Paddling tips, tricks, news and gear reviews from an Unsponsored point of view
We have a couple of Key Smart key storage gizmos in for test here at Unsponsored HQ. They are really neat and work well. They’ve been used for the last few weeks and as they are storing my house keys they have been used in anger a couple of times each day.
On a safety PSA note if you are carrying a throw bag or rescue tape then you should always have the means to cut it if something were to go wrong.
We’ve had the Palm Folding Knife at Unsponsored HQ for quite a few months so I feel it’s time to do a full review.
Another new Palm Equipment product in for review at Unsponsored HQ. This is the new Palm folding knife.
The image below shows the Palm Folding knife with a Spyderco UK Penknife (Orange FRN), and Spyderco Ladybug.
The PeakUK guys have released a couple of new dry suits. They have retained the zipped leg system within the range but have also introduced a pair of Dry Suits with a rear shoulder entry zip. This one being the Deluxe One Piece Drysuit.
Despite being delayed by some car troubles, I finally made it south to spend a bit of time with my family before I head out to Nepal for three months.
It’s been beautifully sunny weather since I’ve been south, great for the soul, not so great for kayaking! However, all was not lost today as I drove up to Cardiff to the brilliant CIWW course, a fantastic resource next to the Cardiff mariner, offering indoor wave surfing, a climbing wall and of course the whitewater course. Unfortunately I missed the whitewater festival that was on the day before, but had a great days session in the stunning sunshine today none the less.
In the spring Zet kayaks UK and Canoe and Kayak Store were kind enough to hook me up with a Raptor, a boat which I cannot recommend highly enough. I popped in to say hi to the guys in the branch at CIWW today and was rewarded with a special treat!
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.
The Casio Gulfmaster Ocean Concept G-Shock (there’s a title) has been at Unsponsored HQ for the last few months. Since its arrival it has never left my wrist. The version seen here is the GWN1000B-1B which has a distinct blue bezel that appears much brighter in the Casio stock photos than it does in real life. The Gulfmaster is also available in a number of different colours although not all colours are available in all countries.
The Casio Gulfmaster Ocean Concept G-Shock is part of the Master of G Series from Casio, and is build as the ultimate maritime G-Shock.
The Crux drysuit by Idaho based NRS is a front entry drysuit meaning that using the zip is far easier to do by yourself compared to a zip positioned on the rear of a suit.
This review looks at the new Mens NRS Crux. Thankfully for the female paddling population NRS also have a womens version with a drop seat for comfort breaks.
Continue readingWe are fortunate at Unsponsored to try some of the best kayaking and canoeing equipment available, but sometimes the weather can be too dry. Thankfully the Gods of rain smiled on the UK once again this summer, so testing and reviews have continued at a pace. The following review looks at the Ace of Spades kayak from Spade Kayaks. The boat has been tested over the last few months across the UK on various pieces of water from stone filled ditches, low volume/high volume burns in Scotland, some of the best whitewater in the glorious county of Yorkshire, whitewater parks and even out at sea.
Spade kayaks is a new kayak company formed in Europe by whitewater legends Hans Mayer, Oli Grau, Matze Brutzman, Jens Klatt, and Jan Haluszka.
The Ace of Spades is a blown molded displacement hull kayak. It has the features that you would expect to see in any whitewater boat – adjustable outfitting, full plate footrest, multiple grab handles, drain bung etc… but many have been executed in a creative/different way.
The Ace is designed as a river runner/creeker and is available in just the one size.
Continue readingThe new GoPro Hero 4 Session landed at Unsponsored HQ today. The Session is GoPro’s latest POV action camera and the first to break away from what has been a fairly standard GoPro cuboid shape.
[UPDATE: GoPro have released the 5 series of POV action cameras including the Hero 5 Black Edition and the Session 5.]
We’ve known about this for a short while but couldn’t say anything – Today GoPro announced the launched the new Hero4 session. We have one here at Unsponsored for review!
Here is everything you need to know about the new 2015 GoPro Hero4 Session.
The Session marks a shift from the GoPro format that we have been used to since its first arrival many years ago. The Session is a much smaller format and is not dependent on a housing for its 10m (33ft) waterproofing. Gone are the two buttons (only one now) and in is a smart dual microphone system designed for better sound pickup in even the harshest of conditions.
The Haglofs Ace is a bit of an allrounder and has been used at Unsponsored HQ for a number of years for both walking and mountain biking duties.
In this case it’s a 12l pack (medium). First it is hydration compatible (up to 3l) and this one have been used extensively for the last few years with an Osprey bladder. But there is also the possibility of carrying a couple of 1l water bottles in each of the two side pockets, one is located on each side of the pack. The hip belt can be tucked away inside of the pack (as seen above) which is a feature that Unsponsored Girl approves of as the she is not a big fan of belts on packs.
This week a freshly wrapped Ace of Spades kayak from Spade Kayaks arrived from Austria via UK distributers System X.
A big thanks to Kev at Northshore Watersports for handling the delivery.
There has been a few pieces of information about the Ace of Spades, including posts on this site, but there hasn’t been much in the way of detailed images. Hopefully this post will help to put this right.
The Ace of Spades is a blown moulded displacement hull kayak. It has the features that you would expect to see in any whitewater boat – adjustable outfitting, full plate footrest, multiple grab handles, drain bung etc… but many have been executed in a creative way.
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