in hatch 1 2
head to toes
FROM FOUR E Y E S TO F IVE F INGERS , NEW GEAR YOU CAN COUNT ON
es. They have a removable, foam-padded eyecup for goggle-like wind and dust protection during high-speed activities like cruising on your Harley. While not paddling anywhere near highway speeds, we found the eyecup useful for cutting out peripheral glare. Remove
1 reproduce—not unlike some kayakers. The ASTRAL BUOYANCY GRUN- 2 3
You change your clothes for summer, so why not change your skirt? Consider mothballing the neoprene and slipping into something more comfortable like the SNAP DRAGON GLACIER BREEZE. It’s as re- freshing as an ice cream treat from your local drive-thru. The Glacier Breeze’s
3
100% waterproof/breathable construction keeps water out but lets vapour es- cape—just what you need for warm days, or anytime beans are on the menu. $104 US;
www.snapdragondesign.com.
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nylon tipi! My fiancée, whose response to my new pair of tomato-coloured VIBRAM FIVEFINGERS SPRINTS was “people will ridicule you, including me,” is clearly in camp 1. Whether or not you believe the hype about strengthening foot muscles and visibly improving posture, chances are if you like FiveFingers’ gecko-paw appear- ance and neo-hippie concept, you will groove on wearing them too. Think “barefoot, only better” because they are more comfortable and grippy than going commando. Vibram’s online instructions tell you how to measure your dogs for the perfect fit, and provide some caveats for mutants, like if your second toe is more than 4 mm longer than your big toe, you’re probably out of luck. As for the folks who aren’t ready to make the paradigm shift, let them laugh. $80 US;
www.vibramfivefingers.com. —Tim Shuff
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D O - I T - Y O U R S E L F ROLL, ROLL, ROLL YOUR BOAT, GENTLY
With the use of foam noodles four inches in diameter and about two feet long, you can easily roll your boat over sand or small stones and even some fairly rocky terrain. I once rolled my fully loaded kayak at low tide over 200 metres of sand to the high tide mark with minimal effort compared to the alter- native of packing everything. Also foam noodles make great bear bangers by clapping them together.—Derek Crook
46 | | ADVENTURE KAYAK summer 2007
Typical reactions to a high-tech shoe that mimics the sensation of going barefoot: 1) What kind of a sucker do you take me for? 2) Wouldn’t that be a nice complement to my carbon fibre Greenland paddle and my
ION is a new PFD with three protruding pockets designed to be accessible with one hand. The Grunion conforms nicely to the shape of your body because most of its buoyancy comes from organic kapok, a natural fibre from the seed pods of the tropical kapok tree. Besides being a really cool
word to say, kapok is a highly flammable fuel and an aphrodisiac. So if you ever get an urge to head for shore, light a fire and make like a grunion, this PFD’s got you covered in more ways than one. $154 US (optional towbelt $28 US);
www.astralbuoyancy.com.
the eyecup and you have a comfortable pair of everyday sunglasses. Panoptx’s founder is a maxillofacial surgeon who averaged the mea- surements of hundreds of skulls in a quest for the ultimate fit. The ColorTec Polarized Copper marine lenses let you see below the water’s surface while enhancing primary colours so you don’t run any red lights speeding to the put-in. $199 US;
www.panoptx.com.
What is a grunion? It sounds like something you need to have surgically removed from your nether parts, but a grunion is really a small fish that lives in the water but comes ashore to
“How fast will you be kayaking?” Panoptyx asked us. “Pretty darned fast,” we ventured. And that’s how we ended up with PANOPTYX WHIRLWIND CV sunglass-
PHOTO: WENDY KILLORAN
the
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