Gear Reviews

Well, I couldn't go forever without writing about the good and the bad. In this category I'll post reviews by me and others of things that work and things that don't...

Woody

Winter Gloves

Over the years I've tried over 30 different types of winter paddling gloves. In search search of the non-existent perfect pair I hope one day to find the right combination.

I don't know why I'm still looking, nothing beats an average glove and pogies in the deep winter, but I keep hoping someone will come up with the right combination that keeps my hands warm in and out of the water, and in a stiff headwind that doesn't need to be covered by pogies.

The first pair are the NRS Utility/Paddlers Gloves. With a rawhide palm these gloves appealed to me as being able to take the punishment i put on gloves while paddling. In the past I've found a fairly warm all neoprene glove only to have parts of it disintegrate in my hands from the friction of the paddle.

These gloves are good for fall, before the water turns cold. Once the water has chilled, these gloves loose a lot of their appeal as I found my hands chill pretty quickly from the water soaking through the palms/fingers of these gloves.

I had high hopes for the second pair of gloves. Endurotech 4mm gloves with Kevlar. These are a true 'dry glove' and the thick neoprene embedded with Kevlar made them a tough looking glove. They have a soft neoprene cuff that seals against the wrist or directly to your dry suit if you have an optional wrist attachment. I had tried these on at home and found them to be comfortable, but stiff and not pre-curved like many paddling gloves (In fairness, these are a diving glove, not a paddling glove). At the water's edge I found I couldn't get them on my myself. The first one goes on fine, but once my hand was behind all that neoprene, I couldn't use it well enough to pull on the second glove and they lacked a tab to grab on to with my teeth. Not being able to get them on, I didn't go any further with the testing. These are a high quality glove though, and I think I may write the manufacture about the possibility of making a glove in tune with paddler's needs.

Glove number three was the NRS Toaster Mitts. Mike Aronoff had shown these to me a few weeks back and I found a pair under the Christmas tree yesterday morning. I haven't been a fan of mitts, but these seemed ultra flexible and my hands stayed nice and toasty while paddling in them (to the point of actually sweating). I submerged them in water and could feel only the slightest of trickles as the water wicked through the seams. A little seam sealer would eliminate this. Despite my thrashing my hands in the water I couldn't get a significant amount of water in them. It wasn't until I pulled back my dry suit cuff and unfastened the Velcro to the glove that I got any water in them at all.

The mitts gave me more dexterity than I imagined. The palm seems to be made of a material able to withstand a lot of abuse, but I'll follow up once I put some miles on them. My hand felt a little fatigued after a short paddle, but they are pre-curved and the fatigue may have been from me trying to fully wrap my hand around the paddle shaft. Being nearly waterproof and standing up well in the wind today, these mitts will most likely take the place of my glove/pogie combination.

Woody

MP120 Oregon Scientific Waterproof MP3 Player

The MP 120 from Oregon Scientific is one of the first waterproof MP3 players to make it to market without needing an add-on (and usually expensive) waterproof case.

Available in storage capacities ranging from 128MB to 512MB, this tiny device also has the added benefit of being a FM radio. The unit is waterproof to 1 meter (3 feet), which I often tell people "If it goes deeper then 3 feet while I'm kayaking, I'm not getting it back anyway."

The device has a built-in rechargeable battery , which is charged through your computer's USB port. Charge times are fairly quick (1-2 hours) and playback time is in the 8-10 hour range per charge.

The player comes with waterproof stereo earphones and plays MP3 and WMA music files. It also has five preset equalizer modes.

The earphone cord is very lightweight, as many of these type devices have today. Some care needs to be taken not to abuse the cord. The earphones come with soft inserts to hold the ear buds in your ears. I don't see replacement parts available for these, so if you loose them you'll probably need to buy a new set of earphones directly from the company (if available). The soft inserts help hold the ear buds in your ears while kayaking, and seem to work well for me.

Shortly after I bought mine they became very difficult to find and even the company's web site listed them as out of stock. But I see that they are back on the company web site again which makes me think they are a fairly hot item.

You can try and find them on Amazon.com, but if you can't get them there you can try the Oregon Scientific web site.

Price Range: $130 - $220 depending on storage capacity. Look around and you should be able to find it about $20 cheaper than the prices I listed above.

