I suffer fairly badly from painfully cold hands when kayaking in cold conditions and so for me to paddle in the UK in winter I need some form of protection from the cold. There are various items available, from gloves and mitts to pogies. I have tried numerous versions of them all but the ones that work best for me are neoprene pogies. The ones that I use are the Palm Neo Mitts. They have several features which make them stand out from the others.
The Neo Mitt is a full length pogie made from 3 mm neoprene with a thermofibre lining. It attaches to your paddle with Velcro and protects your hands from the cold. It has a wide cuff for easy entry and a pull tab to help put it on. As with all pogies it keeps your hands warmer than gloves and it lets you feel the paddle shaft.
Compared to other neoprene pogies they are quite thin which for me is a real benefit as the weight can affect you paddling. Most noticeably when you try to increase your paddle rate to say catch a wave, the extra weight can slow you down. Palm have managed to keep them thin and warm by using their thermofibre lining which not only adds to the warmth but also reduces the painful rubbing that unlined neoprene can cause. This has the benefit of letting you paddle with a nice relaxed grip which is much better for your paddling than the normal clenched grip you tend to use with other neoprene pogies to prevent rubbing sores on your hands.
The pogies also benefit from being able to be used in a few of different ways. If it isn’t too cold you can roll the top of the pogies down so that you can very quickly get your hands in and out which can be very useful for say taking photos. This also vents the pogies well letting your hands breath and not get too soft from being sweaty all day. If it’s colder you can unroll them which makes them seal well against your dry top cuffs keeping your hands nice and warm and most of the water out. And if it all gets a bit to much and you need your hands free for a while you can push them into the middle of your paddle shaft and carry on unencumbered.
I have now been using Palm’s Luna PFD for about a year and after some rigorous product testing on and around many different rivers, countries, and scenarios I feel like I have put it through enough to have a good idea of its performance. I work predominantly as a raft guide, safety/photo kayaker, and kayak instructor as well as kayaking for fun and get in a race here and there when I can. I spend a lot of time wearing a PFD so it’s pretty important for me to have one that is both comfortable and functional.
Enjoying the slides on the Ula River in Sjoa
The Luna PFD gives you good freedom of movement which makes it great to race in…
Bit of carnage, upside down raft, no worries the Luna PFD will float you back to the surface
Good for raft guiding
Even if you’re guiding backwards
Doesn’t ride up when your swimming making it a great PFD to go for a swim in
Unrestricting for kayaking allowing you to get your boof on
Also room enough to get a good tuck on if you’re running bigger drops
Even if you want to dress up in a Santa suit and run down the river the Luna PFD wont let you down!
So in conclusion, I love the Luna PFD, it is by far the best PFD I’ve ever owned (previous PFD’s include Hydraulics River Pro, Stohlquist Descent and Palm AMP vest which I also liked a lot). I was impressed by how well it fits to your body shape, it feels like it hugs you when you’re swimming which none of my previous PFD’s have done very well. I like the mesh inner ‘boob hold in’ thingys which are great for preventing you accidentally flashing people when you bomb off a drop only wearing a bikini cause its so nice and warm. The front pocket is roomy enough to easily fit your basic rescue kit (sling, 3 carabiners, 2 prusik cords, knife, chocolate bar) while also being compact enough that it doesn’t make it difficult to get back on your upside down raft if you’ve flipped.
Also finally and most importantly it has awesome buoyancy. I spend a lot of time swimming, mostly for fun on the Kaituna river because we like to swim down the grade 3 section when its warm, good fitness and also good practice for rescues. The Luna is great for river swimming in that it doesn’t ride up or restrict your movement but it floats you very well. I also had one involuntary swim in Norway where I got a big beat down in a rather small but very sticky hole and after fighting it for a good few minutes I decided it wasn’t letting go, pulled tab, and popped up in time to make quite an epic swim to catch a small eddy before being swept over a big ledge hole. I was very pleased with the PFD’s performance in this situation because it floated me quickly to the surface allowing me to make the eddy in time. Thanks Palm for putting in the hard yards and designing an awesome women’s PFD!!!
