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

Tag: Review (Page 9 of 19)

Yak Equipment – Riwaka, Chinook, and Hallertau

20 March 2015 / / 1 Comment

Yak are the kayaking/canoeing side of the Crewsaver company. In the past Yak have catered for the middle to lower end of the market with some fantastic hardwearing kit for centre and club use. Although functional and hardwearing they didn’t have the same appeal as some of the more well known brands. Over the last few months I have been testing a few pieces of Yak gear including the Riwaka dry top, Chinook dry trousers and Hallertau PFD.

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Some of the colours used will put some off, there is no denying that the GREEN of the dry tops and PFD takes a little bit of getting used to.

Yak Riwaka Dry Top

The Yak Riwaka in a very loud GREEN has arrived at Unsponsored HQ. Now this is the third bit of gear from Yak that has landed here the HQ in as many weeks and once again Yak have made a really good impression (I need to find out who is designing this stuff!) – here’s why.

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IR Arch Rival Drysuit (2014 Edition, OX Fabric) – Review

20 March 2015 / / 0 Comments

I bought myself an IR (Immersion Research) Arch Rival drysuit for a trip to South America, and it got some pretty heavy use over the 6 months I was there as it’s not always as warm as it looks!

It’s had some long multi-days and endless hikes through forests full of spikes, been in strong sunlight pretty much the entire time and all the abuse you’d expect from a long paddling trip. I’d guess I used it around 3-4 times a week (as my cag had no neck seal) and the river water is usually really cold!

IR Arch Rival Drysuit Rio Cochamo

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Peak UK Custom Drysuit – Review

13 March 2015 / / 0 Comments

I have now been using a Peak UK Custom drysuit for about 6 months on rivers and for playboating and I have been very pleased with it. Not only is the drysuit really good quality but the ability to have your own customised design incorporated really well into it makes for a winning combination.

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One of the key features about this drysuit is that it is made out of their X3 material not the X4 that some of Peak’s other kit is made out of. Now this comes with a selection of pros and cons that will depend really on what the individual paddler would want from their suit. Trying on the Peak whitewater one piece in the shop, the X4 material felt quite heavy to wear although I don’t imagine this would greatly affect movement on the water too much. The custom suit with the X3 however feels much lighter.

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2000 Posts

9 March 2015 / / 0 Comments

This is the 2000th post on Unsponsored since September 2011.

2000 Posts

Many thanks for the continued support and for the contribution to the site that more and more of you are making.

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NRS Crush Watershoe

26 February 2015 / / 0 Comments

The new Crush Watershoe from NRS are now available. This looks a pretty good piece of gear and will be worth checking out if you are in the market for a new pair of shoes and were considering a set of Astral Brewers for example.

We are looking at getting hold of a pair for review here at Unsponsored HQ.

NRS Crush Watershoe

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GoPro Hero 4 Vs 3+ Vs 3 Comparison

25 February 2015 / / 5 Comments

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The new GoPro Hero 4 was released on the 5th October 2014.

[UPDATE: GoPro have released the Hero 7 Black Edition.  You can find more about it here.]

The new Hero 4 is available in two varieties the Black Edition and Silver Edition. The Hero 3+ Silver and Hero 3 White editions still form part of the range. A new lower spec Hero is also available.

The form factor of the Hero 4 remains the same as the 3 and 3+ with some slight alterations. This includes a change to the front LCD information screen that now houses the status and connection LEDs. The battery has also changed in both spec and shape!

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Giottos Vitruvian Tripod – Review

11 January 2015 / / 0 Comments

For a number of years I have managed perfectly without the need of a tripod for my camera work. I say managed as I never really had seen a need for a tripod when my arms work just fine. However after trying a number of tripods and settling on the Giottos Vitruvian I can now appreciate that a tripod has a home within my kayaking camera kit.

Giottos Vitruvian Review

I wanted a system that was light, could handle getting wet and would be a sound investment. After much reading I settled on the Giottos Vitruvian carbon tripod with the MH5400 head and MH652 quick release plate.