Additional info:

Ear phones: The earphone plug is molded into the bottom piece of the MP3 player. The bottom piece is screwed into the bottom of the player, but you can use a coin as a screwdriver to remove it. Once you remove the bottom piece, you can plug in a normal pair of earphones.

Loading songs: When you remove the bottom earphone plug, you have access to the USB port. It will depend on what computer operating system you are using as to how easy it will be to move songs over. For Windows XP, the player looks just like a disk drive to the computer once you plug it in, so it is easy to drag/drop songs into the player. If you use MusicMatch for your MP3 manager, you'll feel right at home since a version of MM comes with the player and can be used to manage loading songs onto the player.

Playing songs: The overall device is very small, which means a small control panel. For kayaking, I have to take off my gloves to operate the controls. But once using my bare fingers it isn't too difficult. The raised markings on the rubber membrane over the controls makes it pretty easy to do everything by touch once you learn what each button does. The rubber membrane over the buttons are (overall) a bit more difficult to use than on a non-waterproof player.

UPDATE: Aug 8 2005 - Water logged. Toast. It still plays but the display looks like ink was smeared across it even after drying out for over 3 weeks. Submersion exposure over the time I owned it has been minimal, probably getting dunked 5-6 times. Certainly unable to withstand the rigors of swimming. Get's a down vote from me.

Sprayskirts

Seals

I've decided I won't buy any more Seals products.

Coastal Tour Sprayskirt - Of the two skirts I bought, this one is the better of the two. I have only one real complaint. It leaks. Not a lot, but the drip drip on my lap as the water leaks through the deck is annoying.

Mariner Sprayskirt - It is supposed to be for 'extreme' conditions, but I'd suggest a light rain is too much for this skirt. Water drips through as if someone drilled holes in it. It has some sort of deck stiffining material sewn in (looks like it came out of an air conditioner filter) to a pocket that you just about can't avoid while stepping in to the skirt. The 'quick release paddle park' looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen. I was ready to cut it off as it snagged on everything when practicing rescues. But before I cut it off it fell off - it is designed to just slide on/off a strap. It has now permently slid off my skirt and in to a trash can. Like the Coastal Tour, it doesn't seal well to the coaming and causes lots of water to enter while rolling. But again, the most irratating trait is the water dripping through the top deck and on to my lap.

I know it is hard to fit all the different coaming rims out there, but how hard can it be to do a good job on sealing the seams?

Brooks

4 x 4 Expedition Sprayskirt

Finally, a non-neoprene skirt I can recommend. Made from embossed polyurethane Supplex, it isn't breathable but still cooler than neoprene. The tunnel has an adjustable neoprene band that does a good job of keeping out water from the tunnel and the Supplex material and minimal seams don't let in a single drop from spray or paddle drips. Like all non-neo skirts, the fit around my fiberglass rim isn't watertight, but that is to be expected. At least as long as I'm not rolling I can paddle all day and keep the cockpit dry.

Two negatives:

One downside I've found is the internal bar to keep water from pooling on the deck seems a little too large for my deck and is set too close to the tunnel. The result is the bar is usually distorted rather than in a pretty arc across the deck. But since the skirt is so dry for regular paddling, I don't mind.

The other bad thing is that Brooks gear is hard to find and expensive. I ended up having to order from a canadian company for $163 CAD, which with shipping came fairly close to that in USD.

Thule Hullavator

Like most of the gear I buy, this is another love/hate review.

Pro: I LOVE the ability to side load my kayak using the Thule Hullavator. For my Honda CRV, I actually need to bend my knees to lower the kayak in to the rack from the carrying position of the cockpit on my shoulder.

Con: The lock cores didn't fit well - the metal they block to prevent the handle from being squeezed is thin and could easily be circumvented.

Con: The overall quality seemed to be on the rough side. For over $300 I'd expect significantly better quality in workmanship. The rack does not reliably lock in to place and needs to be double checked before driving off. (Note: over the last few weeks this is getting easier)

Con: The lower rack pad did not contact my boat. I found this after some significant wear on the gel coat. I added an extra set of pads from a set of J-saddles I had around the house, but you can move the existing pad if you find your kayak rubs.

Con: Both the front/rear saddles must be brought down very evenly. If not, the kayak will twist and one end or the other of the kayak will smack your car. Just be careful lowering the kayak and you will be fine.

Con: On my Greenland style kayak, the rear deck is low enough as to not contact the tie down strap. I worked around this by tyeing the strap to the Hullavator handle. The front deck of my kayak hits the strap fine.