An Amazing few days for one of the main events of the Irish kayaking calendar @ the 2013 Crana Canoe Weekend in Buncrana up in Lovely North West Donegal, run by Adrian Harkin and his lightning sharp crew@ justkayak.ie.
There was something for everybody, and there was no shortage of smiles and laughter as everybody brought great inspiration and good vibes to the days. The venue is ideal as it’s guaranteed dam released water for these two days of the year and all happens within close proximity of each other so great for spectators also.
We were there running coaching clinics and to have the craic and join in the events. The mighty “Palm Throw Bag Olympics “ were in full swing where folks have to run through a wild throw bag assault course and winners being awarded the big prizes.
There was the first Irish rafting race with teams being drawn in from all different disciplines to go for gold.
The First Dagger Dash took place. A Le-Mans style running mass start around a course and then a 1km blitz down a whitewater course. Folks trying to gain advantage by not snapping their decks on in the maddness at the put in were awarded a slow sinking to the bottom mid course.
An incredible event for juniors with all classes catered for with slalom, down river, boater X, freestyle and coaching clinics, all held on the easier pieces of water at the venue.
River rescue clinics and intermediate and advanced white water coaching clinics were being run throughout the two days covering everything and anything.
The Main event is the Boater X. It is run on the Sunday. The course is about 800m long, starting out with a flat section sprint in to a few rapids and as the river squeezes it slingshots you into the mighty “ Claw”. A double drop rapid with various lines all with various outcomes. Needles to say, great spectating and some competitors left with permanent side partings and their buoyancy aids on backwards at the finish line.This years winners were Slalom King, Cieran Heurteau, just back from a top 15 result in the Sickline world championship.The ladies crown was taken by Laura Griffin showing the stylish lines in her Dagger Mamba.
A full list of results for all the events can be found @www.cranakayakevents.com
A really fun event,with great people, good laughs and some great racing. It was really magic to see so many juniors out there charging. Big thanks to everybody getting involved and bringing all the positive energy to the clinics and races, to Adrian and crew@justkayak.ie for running such a smooth event and looking after everybody so well and thanks to Shane @progressive distribution for taking care of the troops and having all the toys at hand! It was great to be there with the Palm/ Dagger crew, looking forward to next year already. All info on http://www.cranakayakevents.com Put it in your calendar for next year.
By nine thirty in the morning a small grassy hollow had been transformed to a travelling canoeists camp and a fire pit was under construction. The scene was perfect, the sun was out, the water was clear and crystal and the Mad River canoes pulled up with tarpaulin shelters creating some shade. Jules Burnard of Voyageur coaching was ready for the days activities and all around him other Palm Team coaches prepared their equipment for the wide range of workshops they were running.
The shore line of Llyn Padarn soon became a multi-coloured mass of kayaks, canoes, sit-on-tops and inflatables as families, friends and clubs all took to the water in the demo boats from Palm. With the lads from Plas-y-Brenin on hand to give a few pointers to those who’d not been paddling before, the Big Paddle Llanberis was quickly in full swing.
Outside the Palm Store the Paddle Plugs, Canoe Wales and Llanberris Mountain Rescue teams were busy setting some times on the Ergo Challenge and then challenging others to beat them. Surprise surprise one of the raft guides from Canolfan Tryweryn took home the best time over a two hundred metre dash.
Back down by the waterside, near lunch time, paddlers were taking a rest from trying boats or coming back from sessions. Marshmallows were being roasted on the Bushcraft fire but for those wanting something a little more hearty, Tŷ Newydd Organics were cooking up a some tasty treats. The Harlequin paddler took his turn sitting in his boat raising his hands for help and trying to catch the ropes from the Throwline Challenge contestants.
The sun was now brilliant in the sky and as groups headed back out for sea kayak workshops with Olly Sanders or skills sessions with Chris Eastabrook and Lowri Davies. The strange mountain of cardboard that had been built began to move as construction began for the grand cardboard canoe race.
