Green Halloween
Published October 26, 2011 | 
OK, so I mentioned that I should wear my drysuit for Halloween this year… That brought up the suggestion that I could wear a green drysuit and go as the Creature from the Black Lagoon… “Centuries of passion pent up in his savage heart!” and all… Of course we’d have to get some of those cool webbed gloves as well.. Now I probably don’t dare ask the folks at Kokatat if they can make a Creature From the Black Lagoon Green drysuit with special webby, clawed, footie type socks… You know.. I always thought Richard Carlson had a little something pent up as well..
Cold Purple Toes
Published October 26, 2011 | 
Such a beautiful color I wear upon my skin
And a perfect shade of purple on a flower permanent
- pop evil
It’s getting cold. Day 19 down and some 40ish miles to go. Well, I shouldn’t say it’s cold exactly, it’s not “winter paddling purple toes cold”. It’s that slowly seeping sort of cold that sneaks up on you over time. In fact, today I re-learned an old lesson about dealing with cold weather paddling. Keeping your feet warm can be tricky, and it’s not always about the gear. Continue reading
In Crease
Published September 22, 2011 | 
A few days back I wrote about how a simple crease in your drygear’s latex seal could cause your hands to go numb or even swell up. Today while paddling day 4 of my 100 miles around Devil’s Lake, that’s exactly what happened. As I was getting ready to go, one of the park rangers came up to chat with me. Of course I was spending more time paying attention to the conversation than paying attention to my gear. By the time I was half way around the lake, my right hand began to go numb. I rolled up the other bit of the sleeve and as you can see… my gasket was bunched up. Not much mind you, but enough. After I took the pic, I readjusted the laytex and within about 5 minutes my hand was back to normal. Amazing how just a little thing could make such a big difference!
Pesky Gaskets
Published September 19, 2011 | 
As the summer fades to autumn and both the air and water temperatures begin to drop, we’re once again faced with the prospect of dealing with those pesky latex gaskets. Now it’s my position that latex gaskets are not uncomfortable if worn properly. For the moment let’s take these pesky wrist gaskets for example. They were causing a bit of swelling in the back of my hands if I wore them for hours on end. I stretched them out AGAIN for 48 hours with little effect. I was thinking I may have to trim them. Tight gaskets can sure ruin your day on the water!
Well, before you get cutting, there is one last thing to check. Something so silly that it’s easy to overlook… Are the gaskets rolling or folding over on your wrists? Sometimes it happens when you first put them on, sometimes they will work roll back over time. (That’s what happened in my case). If so, simply rolling them back out and removing any folds, creases, or other pressure points may do the trick. The latex should be smooth against your skin. Also, make sure to pull them back on your wrists far enough that the movement of your hands does not start them rolling back down again. For me, that was the solution. Nothing like applying a little patience and observation before getting out the knife!! Anyway, if you’re having trouble with your new gaskets. . . even after you’ve tried stretching them. . . make sure they aren’t just getting rolled up or folded before you get out the knife. One thing about cutting your gaskets, if you get it wrong you can’t put it back…
Dry Comfort
Published May 13, 2011 | 
The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part – petty
I had a student in a class recently who told me a story of the new Gore-Tex dry top his parents bought him last Christmas. From there it didn’t go well. Whenever he put on the dry top, his head and his hands turned red and swelled up like balloons. He’d lose feeling in his fingers. He complained of not being able to breathe very well. His parents wanted to return it right away. He didn’t. He’d read on the internet that dry gear could be uncomfortable and he simply needed to “get used to it”. Finally though, his parents won out. They sent it back. Continue reading
Paddling From The Beginning – Do I need A Drysuit?
Published March 30, 2011 | 
Expedition Kayaker Justine Curgenven of CackleTV.com all suited up.
It’s spring! You’ve been paddling for a couple of years now and you’ve spent the last 3 months drooling over your private stash of kayak porn. Now? Oh, you are SO itching to get back out on the water! (Well, the second the ice melts anyway.) Now, you’ve been around this whole paddling gig just long enough know all about hypothermia and the risks involved in cold water paddling. Having ice still floating around out there has that little voice in the back of your head asking, “Do I NEED a dry suit?” Well, you know the answer. Just asking the question is a dead give-a-way. Still, we’ve all been there. We all consider reasons to put it off. Why? Well, you know, It’s the price tag. Continue reading
Pardon Me, Inspector!
Published March 4, 2011 | 
Spring! Spring! Spring! Well, no. But soon! For many paddlers stuck up here in the great white north, the anticipation of getting back on open water is palpable. We are just going crazy!! (Hardly noticeable in my case…) Now what really sucks, is when you finally get some open water and you run to your closet only to find the gasket on your drysuit has turned to goo over the winter!! Suddenly you’re on your knees, arms outstretched to the heavens shouting out your best B-Movie, ” NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”. Well, before that tragedy happens to you, I’d suggest you get to your closet now and start inspecting your gear right now! Continue reading
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