gearbag
Level Six Miss Drytop
The
phenome- non gener- ally hap-
pens twice a year. Once in the spring when the weather begins to warm up and again in the fall when things start to
cool down. It signals climatic change and not-so-fair-weather paddling environments—drytop season. Level Six is helping to make drytop season more comfortable for women by offering the Miss Drytop. The fully taped, waterproof/breath- able ladies drytop is constructed with 100 percent polyester Eclipse three-ply stretch fabric. New for 2003, a waterproof/breathable laminate has been applied to the outer fabric, rather than a coating, to ensure consistent coverage. The DWR or “beading” factor of this fabric/lami- nate is one of the best in the industry according to manufacturers. The idea is the less water that is able to soak in, the more breathable the fabric remains and the dryer you are. The neck and wrist closures com- bine a neoprene outer gasket with a traditional latex inner. The tapered sleeves and women-specific cut mean less material bulk-up for female paddlers. The tunnel system has been lengthened to allow for adjust- ment to individual torso length and maximum skirt contact. The gasket combination keeps the majority of the water out and insulates seldom-regarded wrist heat loss areas. Even when window- shading repeatedly on fast waves, the gaskets hold their form and blowout doesn’t occur. The fabric is extremely light and soft, for an overall “warm” feel. The Miss is also available as a Mack for men. Colours: sky blue/cream (shown); red/cream. Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL (women’s sizing). $349.00 Cdn.
www.levelsix.ca.—ML
gearbag
Exstream Orinoco Personal Water Purification System
New generation kayaks are continually getting
smaller. With minimal storage space what often gets left behind are essential items such as a first aid kit, throw bag and adequate water supplies. To hydrate properly, four litres of water must be consumed daily, plus an additional litre per every hour of activity. This could amount to 10
litres of water for a day of paddling. The Exstream Orinoco personal water purification system fits well into stock water bottle placements on most seats and makes it easy for pad- dlers to keep hydrated. Simply screw off the lid and cylindrical purifier, dip the bottle into the closest water source, put the lid back on, aim the nozzle into your mouth and squeeze—Voila! An instantly refreshing gulp of clean water.
A squeeze of the bottle pumps the water through a three-stage cleaning process—a prefilter that removes grit and other bits, a cyst filter that takes care of bacterial pathogens such as giardia and cryp- tosporidium, and a virus-killing chemical cartridge. This sys- tem will purify 100 litres of water before the suggested car- tridge replacement (200 bottle refills). $74.95 Cdn; $45.00 US. www.exstreamwa-
ter.com.—ML
Flame Thrower Throwbag by Fat Eddy’s
According to American Whitewater, of all the
reported fatalities between January 1975 and January 2000, 19 percent resulted from a long swim and 31percent occurred while victims were trapped under water. That is, in 50 percent of all fatalities, a throwbag’s purchase and application could be justified. Think of the times you have used your throwbag to aid someone (pause…). Now think of the times that you were helped by a person with a throwbag. What if that important piece of rescue equipment were absent? Would you still be reading this magazine? The Flame Thrower (F.T.) is designed by the guys at Fat Eddy’s. The slim shape of the bag soars effortlessly through the air, fits snug to your back when worn with a belt (which is not included), and
40
www.rapidmag.com
stows underneath a float bag or behind your kayak seat. The bag is constructed of 1000D Cordura (red or yellow) with sewn-in closed-cell foam for extra floatation. The F.T. features 70 feet of 5/16-inch polypropylene rope with a breaking strength of 1600 lbs. With a good arm the rope fully deploys and is easily re-stuffed for a quick second toss thanks to the large bag opening and extra internal volume. The F.T. is designed with raft guiding in mind
where you may have to haul in multiple swimmers on a single rope. When using mechanical advantage in a rescue situation, I would opt for a stronger spectra or static rope as the tension exerted on the F.T. may exceed its rating. When choosing a throw bag con- sider the type of boat you paddle and river condi- tions most frequented. But above all, practice! There is nothing more shameful and risky than flubbing your rescue toss as your buddy drifts by. $54.99 US.
www.fateddys.com.—ML
arbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag gearbag
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52