By mid afternoon the armada of boats were cleared from the inlet, and marker buoys were set out. A motley crew of home made kayaks and canoes lined up for the finale. With names like Undersea Voyageur, Fragility and Sea Serpent the racers lined up for a Le Mans start. Three .. Two … One … Go – off they went into the water. Sitting, kneeling and in some cases swimming straight away the home spun boats set off. Pit crews and fans cheered them on and the racing was fierce until the boats still afloat finally touched the shoreline again and winners were crowned.
And then it was over, as happy paddlers headed up to the shop to take advantage of the sale and say their goodbyes the site quietened down. The trailers of boats were loaded up and the bushcraft fire dwindled and was put out. The Big Paddle Tour stop number one was over.
Last week there was sunshine. In the UK. Even in depths of North Wales! Well, what better time to get out and put the new FX PFD to the test?
I’m so impressed with this buoyancy aid, the freedom of movement is incredible and the amount you can fit in the pocket while it stays out of the way blows my mind! OK, that’s perhaps a little dramatic… but seriously, it’s like Mary Poppins designed this!
It’s proper safe too (and not just cos it keeps to the first rule of safety: Look Cool), the shoulder straps are sewn right down to the waist making them integral to the whole system and less likely to fail when you really need them. Most other manufacturers just sow to the top seam, even on their top spec “rescue” buoyancy aids!
It feels kind of strange writing a kayak review in the middle of a snow-white Bovec, but if there’s a good time to spend it on a computer, it is on lazy winter evenings. I spent most days of 2012 in a kayak, working on the river throughout the summer season and kayaking great whitewater in what turned out to be an epic autumn in Slovenia in terms of water levels.
My 2012 kayaking season has been largely affected by a transition from Pyranha Burn to the new dagger Mamba. I am very picky when it comes to kayaks and I am not easily persuaded. I paddled an old Mamba 8.5 from time to time and I really liked the control it offered on the water. But I never liked how it performed on the rocks. The old Mamba is mainly a river-runner. It is a great learning tool for beginners and a very safe bet for paddlers that don’t like being surprised by the boat. But it just couldn’t compare to the more hybrid-like Burn, when it came to creeking.
That is why I wasn’t instantly persuaded by the idea of switching to the new Mamba, which was presented to me in the springtime – even though it was a new model that needed to be “outed”. When it comes to extreme kayaking, I go for whatever I feel best and safest in, even if it isn’t in the best interest of my sponsors. I am glad that they understand that but in any case I still couldn’t wait to try out the new Mamba. Trying out different kayaks is kind of a hobby for me, as it makes me feel like a little child with a new toy. Most contemporary models come in different sizes as well, which just multiplies the experience.
At that moment Soča valley’s biggest kayak test center, Alpin Action, only had a Mamba 8.1 test boat. But I was quite sure that it was a right size for me, as I normally couldn’t resist the playfulness of smaller models compared to more conservative character of bigger ones. I tested the boat at a fairly low water level at Katarakt section of Soča River, which offers some nice rocky boofs on a mostly “watery” course. Mamba 8.1 surprised me in every way. The first thing I noticed was that the boat lost its ship-like character of being able to go straight without any “urge” for turning until you commanded it to. In fact it felt like a firecracker under my bum. I used to paddle slalom and I love the boats that can spin fast, but this boat exceeded all my expectations. I could hardly keep up to it. I could almost say I got outmanoeuvred by the boat. I wanted to own one, just for the challenge of taming it, but I could only get one boat and 8.1 size felt too small for my 75 kg, for serious extreme kayaking. What mattered to me the most was that its hull was much rounder than that of the old model and it gave me great control on the rocks. I had some problems in the past for not paddling the big enough volume boat in extreme whitewater, but the amazing performance of Mamba 8.1 gave me confidence to do a risky decision. I did something unthinkable for myself and just ordered an 8.6 version without trying it.
