer service team I decided on the XL size (although if you have more time and money to spare, you can get sleeve and leg lengths modified). I received the XL dry suit which I found to be a good fit apart from the seals. I told this to Immersion Research and they happily put smaller seals on it which made a huge difference. I very quickly put a hole in the knee after running and tripping on the bank during a spate of carnage on a tree infested, fence interspersed Scottish ditch. This was expertly fixed by Immersion research and remains one of the toughest parts of the suit.

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Yak Horizon Drysuit – First Look

We have one of Yak’s newest pieces of dry wear in for review at Unsponsored.

This is the Yak Horizon Drysuit. Available only in red/black the Horizon is made from hard wearing 3-layer breathable material with Cordura re-enforcement on the knee and bum.

The drysuit comes equipped with a double neck seal. This is made up from a high quality inner latex gasket and then a neoprene outer gasket.

This has to be one of the best if not the best outer neck seals I have seen/used to date. The added section at the top of the standard cone shape makes a huge difference.

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Immersion Research Aphrodite Dry Suit – First Look

Immersion Research Aphrodite Dry Suit - First Look
Immersion Research Aphrodite Dry Suit – First Look

Living in Fort William as a kayaker means one thing – a good, comfy and durable dry suit is a must! Lochaber has rain even in the driest months. In fact, we have an average annual rainfall of approximately 1777mm or 70 inches; a kayakers paradise. However, for those of us who feel the cold, a mean annual temperature of only 8.6 °C can be a enthusiasm-killer if you’re body isn’t guaranteed to be warm and dry whilst paddling, even in the summer months when you’re catching post-work Moriston laps until 10pm.

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North East Kayaks – Nookie Octane

North East Kayaks have a  Nookie Octane womens dropseat drysuit. Looks pretty good.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4z_kJolwVs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Level Six – Freja Drysuit

New for 2020 from Level Six is the front entry Freja Drysuit. This drysuit is designed for women with a drop seat relief zipper.

Level Six – Freja Drysuit
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How To Fold A Drysuit

Looking after your gear is super important as it will hopefully last longer and look after you. Keeping your drysuit stored correctly in your kit bag can really help look after what can be a seriously expensive piece of gear.

How To Fold A Drysuit
How To Fold A Drysuit

NRS have put this short video together on how to correctly fold a NRS suit but is applicable to most makes.

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Immersion Research – New Website

Immersion Research have revealed their new EU website.

The site also includes details of the updated gear for 2019. This red Devil’s Club dry suit looks great.

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