Yak Vanguard Dry Suit

So this year I was given the opportunity to get back into Yak Adventure Paddling Equipment.

Over the years the Yak range has always come across as very intermediary and recreational based. in 2014 Yak had a new relaunch with things moving within the Survitec group a lot more focus was given to really developing and upgrading the Yak range to bring it in line with the rest of the industry.

I first saw the new range last year and was very impressed, the team have worked hard to change their brand image to a company who can provide top end equipment for paddlesports. I can safely say they have really done the job bringing new light to an established brand and pushing it on in terms of features and functionality.

The latest line up of Yak Equipment is bright, colourful, functional, comfortable and very usable.

Just before I headed to Europe in September I was delighted to receive a box of goodies from Yak, a company I first met 13 years ago when they first offered me a selection of samples as a local lad living next to the factory in Gosport.

The first Item out of the box was the Yak Vanguard Dry Suit.

This suit comes nicely packaged enclosed with a fleece undersuit and lycra over-socks to protect your latex socks.

What Yak say….

What I Say…..

So I put this suit through its paces on a recent trip to Europe, travelling through France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy stopping at Sickline over an action packed 3 weeks.

The Fit,

As always I picked up a large size at 6”3 I know I'm usually at the top end height wise for most large suits but I'm not wide enough to warrant the XL size. The Vanguard suit is a slightly smaller fit to Peak or Palm especially with the metal zip, the hips of the vanguard is also a little narrow but once on provides a lovely fit but for sure its worth trying on first.

I am personally using the Large size which to start felt a little short but now I don’t notice.

The cut allows great movement and flexibility without fabric bulking or getting in the way. this is helped by the internal braces supporting the lower half of the suit when walking, Other brands with neo waist do tend to slip and bunch when walking.

The Latex seals on the wrist and neck are both a good size not too tight and still comfy enough no cutting needed, the socks are probably suitable on the Large suit for upto about UK12 max at a UK11 they are a good fit and very easy in and out of a boot

Features

Latex wrists and neck – comfy and dry

Neo over cone to protect latex neck and provide extra dry barrier – no velcro for easy donning and removing.

Latex socks – something I’d had mixed feelings about over the years but now having used them I find them super, no bunching and really easy in and out of boots unlike some fabric socks.

twin waist – comfy twin waist with grip to stop it riding up

Brass Zip – super dry and industry standard for immersion suits. personally I like the flexibility of a plastic zip but this zip has caused me no problems and remained dry so I cant complain.

Relief Zip – personally I wouldn't own a suit without a relief zip its probably as important as a PFD on long days on the water!

Style,

So I’ve been know to be a bit of a fashion icon and for sure this suit is no different matching my eyes and…… anyway!

This is where I love the suit, as many of you know I love colour and the Vanguard is available in a lovely aqua blue which just so happens to match the rest of my kit. The lime green styling on cuffs really set the suit off and give it a great shape and look.

For 2016 I have seen a sample of Red top grey pants for those more reserved paddlers.

Dryness,

Having taken the technology from sister company Crewsaver I genuinely feel I could hop in the Atlantic, float to America and still get out warm and dry.

The TX20K 3 layer fabric is the bomb its heavy duty and very dry. the suit incorporates a windstopper within the membrane this makes the suit very warm even in the worst conditions I'm really looking forward to wearing this on the coldest days of the year knowing I'm going to be toasty warm.

In warmer conditions I feel this suit could almost be too warm for sure it doesn't have the breathability of GoreTex but it also doesn't have that pricetag anyways that's not usually anything we need to worry about with cold water this suit is a fantastic addition to the range.

Overall,

I’m really happy with this suit its comfy and dry, the cut is good and the colour is perfect. I will certainly be taking this suit on every adventure in the future!

If you looking for a fantastic suit, durable and warm definitely try the Vanguard on for size, its a fantastic price for a full package which is going to keep you dry!

For Sale Here @ I-Canoe.com

- Almost forgot

The free undersuit is cosy and warm whether worn inside the drysuit or in the van when driving its a neat piece of kit and amazing that its included with the drysuit.

The Lycra socks are designed to help protect the latex socks, personally I haven't used these as I love how easy I can put my boots on now with no bulk.

Kit for Sale – Big Clearout!