Con: Oh the wind noise. The rack started whistling at 20MPH very loudly. I finally tracked it down to the small channel the saddles ride in and put some duct tape over it to eliminate the whistle.

Con: If someone parks close to you at the launch site you'll need to move your car to use the Hullavator. Not really a Con - just something to be aware of. The side clearance needed is quite a bit.

Pro/Con: Tying down your boat is a breeze with it hanging at hip level - but position your straps near by when loading your kayak as it is easy for the kayak to fall out until you get that first strap on.

Con: Make SURE both saddles lock in the down position before lifting your kayak off the rack or the rack will shoot upward as you remove the weight of the kayak. I seem to have to use a little extra twisting force on each saddle to make it lock in the down position.

Con: You need at least 4" of bar overhang from your feet on the rack. You can usually get this without problems, but you may not see this listed as a requirement before you buy. Make sure you have the overhang, can shift your bars, or buy longer load bars when you buy your Hullavator.

Summary: Quality should be much better for the lock core system. It has a few loading/unloading quirks that are easily worked around after a few uses. Latching is getting better as the unit gets some use. Mind the side of your car/mirror when (un)loading and you'll quickly learn to love this little gadget.

Update:

FYI For Hullavator owners:

Last summer I wrote Thule about problems I was having with my lock cores on my Hullavator. They sent me a cable lock as a temporary fix and asked me to check back at a later date for a permanent fix. I just checked back with them and they requested I return the entire device back to the dealer where I bought it for a revised 897xt Hullavator.

I bought mine mail order, so it remains to be seen how that will go - but those that bought locally may be able to upgrade rather easily to the newer model.

According to the Thule web site the xt "now offers greater boat capacity and protection with a more robust latch mechanism."

Might be worth the upgrade even if you aren't having problems.

3/1/06 Update:

Recieved my replacement Hullavator last week.

Wind Noise: Well, I guess I need to have one complaint. Out comes the duct tape again to cover that center channel.

Latching: VERY positive latching in the up and down positions.

Lock Cores: Works like it should. I feel confident now that they will deter (although not prevent) theft.

Padding: Extra padding now comes with the lower/outside support arm to properly keep it from rubbing on your kayak.

Lower Arms: When in the down position, the lower arms are wider and bent a little different to better support a kayak when you set it down on the rack. The bars are still a tad too high for the rear deck of greenland style kayaks. There are other ways to attach the strap though, so don't let this deter you if you have a low rear deck.

QuickSilver Rash Guard

I own several rash guards, but most are tight through the back of the shoulder causing them to bunch under my arm.

But the Quicksilver Flip Trip rash guards fit me well. I have both a long and short sleeve version and they both fit me perfectly and are a delight to paddle in. They are rated at SPF 50, are very thin and cool despite the dark colors. I usually roll when hot and even wet they do not chafe and the water wicking off keeps me cool even on 90+ degree days.

The one downside I've found to these Nylon/Spandex shirts is that they make it difficult to detect when a biting insect has landed on you.

The price seems to be below other rash guards as well at about ~$26-$30.

If you like to stay wet when paddling in the summer, I can highly recommend the QuickSilver rash Guards. I picked mine up online at REI but you can find them at other places.

Werner Kalliste and Shuna Carbon Bent Shaft Paddles

Shuna
Someone handed me a Shuna one day and said 'paddle with this'. I'll never go back to straight shaft paddles except for teaching. There is just too much comfort I've gained.

1) The wide, thin blades cause me to focus on blade entry speed into the water. If I'm not careful I'll carry a bit of air in to the water with the blade and lose a bit of power with it, but no more so than most other blades I've paddled with. This blade is meant to be used at a high angle, and it does suffer a bit when lowered. Great acceleration and the blade sculls very well.

2) The overall paddle is so light I often find myself picking it up just beyond the top of the blade or twirling it freely in my hands when I pick it up wrong. Other adjustable ferrule systems I've seen add a bit of center weight to the paddle.

3) I paddle with a very loose grip which makes any flutter easily show up. This blade has a ever so slight flutter that is easily ignored and many times non-existent.

Kalliste
This is my second Werner bent shaft paddle. I wanted a lower angle, and thus, a bit longer paddle over my Werner Shuna for those days I felt like 'paddling low'.

