G E A R B A G
INDEPENDENCE DAYS
RIVERBUG.ME RIVERBUG HV
www.riverbug.me $859 CDN
First conceived in New Zealand, Riv- erbugging has since descended rivers around the world. Leading the Riverbug revolution is Don Allardice, a Kiwi and long-time paddler living in Austria. A fateful meeting between Allardice and Trailhead Ottawa owner Wally Schaber at the European paddlesports trade show, Kanumesse, last year convinced Schaber to bring the funky craft to North America. This spring, Rapid got a lesson in ‘bugging from Allardice himself on the creeky, class II-III rap- ids of our backyard run. The Riverbug’s twin PVC pontoons sandwich around a foam seat platform and inflatable backrest, lending it armchair comfort and stability, and a Velcro lap belt holds the ‘bugger in place. Instead of a paddle, a Riverbugger slips on webbed, neo- prene gloves and flippers and uses his legs to provide most of the propul- sion and steering. Sitting upright and kicking with your feet, you either drift and back ferry or run rapids in reverse, rowboat-style, which makes spotting eddies and edging a bit counterintuitive for paddlers. Nevertheless, the Riverbug’s forgiving and surprisingly nimble ride had us feeling like old pros within a couple hours. It’s this quick learning curve—and the pleasure of feeling the water directly through hands and feet rather than shaft and blade—that makes Riverbugging addictive fun. And while such ready proficiency can too often lead to boredom with a new sport, Allardice’s hand rolls, graceful pirouettes and successful descents of difficult rivers—he says the ‘Bug is best suited to creeks and technical, continuous lower volume river runs— are proof that this is a sport with a future. Available from Trailhead Ottawa,
www.trailhead.ca.
ENJOY AN ENDLESS SUMMER WITH THIS SELF-RELIANT GEAR By Virginia Marshall
TRANGIA SOLIO ROCSTA-I
www.solio.com $70 US
The rugged, compact Solio Rocsta-i features an integrated car- abiner for clipping to your tent fly, canoe pack or clothesline, where it takes roughly eight hours of direct sunlight to charge fully. A built-in battery stores a charge for up to one year, so it’s ready any time. Charge over 3,000 different devices—including cell phones, GPS, mp3 players and cameras—using Solio’s iGo adapter tips, available separately for $10 US each. We found the A46 adapter particularly useful; it allows you to charge almost any USB powered device from your Rocsta-i.
42 Rapid summer/fall 2010 27–2 HA COOKSET
www.trangia.se/english $139 CDN
In regions where cooking over an open fire isn’t a viable option, a Trangia stove is a hungry paddler’s easiest alternative. The Swedish-made Trangia is self-contained with a watertight lid and no moving parts, hoses or valves, so it’s basically indestructible. Lazy chefs and world travellers appreciate the simplicity and versatility of the design; just fill the double-walled cup with ethyl or isopropyl alcohol from the hardware store or pharmacy, light it and go. Boil a litre of water in 8–10 minutes, even in strong wind, high altitudes and very cold temperatures. The newest Trangia cookset is a compact, nesting collection of two pots, a frying pan, kettle, stove and bombproof windscreen made of durable, ultralight hard anodized aluminum. Add a litre of fuel and you and a friend will be eating well for a week. Available from the Canadian Outdoor Equipment Co.,
www.canadianoutdoorequipment.com.
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