In an emergency situation on a river it may not be possible to hear people shout clearly as the sound of the water can drown out the quality of the sound. However a good whistle can punch through that.
Tag: rescue (Page 10 of 13)
I have always used airbags in my boats as they prevent part of the boat filling with water during a capsize. After a recent forced swim I was interested in how heavy my boat was when it was filled with water.
I currently have a couple of liquid logic boats – a Stomper 90 and a Biscuit 65. The Stomper has a volume of 90 gallons or approximately 341 litres. The Biscuit has a volume of 65 gallons or approximately 246 litres.
The FX PFD from Palm Equipment has been around in one form or another for years and has been one of Palm’s top sellers throughout its lifetime. In 2013 Palm took the FX and totally overhauled its fit and the material used.
The new FX has been such a success that it seemed to make sense to move things up a gear and develop a rescue vest using the same platform. Palm have done exactly this and have released the FXr in early 2014.
This is the ‘Big Daddy’ of lockers – the ultimate rigging biner and one which is super strong and super tough. This should make it ideal for kayaking.
Palm Equipment hooked me up with one of their new FXr PFDs for test the other week and subsequent review on Unsponsored.
A great video from our friends at NRS.
Knowing how to quickly coiling your throw rope for a second toss is an essential swiftwater rescue skill. Here’s a trick to help you make a fast, tangle-free second throw.
I currently have one of Palm’s FXr rescue PFDs in for review. The FXr is based upon the platform of the FX PFD. Here are my thoughts on this piece of kit:
The FX PFD from Palm Equipment has been around in one form or another for years and has been one of Palm’s top sellers throughout its lifetime. The new 2013 FX has really ramped up the design in terms of its looks, but how does it perform? Read on…
How do you improve one of the best selling PFDs on the market? How about adding a chest harness and additional knife storage.
The Palm FXr is now out and is available in stores around the UK. There is also a FXr on its way to Unsponsored HQ for testing.
Grab handles and security bars are one the bits of kit on a kayak that I have in the past paid little attention to. But I have found that if the design is right they are great for carrying and rescue duties. If not they can be a nightmare.
Most manufacturers use either a metal bar or some sort of climbing tape arrangement. In all cases you should periodically check your boats outfitting to ensure that they do not have any sign of damage or excess wear. All manufacturers can supply replacement parts if required.
Shane at Liquid Logic has filmed one of his Safety/Security bars being put under extreme conditions. Well worth watching.
Security Bar Testing from Shaneslogic on Vimeo.
We recently did another Security Bar test. It’s always fun so I filmed it again. The head of the screw popped at just about the same time as the insert that the bar is attached to pulled out of the plastic.
Different Setups:
Palm Equipment have recently launched the new Snake Sling.
The Palm Snake Sling is a 4m length of tape with sewn ends allowing the sling to be used in various different ways when you add a karabiner into the mix. What I really like is the fact that the sewn loops have been down in such a way that it is super easy to get a karabiner in/out of without high risk of snagging. I have a number of pieces of climbing kit with this setup and know that it works really well.
For the last few years I have been using Adventure Medical as my main first aid kits. I stumbled upon them when I was trying to find an ultralight kit for mountain biking. Since then I have purchased several Adventure Medical First Aid Kits and they can be found in my rucksacks and now in my kayak as part of my “When it all goes wrong kit“.
This a Spyderco Tasman Salt. The blade is a rust resistant H1 steel. This knife has now found a new home in my PFD. A review will follow shortly.
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