SOLD :)

Long Term Review – Palm Equipment Spark Suit

Having been using the Palm Spark suit now for 2 years fairly solidly I decided it was time to put some thoughts into words.
The Spark suit is designed as a lightweight freestyle / freeride suit, because of the freestyle aspect its built as a semi dry meaning as standard it comes with neo ankle gaskets and a glide skin neoprene neck as well as the standard latex wrists and Plastic master Zip.
Palm Say

They have hit the nail on the head!
‘Most comfortable and colourful suit yet’
That's the reason I'm wearing this suit for 90% of my paddling.
The Spark is built from Palms XP3 material so super breathable and lightweight without the bulk of reinforcing you will find on other suits making it a lighter weight suit.
Being a lighter weight suit makes this suit really comfy, the plastic zip gives far more movement and flex than other metal zips or the old TiZip. this extra movement makes you forget you even have a zip giving you full rotation and movement for any strokes.
The new ‘toothed’ zip looks more like your standard jacket zip just chunkier, this makes it much easier to do up on your own. you do have to have some flex but it is very easy to zip yourself up.
Compared to metal zips the flex is just perfect also making it extremely difficult to break (I haven't seen a broken one yet!)

The colour, now this bit is important!
The lime green is perfect, this suit is designed to make a statement and it does, the Green holds its colour well without excess fading and doesn't show too much of the dirt the grey panels take most of the abuse keeping your Greens green you wont need any Daz!
 
As standard this suit comes with Latex wrists and a Glide Skin neck, the latex is essential on the wrists to keep water running down your arms and the glide skin neck is not only super comfy but provides a very good seal, whether its freestyle of creeking the neck gives a great seal, being able to step out dry at the end of the day is a nice touch from a semi dry suit
Me being a bit of a girl when I first got the suit I decided comfort was key and actually sent mine back for fabric socks to be added by the nice guys at Palm HQ and can honestly say its the best thing stepping into the river with warm dry feet, its certainly the best €50 I've spent.

As standard the ankle seals are neoprene cones, same as they use on the Neon pants and traverse bib, these are a semi dry closure as they will stop the bulk of water running up your leg but the neoprene will allow small amounts to pass between your skin and the cuff, if you add a set of neoprene socks you can stay pretty dry but for extra comfort of the fabric socks cant be beaten.
The suit is fairly lightweight this makes it ideal for alpine paddling and generally having fun, on tighter runs or Irish “ditches” I usually add a set of elbow pads both for my own protection and to take a lot of wear and tear away from the suit.

As with all the Palm kit the cut is second to none the 4d cut as they call it just means that they actually though about how a person sits and paddles in the boat, wrapping the suit to alleviate excess baggy areas and to give enough space to allow freedom of ,movement, Some other companies prefer to use a box style cut this means it fits a wider size range of people in a standing situation. when you look at a Palm dry suit hanging they look huge, then when you first put one on you find the excess length in the legs, but once you sit down the magic happens, suddenly that excess is taken into a nice comfortable fit with no pressure on the lower back or shoulders whilst paddling means your suit will not hold you back.

I'm very happy with my Palm Spark suit to the point that I own both this and a Stikine (Palms top end suit) to which I've only worn about 8 times in the same period because I'm so happy with the Spark. the only reason I'll be getting rid of this one will be to buy another brighter one!
See you on the river,
I'm the Man in Green!

Buy your Drysuits HERE at the Great Outdoors Dublin!

Pyranha Outfitting – Thigh Braces

  Lots of people lately have been purchasing club spec boats and asking about upgrading the boat with thigh braces, this is a really simple job to do and will take about 10 minutes to complete,

By adding thigh braces will give you much better control of the boat especially in moving water whilst edging the boat, it also allows you to upgrade to a ratchet backrest with the thigh braces pre drilled to take a ratchet.

Here's a quick step by step guide to fitting Connect thigh braces into a club spec Z-One

Collect together the tools needed

1 x Drill with 6mm bit

1 x Marker pen

1 x Philips Screwdriver

1 x Thighbrace kit from Pyranha containing

2 x Connect Thigh braces 4 x bolts 4 x plates 4 x washers and 2 x O-Rings

The boat is premarked during moulding for the thigh brace positions, Take the pen and clearly mark the four imprints

Carefully drill the four holes with the 6mm drill bit.

2 are on the top of the cockpit rim the other 2 come in from the sides

Place the bolts through the drilled holes, Long bolts come in from the side and shorter bolt from the top use the washers on the outside with the rubber O-ring on the longer bolt between the washer and hull

Lift the thigh brace into place, Lining up the bolts.

put the flat plate into the longer bolt and tighten gently

Now slide the thigh brace to check movement and push the bolt through the middle hole in the top (number 3 of 5 holes)

Offer the plate with the extended thread to the bolt, flat side first and carefully tighten

Now tighten the outer bolt untill hand tight.

To adjust remove the top bolt and loosen the side bolt carefully slide the thigh brace to the correct position line up the hole and retighten.

Add a sticker to the boat and you’re done!!

