G E A R B a G
too Rad foR mom and dad
FAMILY STARTER KIT: KiDs’ Gear GuiDe
By Virginia Marshall
kokatat
supeRnova kids
WrSi
paddlinG suit
small shell
kokatat.com
$334 us
cuRRent helmet
Children lose body heat much faster than adults,
and they won’t always tell you when they’re cold.
wrsisafety.com Save the guesswork and get them gear to stay
$80 us
dry and warm on the river. Women’s size XS may
Hockey and bike helmets will do
fit older kids, but Kokatat makes semi-dry tops
until they realize they look like
and paddling suits for prepubescent paddlers
dorks. Then turn to WRSI and
4’8” and taller. Youth’s paddling tops are also
Shred Ready for stylish whitewa-
available from Level Six, kids’ sizes 8–14 ($100–
ter kids’ helmets.
$120 US,
levelsixinc.com).
aQua-Bound
hammeRhead
aquabound.com
$120 Cdn/$110 us
For kids less than five feet tall, shop for 150-180 cm paddle lengths; toddlers will need to start with a
130 cm stick. The smaller blades and lighter weight of Aqua-Bound’s Hammerhead paddle are criti-
cal for kids. If you’re not sold on kid-specific paddle sizing, imagine yourself using a 300 cm stick for
a sense of scale. AT, Werner and Jackson Kayak also have new kids’ whitewater paddles.
liQuidlogiC JaCkSon kayak ComPoSite CreationS
Jefe chico dynamic duo splash
liquidlogickayaks.com jacksonkayak.com canoewateradventuring.ca
$1,099 us/$1,149 Cdn $1,599 us
completepaddler.ca
Liquidlogic has two offerings for youngsters: the Jefe Chico, The new Dynamic Duo from Jack-
$1,700 Cdn
a creek boat for youths to boof, and the river running Remix 47 son Kayak is a tandem whitewater
The Splash by Composite Creations is a one-
($729 US/$829 Cdn). Also look at Wave Sport’s Fuse 35 ($750 kayak that surfs, drops and runs
of-a-kind, do-it-all open boat for micro-Ma-
Cdn/US;
wavesport.com) and Jackson Kayak’s kids’ range, which rapids with ease. Imagine the old
sons. Inspired by the notion that young open
includes 10 different sizes for toddlers to teens with models for Eskimo Topo Duo with Jackson’s
boaters could be as skilled as their paddling
freestyle, river running and slalom. Jackson’s Fun series, starting Hero river running series hull. The
parents if only they had a properly fitting boat
with the Fun 1 for youngsters ranging from 30–80 pounds through new Duo has a smaller front cock-
to paddle, the Splash lets kids from 65 to 110
the 1.5 (70–125 pounds) and 2 Fun (120–150 pounds), takes kids pit, and a larger rear cockpit that
pounds play and portage (the carbon/Kevlar
from splash-and-dipping to big-wave ripping. can hold up to 250 pounds.
hull weighs just 35 pounds). Not just a learn-
ing vessel, the Splash has performance for
surfing, slalom and steep creeking.
2 Rapid early summer 2009
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