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The Liquid Logic Flying Squirrel vs. The Pyranha 9R

3 January 2015 / / 1 Comment

Amy and I are considering purchasing a new kayaks and were curious about two new boats: the Liquid Logic Flying Squirrel and the Pyranha 9R. Both boats are sub-nine foot boats designed to go fast. I was especially intrigued by the looks of the 9R, and Amy was excited by the buzz about the Flying Squirrel. When Woody Callaway of Liquid Logic offered a Flying Squirrel 85 for a test run, we decided to see if we could make a complete investigation.

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Nikki with the Pyranha 9R

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Liquidlogic Flying Squirrel – Review

28 December 2014 / / 7 Comments

Liquidlogic Flying Squirrel - Review

The Squirrel is Liquidlogic’s latest white water kayak and the second designed through the company’s Automatic For The People initiative. Demand for a boat similar to Liquidlogic’s successful Remix but with additional bow rocker and volume in addition to an overall increase in volume was high. In fact Liquid Logic used the original Remix model as the starting point for the Flying Squirrel and built in many of the features that both team members and Liquid Logic fans had been calling for.

I have been lucky enough to get hold of one of the first Squirrels to land here in the UK and have been paddling Squirrel each week over the last couple of months. Over the years I have owned a number of Liquidlogic boats including – Vision, Ronin, Biscuit, and Stomper, so I was very interested to give this new #automaticforthepeople kayak a try.

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Reader’s Rides 2014 – Aaron Kendall

23 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

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Name: Aaron Kendall

Location: Loggerheads, Mold, North wales

I’m currently a outdoor instructor for Kingswood, based at the Colomendy outdoor centre. What seems to be the perfect location, although I seem to of missed most of the rain due to other commitments. Still getting plenty of low water runs in and the odd bit of water too.

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Reader’s Rides 2014 – Eddy Mead

21 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

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Name: Eddy Mead

Location: Cardiff, South Wales

Boat: Liquidlogic Remix 79

I’ve paddled the Remix for a year now and have loved every minute. It’s super long with a narrow hull so it accelerates quickly and maintains speed. It’s got soft edges so it’s really forgiving but at the same time carves into tight eddy’s and into strong currents with ease. The Remix doesn’t have masses of rocker so boofing can require a little more effort but if the boat is being driven it cruises over everything. What’s unique and cool about it is the scoop on the tail, if dipped in the green whilst punching a big hole, it will give you a boost and accelerate away from the feature. Also the LL Badass outfitting if fantastic, super easy to adjust and super comfy without adding too much weight.

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Reader’s Rides 2014 – Ben Hawthorne

19 November 2014 / / 0 Comments

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Name: Ben Hawthorne

About me: Been paddling for a while now, maybe 24 years?? Christ I’m old!!! I have however been fortunate to take my passion all over the world and paddle in a whole lot of places including New Zealand, Nepal, Chile and Canada. For the last 2 summers and next I have been running the Sjoa Kayak Camp in Norway along with my beautiful wife and the Gene 17 boys. I’m lucky enough to be supported by Colorado Kayak Supply in the US, super cool guys, check em out.

Location: Currently, Chamonix for the winter. Stoked.

Boat: ZET Raptor. Now when these came out I thought they looked a bit industrial, rough around the edges and wasn’t that keen. Then I ended up paddling one for a bit, and after a couple of runs was completely converted. It does everything a creek boat should do. Fast (for a creek boat), boofs and rolls easy, light, comfortable and most importantly, bomb proof. I do think its not really a great beginners boat, it definitely needs to be driven around the river and will kick your arse pretty fast if youre not a pro-active paddler but I love it. It really suits my paddling style. I’m pretty excited to see the new boat they’ve got lined up, details boys details!!! Also a Bliss-stick Smoothy for my play boat, like a project in my size, love it.

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