Name: Ben Johnston
Location: Carlisle, Cumbria, UK.
Kayak – Zeroattivo Orgasmo – fast boat, sharp edges, not best looking outfitting but super comfy and simple, not yet fully used only had 1 month (been on river 3 times). Continue reading
Tag: Immersion Research (Page 4 of 5)
I thought I’d do a quick round up of how my main kit is holding up.
The Palm Spark suit has now become my go to piece of kit and my Immersion Research Double D drysuit now has a new home. I absolutely love the zip position on the Spark and can open and close the zip without anyone else’s assistance which is a great plus. My Spark doesn’t have any built in socks so I tend to wear a pair of Sandiline socks which have been a great purchase. If I can manage without the suit for a few days I will send it back to Palm to have some socks retro fitted. You can read my views on the Palm Spark in ThePaddler. Continue reading
The Immersion Research Comp LX drycag is based upon the cut of the LX cag. The main difference being that the LX includes a latex neck seal and 4 layer breathable fabric by Entrant. This is the same material that is used in the Double D drysuit.
A few videos from the archives
John and Kara Weld are the founders of Immersion Research. I have owned and worn IR kit since around 2000. I firmly believe that IR make some of the best kayaking kit available. Having used the kit for so long it was fantastic to hear that John Weld had agreed to take part in the Unsponsored 2012 Q&A Series.
Tell us a little a bit about you accomplishments in the kayaking world
A brief bio: Started kayaking at age 11 in 1979. Went on to kayak through high school and college, and taught kayaking during the summers. Upon college graduation (English major, of course) I went to a split year of building composite slalom kayaks during the fall and winter (including the C2 that won gold at the Barcelona Olympics) and teaching kayaking during the summer. During that time I was stepping things up with expeditions, and was 2 time Gore Tex Shipton -Tilman Grant winner – once with a trip that crossed Baffin Island by whitewater kayak, and once for crossing Borneo by whitewater kayak. I started IR in my basement on a home sewing machine in 1997. I was making shorts for friends of mine. Within a year it was clear IR was a full time business, and the rest is history.
The Flex Capacitor from Immersion Research has to be (to date) my favourite backband. This was the standard backband used on Liquid Logic kayaks prior to the release of the BADASS outfitting system. It was also available as separate item for around $50.
I am currently on the hunt for two Flex Capacitor to fit into an Eskimo Topo Duo.
I have had at least one version of the Immersion Research Comp Cag in my kit bag for longer than I care to remember.
I have said previously that I am a huge Immersion Research fan and own a great deal of IR kit. Around 15 years ago my favourite paddling shorts were my Playboater Neoprene shorts. Absolutely bombproof, curved to fit you well when sat down etc. Unfortunately too many pies forced the sale of the those shorts and I have been on the hunt for a long term replacement for years. I have owned kayak specific and non kayak specific shorts (mainly board shorts) and although all have done a great job I have always moved on to try something else.
My criteria for short choice is pretty simple –
A good fit (both standing and whilst sat in a kayak)
Bomber construction and materials
Fast drying
Value for money
I have therefore settled on the IR Guide Shorts.
A couple of weeks ago I managed to put a hole in my Immersion Research double D dry suit and my knee. The damage was low impact and was more like a burn/tear than just a straight tear. My knee has been pretty painful but thankfully has begun to repair well.
On the Sunday that the damage occurred I contacted Immersion Research via their dedicated online support system asking whether I could send my drysuit to them for repair. They replied really quickly, it wasn’t a problem and my suit was sent off the following weekend.
It will become very apparent over the next few weeks that I have a lot of Immersion Research kit. The main reason for this is because it fits me really well. All manufacturers “cut” their kit slightly differently and it just happens that IR is bang on for me.
After well over 25 years of paddling I finally saved up enough cash to buy a drysuit. Out of the crop of drysuits available at the time only the IR Double D was really meeting my needs – Breathable, Socks, Latex seals (neck & wrists), no brass zip, subtle colours!
I ordered the suit via the Immersion Research EU site. The suit landed direct from the factory via Glasgow (it was already in the UK when I ordered it = no import duty) at the start of last winter when I was working on getting my river mojo back. As a result the suit has been “Fully” tested.
Those of you who have followed the site for many years will know that I usually only ever use Playboater spraydecks. I have owned a few and they are always superb. Well today I tried my new Immersion Research Klingon Empire Spraydeck and have been simply blown away.
This is what IR say about the deck:
The Klingon Empire is the same skirt as the Klingon with one major difference- the front casing (the high wear area going over the front portion of the cockpit rim) is laminated with a high thread-count Kevlar™. This very costly strip of woven gold is simply the best possible fabric when it comes to flexible abrasion resistance, making it the perfect choice for people who are exceptionally hard on spray skirts.
The Klingon skirt, with it’s high-tension bungee and extra neoprene extending out past the bungee make it a perfect choice for keeping even the most difficult rims dry. Typical use would include high-end playboating and on creek boats where all other skirt designs seem to leak.
The Klingon Empire had been bought for my new Pyranha Jed as I wanted something with a dry lip and bungee. An order to IR in the States and a couple of weeks later it landed. The deck arrived early last week and despite opening it up it has sat unloved in corner of the dining room. Work has been getting in the way of fun out on the water. So today was my first chance to get the deck onto a boat and get it wet.
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