in hatch


gear to go 1 2


P A D D L E > H I K E > F L O A T > R E A D


son” or “one who is tossed about, as on the waves in the sea.” Designed by and


1


dered from an artist’s lifetime of musings, snapshots and sketches from West Coast


2 3


21st century. TheMION FLOOD TIDE treads soft- ly in more ways than one. Comfy, removable boo-


3 4


release and remarkably smooth strokes. The round tip offers a consistent feel for low-angle lily dipping or high-angle power stroking. High-performance and


4 D O - I T - Y O U R S E L F MAKE YOUR OWN RADAR REFLECTOR


The silver mylar bags that come inside four-litre wine boxes are very useful. First, of course, you get to drink the contents. The bags are very du- rable and can also be used as a water container, an inflatable pillow, or an effective radar reflec- tor. For radar detection, I semi-inflate the bag and fasten it behind me, looping a bungee cord over one end so the bag fully inflates and extends upright. Because the bag has square corners it is picked up on radar. When it’s foggy I attach the


46 | | ADVENTURE KAYAK spring 2007


bag to the end of a six-foot fishing rod. With the bag at that height I was informed by the coast guard that they spotted me on their radar three kilometres (1.8 miles) away. Homemade radar reflectors can be as effective as anything on the market. One study posted online (www.sea- grant.umaine.edu/documents/pdf/rarefppt05. pdf) found that an aluminum foil–covered hat actually outperformed commercial radar reflec- tors by a long shot. —Derek Crook


versatility at a very reasonable price. From $199 Cdn, $179 US; www.h20paddles.com. —Thom Lambert


ties protect from rocks, sand and cold. And the “Eco Metric” label (zero greenhouse emissions) shows


that the footprint is small, no matter what the shoe size. $140 Cdn, $110 US; www.mionfootwear.com.


The H2O-2 TOURING paddle stands out on the rack and on the water. Greenland- inspired parallel edges provide even water


kayak trips. $25 Cdn; Touchwood Editions, www.touchwoodeditions.com. While Robin Lloyd Jones paddled 240 kilometres through


western Greenland, his literary ramblings in FALLEN PIECES OF THE MOON range even more widely, into cannibalism, kayak roll- ing, Inuit string games, cargo cults, and other preoccupations of a mind gone wild. Whittles Publishing, www.whittlespublishing.com.


Goodbye, cork and leather; Hello, foam and rubber: Footwear visionary Martin Keen has invented a Birkenstock for the


for wave people, the RONIN PRO PFD has wraparound padding that doubles as body armour. It’s fully teched-out with


a built-in tow belt, multiple lash points and pockets, and planet-friendly PVC-free foam. $199 US; www.kokatat.com.


AROUND ONE MORE POINT by Mary Gazetas is a beautiful shoebox-full of memories ren-


Ronin may be Japanese for “freelance samurai” but the literal translation is “wave per-


PHOTO: TOM WATSON


the


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