My first impression when I was unwrapping the boat was: “oh my god, it’s huge.” I felt a little bit sick, because I was really worried that it was too big for me. I’m only 174 cm high and I had some experience in the past with not being able to properly control the boats that were too big for me. I still think I look a bit funny when I sit in it, but how I feel in it is another tale. For the first few months I used it mostly for work at a very low water Soča. I had been taking photos of rafting and I needed to overtake the rafts a few times on their descent. Mamba felt like it was made for the job as it is fast and offers an amazing amount of space for my camera gear. I also learned it is a little less bouncy as the 8.1 version, which I expected from the bigger size. Nevertheless I was amazed by the fact that, even though it is a super big kayak, I was able to spin it very easily and fully control it. I couldn’t wait to try it on harder water.
In the next few months I got a chance to try it in super big volume, low volume creeks, steep big water situations and so on. To start with the sum up: I love the boat and never felt so secure doing extreme whitewater as I do in Mamba 8.6. When I first tried it in big volume, I was amazed by how on top of everything it felt and by how easily I could change direction, even though it is slightly harder to keep it on a straight track as it is the old Mamba. But unlike the old Mamba, this one can comfortably be used as a creeker: It has a very nicely rounded hull, which I feel confident to take to the steeper rocky rapids. The good features also include stability, easiness to lean it and roll. It is also really easy to boof, while it tends to land soft and accelerate on the landings.
I can’t say I don’t miss a bit of a playful character which smaller boats can offer. I honestly believe that a size gap between 8.1 and 8.6 is too big and I would like something in between to do those play-creeking runs on easier rivers and to also be able to use the same boat in serious conditions. But that would probably be a compromise for me, because there is currently no other boat than Mamba 8.6, that I would rather take to a hard paddling expedition. I can confidently stuff it full of heavy equipment, sit myself in and I can hardly notice any change in the way this kayak handles. Dagger is introducing a new outfitting kit in 2013 and I can hardly wait to try it out – especially those extra inches you can slip under the seat. Great job Dagger!
Here’s a video of Extreme kayakin in the Soča valley that I recently made . In the first part of the video I paddle the new Mamba 8.6 at a Katarakt section of Soča River. I believe it is quite evident in the video, that the boats handles like a charm, stays on top of features and accelerates effortlessly.
We’ve been receiving deliveries galore to Palm HQ over the Christmas period, and a host of exciting new products are now winging their way to your local shop…
For starters, the revolutionary, innovative, and luxuriously comfortable Contour Ergo outfitting has arrived! Now coming as standard in Jitsus, Nomads, and Mambas.
As well as new boats and outfitting, there’s new soft gear galore, from the stunning new line up of paddle trousers to some refined new touring gear, and our new rafting specific PFD the Highside, we’re really proud to bring something bright and fresh to a paddling shop near you!
Check out the images to see what’s new!
We can’t wait to see all this new gear out on the water, so get down to your local shop to check it out!
I’ve been paddling in the Spark suit since heading out to Italy in May and have been surprised by how good it is. I was therefore, really excited to be able to get my hands on the new Torrent suit a few weeks ago.
The suit is keeping me warm & dry but nothing I can do for my hands!
I’ve been running white water safety and rescue courses virtually none stop since getting hold of this sample suit and it’s stood up to my demands of the job incredibly well.
I’ve remained completely dry whilst jumping in and out of stoppers and lying in the water pretending to be injured for prolonged periods of time.
The material shows no signs of wear despite having been dragged over rocks, bushes and gravel (still pretending to be injured in the scenarios), so I think it’s going to be really durable.
I’ve noticed the new sock design is making it easier to put on my shoes and feels less bulky once on, which is a sweet improvement too.
The safety courses also have a paddling element and once on the water, the cut of the suit, the positioning and flexibility of the zip are the most notable improvements from the last generation of Torrent suits. If you try one on in the shops, you’ll notice the freedom.
#moretosafetyandrescuethanjustswimming This freedom of movement in this suit is great.
I also hear it will be available at your local dealer come the start of December, good news given the cold weather and heavy rain that is due!
