Travelling light and of course in style
Recently I returned from Uganda on a Playboating trip with Satu my wife. We travelled very light, and the new paddle bag and River Trek dry bags from Palm were our main baggage for the trip. Of course we took playboats, however all in all, the whole lot weighed in at 38Kg, this for two paddlers is a light trip…
Well for years I have been on to Barney, Palm’s designer that I need solid travelling gear to get to the river. Of course Palm have made great on the water gear for years, however with recent attention to the added extras to travel in style, Barney and the crew have come up with some great new products. First and my favourite is the cockpit cover, I always through all my wet PFD, deck and rescue gear in the boat, it lives in there between runs, so to have a bomber seal to keep all my paddling gear safe is a real must. Plus in having wet gear in your car, that oh so paddler scent seems to whoffed from every boater’s car…. yet for myself with a cockpit cover I can avoid this paddler’s delight!
The new River Trek dry bags have been designed for robust travel in mine, a more malleable fabric than perviously used, and with different closure options, plus fully adjustable back straps and side carrying handles, make for a more universal companion on the road. I have a 50L for everyday use and 125L for all the road trip paddling gear. Now a real asset for a paddler is to keep the boating shoes away from all the rest of your gear. Why you ask, well, there is nothing worse than having your flash dry suit covered in mud if not worst, when you pull it from your bag for the drying line. Get a small dry bag, 6L or so, and always place your paddling shoes in there, you’ll thank me one day, of that I am sure. And at worst, if you wish to go one better than drinking from the bootie, try the bootie bag!!!!!!!
Next up is Palm’s jewel in the crown of their new travelling gear, it takes 4 paddles, its the all new Palm Paddle Bag. Indeed 4 paddles’ easy, plus 2 sleeping mats, a 3 person tent and 2 sleeping bags, well I was sent to test it anyway. Now in the production one comes in a grey trim, as this one I stole from the new Mac Monkey, Tim Trew, nice chap, but does not have the one off, only one ever made orange trimmed paddle bag anymore….
