Sweet are no strangers to the paddling world and over the years I have tried and owned a fair few items from their range. However earlier this year saw the arrival of the newly updated Shambala shorts. Compared to previous models the new 2014 have a more fitted and articulated fit. In addition to the improvements made to the overall fit the fastenings and adjustments on the shorts have also been tweaked.
Tag: Unsponsored (Page 46 of 47)
Adventure Technology (AT) have always been known amongst whitewater kayakers for producing some of the best paddles that money can buy (the Elite Series). Unfortunately for many paddlers, the budget often doesn’t quite stretch far enough and we find ourselves opting for the cheaper and somewhat inferior options.
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 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
In conjunction with my friends over at Dewerstone, Unsponsored is running a little end of July competition. It’s super simple to enter – complete the following three things.
1. Like the Unsponsored Facebook page
2. Like the Dewerstone Facebook page
3. Share the competition image (from the Unsponsored Facebook page) with a person or group on Facebook.
In the goodie bag (so far) are 1 x Dewerstone T, 1 x Unsponsored T, 1 x Mountstar GoPro mount and 1 x Threewaves nose clips. RRP on this is just under £100. More stuff to be added!
After a couple of years with designs piling up I have decided to have another limited run of T Shirts produced. However this time things are a little different. Rather than going for the standard Fruit of The Loom or Gildan heavy cotton T’s I wanted something special in terms of a product and its producer.
I had stumbled upon Dewerstone a couple of months ago and was impressed by the way the company had grown, their ethos and the way in which they funded the production of the new Life shorts via Kickstarter. I was so impressed that I even backed the programme.
After a brief exchange of emails it was clear that Dewerstone are the ideal company to print and supply the new run of Unsponsored kit.
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.
There is a great deal happening behinds the scenes at Unsponsored HQ. Lots of developments and some huge news for later in the summer.
Lots of paddling kit is currently in for review including some kit from Sweet. This includes:
The new Supernova Dry Top, Shambala Shorts and the Jail Break Jacket.
I also have one of Astral’s Limited Edition Hawkeye Greenjacket PFDs that is being put through its paces, and loads of new GoPro accessories. So…busy times!
I’m very fortunate to be in the position of getting hold of new kit well before it is released. This now includes the Intergalactic dry suit from Norwegian company Sweet Protection.
Sweet have been in the whitewater game for years but the Intergalactic marks their first and long awaited move into the dry suit arena. The Intergalactic is built from Gore-Tex Pro material and is backed onto a fabric that is both supple and tough. The Gore-Tex used is the 3 – layer Performance variety that is designed for extreme and extended use. I have a number of bits of kit, including a Sweet Shadrach made out of the same material and although it feels quite soft I know that it will take a beating and come back for more.
My review of the Dragorossi will be appearing in the next issue of The Paddler.
Many thanks to Martyn Butler for supplying some awesome images and to Phil Mitchell for styling it in the shots.
Unsponsored has had a presence on Instagram for some time. I really like the format and will be making a greater use of the site over the course of 2014.
Sometimes a simple product just blows you away and this has certainly happened with the Threewaves Nose clips. I’ve been so impressed I have brought a few pairs back to the UK. If you fancy a pair give me a shout.
I’ve been using Smiley nose plugs for longer than I care to remember and have never moved away from them. I am a firm believer in the use of nose plugs and each of my helmets has (had) a Smiley nose plug attached and they have served me well. However that may have just changed with the arrival of these new nose plugs from Three Waves.
A couple of months ago I was kindly sent a pair of ThreeWaves nose clips from Germany.
It has been a while since I last made an under quilt so I was delighted with how this one has turned out.
Pure Land Expeditions
Northshore Watersports
Recent Comments