First of all I owe Palm a big thank you for taking me into the team and helping me survive one more year as a white water kayaker. I have a really hard-work year behind me as I believe I have kayaked on average 1 to 2 times per day every day this year. Unfortunately mostly for work but still kayaking is a huge part of my life and I could not handle the costs of the gear overuse without the support of Palm and Dagger Europe. I do have to admit that even if I kayak on a certain level, I mostly kayak in a basic level gear, such as Vortex jackets, because they offer me the most freedom of movement and a refreshing feeling of lightness. I really don’t enjoy paddling in thick and heavy gear during the hotter days. Also for this reason, the one piece of gear that I appreciated the most this year was the Spark immersion suit.
Anyone that has tried paddling in a dry suit knows that it is a piece of gear that can replace numerous jackets, neoprene pieces and under layers. Dry suits are easy to dress, comfortable to wear and fast to dry. There are a lot of variations of kayak dry suits out there, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. A spark suit is an extreme case of a lightweight dry suit. The material is a thin 3-layer fabric, which is quite unusual for a dry suit. But the truth is that most of our paddling consists of shorter trips in less than extreme weather conditions. I can imagine that I would prefer a thicker, warmer and more abrasion resistant suit for a multi day trip somewhere cold but for anything other than that I prefer the feeling of freedom. I have never felt anything else but excitement in up to a few hour creeking missions and during the long hours of work and multi times dressing up and undressing the same suit and under layer on the colder and rainy days. And now that the autumn weather hit Europe I simply can’t imagine going paddling with anything else.
Next to the soft fabric the two most notable things about it are the flexible T-zip, which is kind of becoming a standard for all the kayaking dry suits, and its neoprene neck and ankle gaskets (now that it’s colder I prefer the socks version). Especially the neck gaskets seemed to have been accepted with mixed responses. Nobody likes the way latex feels on the neck too much. A big advantage of Spark suit gasket is that it will never stick to your skin, it is not as nearly uncomfortable to dress up and undress as the latex and it will last longer. I also haven’t noticed any difference in how much water leaks through the gasket. There is one problem though. Unlike latex you cannot cut the neoprene gasket and make it fit you. I am fortunate that my Spark fits my neck really well. I prefer it a lot compared to latex but I can imagine a frustration of a big neck kayaker not being able to do anything to make it fit.
To conclude, I can’t recommend the Spark suit enough to an average kayaker. It is an excellent piece of equipment for a great price. As written, that comes with the warning. Try it out first to see if the neck gasket fits you well. If it isn’t too tight you’re free to buy your new favourite piece of gear.
A lot has happened in the last months so here’s a taste of it: Some photos from the Adidas Sickline race and Učja creek, which is one of the best continuous class 5 (and more) technical creeks you can paddle and it is just 5 min away from my home. Thanks to Tony Demarco and Ryan Vekins for some photos. GoPro photo stream was made at Učja creek.
Here’s also a video of our trip to Switzerland this spring that was made by my friend Andrej Bijuklič . I was testing the Spark for the first time in some of the clips. I haven’t had the Dagger Mamba “speedboat” here yet so you’ll fiond me paddling the blue Burn.
Most of you have probably seen ‘kayak kiss’ the viral video that shot Palm Team paddler Ben Brown into the main stream and onto TV screens during major sports events like the US Super Bowl.
The success of that was in no small (excuse the pun) part down to Go-Pro cameras and Ben is a master of making the sorts of videos that the rest of us aspire to with our wobbly and grainy footage. It also has something to do with the sort of water he paddles being that bit more impressive than most of us manage.
We’ll Go-Pro have stepped up again this week, launching their new Hero3: Black Edition, and guess who is one of the lucky athletes featured in the promo – Mr. Ben Brown!
The narrative is a bit of ’a day in the life’ kind of affair, with kayaking featuring along side other sports like freediving, surfing, skiing and more. The previous Go-Pro High Definition camera was cool but wow, to say a camera quite literally sings and dances is quite true of this new model – slow motion, amazing angles, great definition, bright and light: It looks amazing.
Anyway, enough of an advert, we are just super stoked to see our man Ben in there, representing kayaking and cutting it up amongst the likes of Kelly Slater and Aaron Chase. Keep firing it up the Waikato warrior!
