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The Best Winter and Cold Water Paddling Gloves
The hardest body part to keep warm during winter paddling is the hands. Because water drips down the paddle shaft and the splashes saturate any gloves or mittens used, they need to be waterproof, or they must be waterproof enough to slow new cold water from penetrating the glove’s interior. I’ve always liked neoprene gloves or mittens to keep my hands warm verse using a poggies, because my hands stay warm when removed from the paddle shaft and I can easily manipulate items without have to touch an icy surface. I have a few favorite gloves. NRS Natural Gloves I used to use NRS Reactor gloves, because they were the…
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Kupilka Cup Review
I’ve always liked the look of a traditional wooden kuksa, a drinking cup made by the Sami people. When I saw the plastic and wood composite Kupilka cups, I fell instantly in love. I always wanted a wooden cup, but didn’t want the maintenance or weight that comes with it. The plastic version seemed like a good substitute. When I first saw the cups, availability was limited to Europe, but I managed to get a Kupilka 21 and a 5 in exchange for a review. The Kupilka 21 is a round cup with a molded handle that extends from the cup’s lip. The cup hold about 8 oz. It has…
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Tarptent Cloudburst 2 Review
In early 2009, I traded a Tarptent Double Rainbow for a Cloudburst 2. For various reasons, I didn’t like the Double Rainbow, but I wanted to try another Tarptent before I wrote off the category. Tim Smith, the owner and founder of Jack Mountain Bushcraft School, says “It takes four nights to own a shelter.” But, I think it takes slightly longer to really know how a shelter performs. I need to see how it performs in hot humid weather, rain, cold, wind and more before I really know how to rate it. I usually like to spend 30 nights in a tent or under a tarp before I write…
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Cooke Custom Sewing Pioneer Pack Review
The Cooke Custom Sewing Pioneer Pack, part of Cooke’s hybrid portage pack series, combines the shape of a traditional portage pack with the features of a more modern backpacking pack. It has a padded foam back, contoured and padded shoulder straps, a sternum strap, a padded hip belt, four grab loops, load lifter straps and hip stabilizer straps. It is made from a heavy-duty nylon and comes in blue, red, yellow, pink and green. Dan Cooke makes every pack by hand in Minnesota (All the best portage packs are made in Minnesota). The Pioneer Pack is our primary portage pack and sees more use than my Duluth Pack, SealLine Boundary…
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Duluth Pack Northwoods Review
Duluth Pack’s Northwood pack is a burly portage pack made in the Canadian style that canoe-hero Bill Mason used and loved. It’s made from 18-ounce canvas with a double bottom. It has leather shoulder straps that are riveted into the pack. Two 36-inch long leather crossover straps secure the pack and allow the internal flaps to expand when carrying large loads. It has two side pockets big enough for water bottles. The shape is designed to fit into the contour of a canoe and it rides low. The pack comes with a 6 ml poly liner and a tumpline. A waist belt is an upgrade. I’ve owned a Northwood pack…
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Mocke Racer PFD Review
The Mocke Racer is a lightweight personal flotation aid popular in the surfski racing crowd. The Mockes, a husband and wife, are well-known in the surfski racing side of paddlesports; they both boast impressive wins in many races. They designed the Racer to be comfortable, to stay out of the way while paddling and to give a racer enough flotation to help him swim if he ends up in the water. They claim the mesh allows air to flow, which keeps the paddler cool. In the water, the mesh allows for more efficient swimming, and they claim it allows the paddler to dive easily when needed. The vest consists of…
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WaayCool Kayak Fishing Handlines Review
I like catching fish, and I like paddling, but I don’t like to catch fish while paddling if it involves carrying rods, tackle boxes and all sorts of fishing equipment — call me a lazy angler. In trying to combine a low equipment method of fishing with paddling, I decided to try handlines, which are line wrapped around a handle. You clip the rope’s end to your deck lines, connect a lure to the other end, drop it into the water and paddle. It’s simple. The homemade handlines that I’ve seen are usually just thick 20 lb. mono filament line wrapped around a plywood handle. Finding a commercially available handline…
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Kigo Footwear Review
A month or so ago, Kigo Footwear sent me a pair of shoes to test. Since they arrived, I’ve used them for paddling, wading up rivers, rock-hoping, hiking, around town, traveling and for just about every activity that I do. Although, I’m not sold on the style, which looks sort-of like an aqua-sock — I end up wearing these shoes more than any others I own. Why? Because they’re easy to put on and comfy! Kigo bills the Edge as: With unisex slip-on styling, the kigo edge is designed for active men and women. The shoes provide complete foot coverage for a fully protected barefoot stride. Full coverage keeps dirt…
