J3 Helmets
J3 Industries launched itself into the whitewater helmet market in the summer of 2001 and has found its niche providing inexpensive, good-looking hel- mets. J3 has also caught the attention of the pro circuit and sponsors the 2003 US Freestyle Team with new helmet lines to be debuted at the World’s in Graz, Austria. J3 also sponsors some members of the Canadian Team. J3 has been able to reduce costs by using composite fibreglass helmets rather than Kevlar. J3 has five differ- ent styles in men’s and women’s lines. The women’s shells are smaller and have feminine colours. Every possi- ble cranium size can be accommodated by using different minicell liners to pad the outer shells. Smooth curves and transitions are accented around the brim by a silver chrome bumper reminiscent of a sleek ‘57 Chevy. Just as the solid steel construction of the ‘57 protects those riding within, the J3 helmets provide stylish protection and temple coverage. The Tu (bluish green) and Shatty (red/yellow) are both designed with freeboating in mind (river running and playing). They are for paddlers who enjoy paddling in shallow play areas requiring increased head coverage as
well as dynamic waves and low waterfalls. When compared to the Smooth rodeo design (not shown) the Tu and Shatty models sit lower over the back of the head and brow providing important head protection. The well-positioned webbing straps don’t interfere with ears, piercings, cheek bones or jaw lines. $149.00 Cdn. $89.00 US.
www.j3helmets.com.
Yakerz 2nd Wind Airpak
The 2nd Wind Airpak is the best type of product to review because it does exactly as the manufacturer claims, no matter what you think of the concept of carrying backup air on the river. The Airpak is a combina- tion of two air bladders joined with hoses and attaches to the belly and back of your PFD. There is another hose that snakes up to a shoulder mount that you adjust so that the bite valve is near enough to your mouth. You pre-fill the bladders with two reasonably athletic, mid-sized lungfuls of air and off you go pad- dling with your auxiliary air supply. Underwater you slowly draw on the bite valve to retrieve your air. Really! Where do we see this in application you ask? Learning to roll perhaps. But this quote from Boatertalk supplied to us by Yakerz says it all: “The bladder has saved my life twice in three months. The very first week I used it, I got pinned…I was pinned good …I flipped vert…I used my bladder bag to breathe…time to work myself free…lets all be honest, we are not perfect…it is nice when we can pull the ace in the hole to help….”
The 2nd Wind Airpak is an innovative and qual- ity product. However, the concept of carrying extra air raises as many questions as it gives answers. One question I might ask this testimonialist is “should you be on that river?” $159.00 US.
www.yakerz.com.
Wave Sport Mercury Dry- Deck
For 2003 Wave Sport has
released eight hot new paddling tops including a short and long version of a paddling jacket, semi-drytop, dry- top and dry-deck. The Mercury is the long-sleeved version of the dry-deck—a drytop with built-in sprayskirt.
Designer Barney Caulfield of former Palm fame went to a lot of trouble to make the Mercury a good fit. In addition to an elaborate pattern combining the waterproof–breathable coated nylon fabric he extended the neoprene skirt bottom halfway up the back panel, providing on-river mobility and some give when getting dressed. Wave Sport borrowed Stohlquist’s Gripp-Loc concept and worked it into their own InterLoc system. The system sticks a Wave Sport PFD to the fuzzy patch on the belly of the paddling top. The pockets are nice and high, easily accessed above a PFD. The gaskets have, as the fabric experts say, “a nice hand” and are covered by Velcro wrist and neck outer gaskets with Velcro closures. The silver rubber on the inside of the cuffs is smooth on the skin and is pretty flash. In fact, the silver neck and wrists, vinyl Wave Sport sleeve logo, chili-red and black shell and zippers make for a nice “Michael Jackson Thriller”–meets–”USS Enterprise” fusion, mixing clubbing fashion with on-river function. Beam us up, Scotty. One point worth noting when considering any dry-deck is sizing. Our extra-large demo was a great fit for sleeve and torso length but we didn’t have the extra-large bellies to match the sewn-in skirt tunnel. When the skirt tunnel isn’t tight, any water that happens to be in your boat can run up to your torso. The bottom half of the Mercury is a neoprene bungy sprayskirt reinforced with Kevlar-like ArmorTex which, not coincidentally, fits Wave Sport boats perfectly. $525.00 Cdn. $350.00 US.
www.wavesport.com.
2003 Spring 43
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