1) The foam core, carbon-fiber blades with a slight cupping to the blade makes this one of the most silent blades I've ever paddled with. The foam core gives the blade 'thickness' that transitions smoothly from the thin edges to the thicker center spine of the blade. While with most blades, I have to paddle with them a bit to find the correct speed to enter the water in order to decrease the amount of turbulence with the blade, the Kalliste seemed to enter perfectly from my first stroke.

2) The easy-to-use, adjustable ferrule system's precise fit is a favorite feature of mine. I often switch between feathered and unfeathered underway depending on the wind conditions and this Werner system makes switching a breeze and doesn't lock me in to a fixed feather angle. The ferrule adjusts in 15-degree increments, allowing you to experiment and choose a feather angle that works best for your paddling style, or in my case, wind speed.

3) Neutral bent shaft reduces strain by guiding the wrists into a natural position and providing a stable leverage point during all strokes. Bent shaft paddles have taken the strain off my badly abused shoulders. This is the first season I have paddled mostly pain free from my childhood motorcycle accident.

4) No flutter that I've noticed. The dihedral powerface I'm sure is responsible for this.

5) The highly ovaled grip lets me know where the blade is in relation to my grip in an instant. No false sweeps with the blade while rolling to test the angle of the blade.

6) Because the blade enters the water with so much less cavitation, it really seems to 'stick' in the water as I pull it through. With my Shuna, the blade is much more likely to carry a bit of air into the water and with it's shorter shaft seems to pull through with a little less strain than the Kalliste despite the bigger blades on the Shuna.

In short, the Shuna is my favorite for high angle paddling where I want to paddle in 'low gear' and have the ability to apply a lot of quick acceleration power. But the Kalliste certainly fills my need for a touring paddle where I'm likely to just 'zone out and go'. The Kalliste will also be my first choice for those birding days where I want to paddle by without disturbing the solitude.

Pentax Optio WPi

I've been putting off writing this review for some time. The camera came highly recommended, but I had noticed focus issues with both the WP and WPi models. But Marek was taking some AWESOME photos with his camera, so I convinced myself the others were flukes.

I should caveat everything I'm about to say by telling you I'm not a photographer. I couldn't tell you the difference between an f stop and a bus stop if my life depended on it. I've also followed the philosophy that if I take a hundred pictures with a digital camera, a few may actually be worth saving. Extra batteries and large memory cards are my first purchases.

My prior digital camera experience was with a Sony Cyber-ShotU, an awesome little water resistant camera that took great pictures. Point, shoot, and tuck back into my PFD. The camera had 2 downsides - It had only a 2 megapixel resolution, and no zoom.

My first pictures with the Optio WPi were very disappointing. Items 3 feet from each other in the same photo would be in and out of focus. Although the view finder would show which item it was selecting to focus on, I wanted _everything_ to be in focus!

Through trial and error I discovered PAN focus, which attempts to get everything focused, but I was having big problems with camera jitter. Marek's idea of using the paddle to steady the camera helped a lot, but I greatly missed the mindless shooting I could do with the Sony.

The second revelation came when I experimented with the sensitivity setting. Using ISO 400 (vice letting the camera decide via AUTO) I found a near match for my Sony's ability to point and shoot. On very overcast days I think the Sony still does a better job, but most of the time the Optio rocks considering I'm snapping pictures from the cockpit of my kayak. Point, shoot, and put it back in the PFD pocket. I still need to take hundreds of photos to get composition good enough to put a few on the web site, but at least now I have many more in focus to choose from.

Be sure to review Marek's suggestions - they are all excellent nuggets of advice - even if you don't use an Optio...

Lightweight Storm Cag and Shelter

I picked up a few things to add into the kit bag for this winter. One thing I've wanted for some time is an emergency shelter that I can pack away in the recesses of the kayak for the unlikely event I come across someone shivering along the shore. The Expedition Essentials Emergency Shelter is extreamely lightweight, packs up small, and can fit over 4 people in a pinch.

Although I have an awesome paddling rain coat, it often goes along as an overkill garment for 'just in case' situations. It fits easily over my PFD but takes up significant room in my day hatch. The Expedition Essentials Storm Cag packs small and looks to be the ideal garment to throw over my dry suit when stopping for lunch or in the event someone gets chilled while paddling.

Both items are from a new line of gear being sold locally by CKAPCO. Give Mike a call if you're interested in adding another layer of protection to the kit!