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Sierra Designs Lazer 30 Review
All summer, I used the 2010 Sierra Designs Lazer 30 as my only sleeping bag — for one trip report, check out the Sea Gull Lake loop trip report. I bought it to supplement my excellent Mountain Smith Wisp 800-fill down sleeping bag with a synthetic. Although, I don’t worry about getting a down bag wet on paddling trips, sometimes I just like synthetics, because the smell of down doesn’t always agree with me. I also wanted a sleeping bag that would quickly dry after washing it. The 2010 version of Sierra Designs’ Lazer is an “ultralight” synthetic bag. It features a flexible mid-section, a jacket-style hood, an ergonomically shaped…
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Review of Canoe and Kayak Building Books
If you want to build a kayak or canoe from the free plans found on PaddlingLight, you should buy a couple of canoe or kayak building books. Most use different methods, which you can combine to make your boat uniquely your’s. There are lots of books out there to cover in a review, so I’m going to break them down into different categories and arrange them from the first to buy to the last. I’ll write a quick one-paragraph review. I’m leaving lots of books off this list, because I think these are the best. Cedar Strip Kayak Building Books Most of the plans that I do are designed for…
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Rab SilTarp 2 Review
The Rab SilTarp 2 is an 8 feet by 10 feet silicone nylon tarp targeted at the fast and light crowd. Rab uses a 30-denier, 1.1 oz. parachute, rip-stop nylon impregnated with 1/4 oz. of silicone. This level of impregnation gives the nylon the ability to withstand 1 lb. per square inch or the equivalent of 2 feet depth of water pressure. They claim that’s enough to withstand leaks from even strongest rainstorms. The tarp has 16 nylon webbing loops sewn to the corners and at 2-foot intervals along the edges. A ridge-line seam, that needs seam sealing, runs 10 feet down the center of the tarp. An additional tie…
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Kelty Noah Tarp Review
If you’re looking for an easy-to-pitch, inexpensive tarp to use as a camp kitchen or shelter near the campfire, then Kelty’s Noah Tarp is it. The Noah Tarp is a catenary cut, easy-to-pitch tarp. It features 12 guy-points, tapped seams and quick-adjust line tensioners. It ships with a long but narrow stuff sack and guy lines. Stakes are sold separately. Noah Tarp is Easy to Use The tarp’s sides measures 9 feet by 9 feet, and although its sides measure the same, the diamond shape limits the usable space, which makes it good for a kitchen or dry area near the fire but not large enough to sleep comfortably under.…
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Snow Peak Penta Tarp Review
Snow Peak bills the Penta Tarp as a lightweight, pentagon-shaped shelter for one or two canoeists or kayakers. To help reduce weight, it’s possible to leave the pole behind and set the Penta up with a canoe or kayak paddle and six stakes. The tarp is made from a pleasant mustard-colored 75D Polyester Taffeta with a minimum waterproof coating of 1,800mm and a Teflon water-repellent. Without a pole, it weighs 1.9 pounds. I’ve owned a Penta for over seven years, but have only used it on about 30 days of trips. I found it easy to set up. You insert the paddle into a specially designed sleeve, stake out the…
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GearPods Survival Pro Review
Background: GearPods are “modular, lightweight adventure and survival gear to help the outdoor enthusiast to prepare for the unexpected.” Their systems combine interconnecting, containers with pre-selected survival gear. Users combine any containers and gear to arrive at a customized kit, something like my emergency ditch kit. I tested GearPods Wilderness system, which includes first-aid, survival gear, a lightweight stove, and the GearPods Shelter. Because the system is modular, I’m reviewing each part separately. The GearPods Survival Pro includes items geared towards helping you survive an emergency in the woods. GearPods claims the kit can handle navigating, emergency signaling, starting a fire, purifying water, fishing and snaring, repairing clothes and equipment,…
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GearPods Health Kit Review
This second review of components in the GearPods Wilderness system looks at the included GearPods Health kit. GearPods offer “modular, lightweight adventure and survival gear to help the outdoor enthusiast to prepare for the unexpected.” In all their systems, they combine interconnecting, “waterproof” containers with survival kits. Because the system is modular, I’m reviewing each component separately. I’ll wrap-up the reviews in a final overview and opinion of the products with a separate post. Because a first aid kit is only used when an injury occurs, I’m looking at the parts of this kit without having to use them. The kit is contained in a small nylon pouch inside of…
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