PERFECT PADDLING TOPS
WHATEVER THE WEATHER, THESE FOUR SHELLS HAVE YOU COVERED EMMA DRUDGE
River Booty Bomber Gear Blitz Splash Top The lightest top in our lineup, the Blitz is perfect for cool summer paddling.
It completely avoids the sweaty feeling dry tops can cause when the weather is warm by prioritizing breathability, while still keeping your core warm and dry.
It’s a splash top, not a dry top, meaning it doesn’t have gaskets to
keep every last drop of water out, but still does up tight at the neck with a hook-and-loop tab and has neoprene cuffs around the wrists.
Bomber Gear uses what they call Performance Cut design, which means the Blitz fits like a normal, comfortable piece of clothing that you’ll be happy wearing all day.
www.bombergear.com | $99 Kokatat Hydrus 3L Stoke Dry Top
Light enough for a grab-and-go surf session but burly enough to be expedition-worthy, the Stoke is a well-named top for boaters who do it all. It’s cut and sized for comfort with broad shoulders and a tall and adjustable inner tube for under your sprayskirt.
Kokatat’s new Tangerine color stands out for extra visibility on the water.
The Hydrus 3L part of the title comes from Kokatat’s three-layer fabric that’s breathable and has a soft interior, so it doesn’t feel like a sticky raincoat if you get overheated on a warm day.
We like the giant, self-draining chest pocket and inner key lanyard for extra-safe storage.
www.kokatat.com | $275 Sweet Protection Supernova Dry Top
This top was well worth the time it took to ship from Norway. Equal parts smooth and tough, the Gore-Tex Pro Shell feels indestructible and is comfortably cut and sized.
The outer waist sticks shut with a new, super stiff Velcro
system that doesn’t budge once cinched into place. The inner tube has an elastic bottom band and silicone hem with so much grip it feels sticky to touch—this top will not ride up.
Going the extra mile in design and durability, this top is the heaviest-duty and priciest in our lineup. We don’t doubt the Supernova investment will pay for itself in endurance.
www.sweetprotection.com | $479 NRS Flux Dry Top
This old favorite has been rereleased with new colors and the same breathability we know and love—no sweat-
soaked inner layers here. The fabric is soft to the touch to reduce friction and boost comfort when paddling.
We like the Flux’s lightness and adjustability. Tabs at the wrist dial in fit, while the neck has a punch-through neoprene cuff with an inner coating to reduce chafing against your skin.
A pull-tab tightens the inner tunnel to reduce bulk against your body and the grippy outer tube bonds with your skirt to stay in place.
www.nrs.com | $324.95
DIGITAL EXTRA: Click here to watch video previews of these four paddling tops.
www.rapidmag.com | 45
PHOTO: EMMA DRUDGE
PHOTO: GREG OKIMI
PHOTO: EMMA DRUDGE
PHOTO: GREG OKIMI
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