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Expedition Essentials Paddling Gear The gear we’ve chosen to produce is not new in its basic design; tow systems, storm cags and emergency shelters have all been around for a long time, in many forms, some quite similar at first-blush, to those you see below. What we’ve tried to do is to improve concepts or change materials to make these items more useful to us as professional paddlers, and thus, we believe to most everyone. Gear that works well on flat water can be designed from the quiet confines of a good designer’s office, but if that gear is to work well in all conditions, a long period of product testing and design improvement is required. Most large gear companies don’t have the time to do that, or the inclination to incorporate improvements once large production runs have begun. We had the time, because we were using the gear anyway. We eventually got tired of buying gear we knew would have to be modified, and started having it built in the first place, just the way we wanted it. A driving factor in our designs is the recognition that we travel extensively in our paddling pursuits. We recognized that when traveling, our choices in gear were inevitably the lightest, most pack-able pieces we had. No matter how perfect something was for its intended application, if it was too heavy or too bulky, it didn’t make the cut. With this in mind, we have set out to produce gear we would choose when we paddle at home, that is still light and compact enough that we take it with us when we travel. To purchase a piece -- contact one of our authorized dealers for pricing and availability. If you are interested in carrying our Expedition Essentials gear in your retail shop please contact us using our online form.
Tow Rig System We chose to produce our first tow system as a waist
level, belt style. This is because chest mounted systems put too We chose to use large, lightweight, fully anodized aluminum carabineers because we’ve had large, heavy stainless steel carabineers flying toward us during rough water releases, or small ones that were too difficult to handle. We use fully anodized carabineers because they are so much more corrosion resistant than standard aluminum. We use two carabineers, one inside the pouch, so you can short-line the tow without a daisy chain (just a quick figure eight), the other with a climber’s quick draw to make finding and handling much easier, and to make sure the carabineer never comes off the line by accident. Our carabineers have smooth gate openings, so they won’t hang up on deck lines when you are trying to release. We chose a big, articulated pouch so you can easily stuff a large handful of line into it and be on your way, no entanglement, no daisy chain dragging in the water. It is the polar opposite of a whitewater throw bag that requires barrel loading, a slow, awareness-consuming task (In 12 years of rough water sea kayaking, none of us ever used a throw rope for anything but a clothes line anyway). The pouch has lots of extra hook-and-loop so it’s easy to close and it stays closed until you need it. The bottom has a mesh panel that keeps the bag from holding water in your lap and makes it easy to rinse out when you get home. We chose NOT to put a float on the line, because it adds unnecessary weight, bulk and expense and because it can interfere with tow hook-ups and releases. The floating poly line and the rubber in the quick-draw keep the lightweight carabineer pretty close to the surface anyway.We chose NOT to incorporate a shock cord because it adds unnecessary weight, bulk and expense, and because we didn’t like the sling shot effect it creates when towing in a following sea.
Suggested retail price: $110.00. Note, tow rope systems currently available in BLACK. Purchase from a retailer | Become a retailer | Wholesale orders
Storm Cags The storm cag is a one-size-fits-all, vapor barrier insulator. It is made of zero-porosity, paragliding material (no air gets through). It is intended to be worn over your wet paddling gear to reduce forced convection and evaporative heat loss. Use it to stay warm on cool, windy days when you first get out of your boat (just pull it over everything), or while in your boat when the combination of your insulation and level of caloric burn are insufficient to keep you warm. The cag is moderately water repellant, though it need not be to work, and is by necessity non-breathable. I find them to be very useful in post rescue scenarios after getting the swimmer back into their boat. They are very lightweight, and pack small enough that I can stuff several in my day hatch along with all my other gear. Suggested retail price: $120.00. Note, storm cags are currently available in red and black.
Purchase from a retailer | Become a retailer | Wholesale orders
Storm Shelters The emergency shelter works in much the same way as the storm cag; it prevents forced convection and evaporative heat loss. The shelter, however, allows people to share the protected space, thereby taking advantage of each other’s dissipating body heat. If you’ve never experimented with a group emergency shelter, you may be surprised at how warm it becomes inside, even on the cold, windy days. Emergency shelters have been produced for sea kayakers for some time, but have traditionally been made of bulky taffeta nylon and for relatively large groups, making them too bulky for the travel cut. We needed shelters that were lighter and smaller. We produce two sizes in the same material as our storm cags, one for up to four adults and one for up to six. Suggested retail price: $120.00.
Purchase from a retailer | Become a retailer | Wholesale orders
5. It even weighs less. Suggested retail price: $20.00 Purchase from a retailer | Become a retailer | Wholesale orders |
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