A simple addition to create a secure fit for any paddler,

Boat Testing 101

Having working in and around kayak shops for a number of years now including some great boat deals with various brands I've always had people asking me which boat to buy. Obviously as any sponsored paddler number one reason they are sponsored is to sell boats, But on the flipside that paddler is also been sponsored because they know a thing or two about paddlesport,
If you can pull an unbiased view from the paddler then its generally a good voice to hear
Below is a review written by me from my own thoughts of what I've seen, peoples views will differ and I'm not saying this is the definitive, just a personal opinion.
With all boats number one thing to do is demo the boats, most good kayak shops have a collection of demo boats, these are to be tried and tested in a reasonable environment, these are not boats to borrow until you have cash or boat to break as you yours is still shiny. Shops do actually have to pay for boats and they are actually not cheap. For Dublin based shops the usual testing grounds -Liffey -Boyne -Avonmore are acceptable, shops don't like to hear of epic adventures on the source of the Liffey or Dargle when their demos are concerned.
Boats should always be returned clean and in as close condition as possible as when you took it, usual rules would always apply, You bend it you mend it, or You break it you buy it.
When you get the opportunity in a different boat the major points to consider,
Fit
Do you fit in the boat?
Are you falling about inside?
Foot / seat positioning and comfort
Size
Can you engage the edges?
Are you lost in the boat?
Where does the boat sit in the water?             
Nose/tail heavy – Balance with kit
Hull ShapeFlat bottom or round hulled
Rails or not?
This is probably the most interesting of subjects for Irish Paddling, for those paddling in Ireland will know the nature of Irish rivers grade 1-3 generally wider and flatter but as you lift the grades the majority of Irish rivers turn into tight, steep, rocky runs, unlike the bigger volume alpine style of holes and wave trains through large boulders safely under the water. Irish creeks show every rock poking through the surface ready to trip or bounce you.
Boats which have historically sold well in Ireland
Dagger Mamba
Pyranha Burn
Dagger Nomad
Wavesport Habitat
Bliss stick Mystic.
Why have these boats sold so well?
Because they work!
The Jackson Villain S could be added as a late  contender to the list.
The majority of these boats are flat hulled river runners with plenty of volume, the Mystic and Habitat are still very creeky but have enough rail to hold a line the only round hulled boat would be the Nomad,
I feel the Nomad is now a classic and still works as a steep creeker with plenty of volume but slightly shorter than the newer boats making it far more manoeuvrable.
The flat hull offers a solid stable platform to plan your lines from with nice rails to provide a secondary stability to keep the boat riding high while hanging onto a line, then back in the easy stuff you can cruise about the river eddy hopping and ferrying to your hearts content.
The rounded hull allows good stability at any angle like sitting on a soccer ball. On big volume slides and drops the round hull eliminates the rail tripping for super smooth transfers.
Unfortunately some of the bigger round hulled creekers struggle in tight technical Irish Rock Gardens, with lots of volume they just want to bounce through anything you can throw at it but lacking that rail which helps manoeuvre the boat quickly in tight situations. You sometime end up as a pinball bouncing from rock to rock instead of smooth lines
All boats should be purchased for the majority of your paddling and not your single aspiration to run Niagara.
Buy something you can use and enjoy every week of the year, we all paddle to enjoy it.
Boat review time
After a nice few weeks way I had the opportunity to try a few different boats throughout Europe.
A some of you may have read my Large Shiva got stuck in Dublin airport for a few days resulting in a lend of a Jackson Karma Medium from Colm Healy @I-Canoe
I have for a while now been paddling 90 gallon plus boats in the big Villain and then the big Shiva so stepping back to a medium always gave me a sinking feeling. But I was pleasantly surprised. I loved my big villain one of the best boats I had paddled big, safe  and strong,  when I started the new job I had to give up the Jackson as my everyday boat so I was relishing the opportunity to at last try the Karma,
As a boat the Karma was like being back at home the same outfitting and seating arrangements I had been used to for a long time through three generations of All Star then the Rockstars, villains, fun runners,  through 9 Jackson boats previously. On the water the karma was responsive but I found nose heavy after some alterations with the seat she was running nose high in the safe responsive package I had always known, some people hate the outfitting but I love it, taking one fairly big impact, (I was running a slide on my head at the time, not my finest moment) she held strong and safe with no slipping of the ropes a roll in the bottom pool and I was off again..
A super boat, nice and quick in a straight line but responsive.

Jumping back into the round hull of the shiva – (once it arrived from the grasps of Aer Lingus) with the extra volume we could take on any drop, a super safe boat which wants to run the big stuff, skipping smoothly away from the foaming mess at the bottom, unfortunately she does the same skipping fast and true on a big drop as she does in a 3ft drop which without the rail usually ends up charging into which ever rock is in front of you. For tight technical creeking I found the Large Shiva just that bit too big.
For top to bottom, of any easy Irish run the shiva will storm in without slowing. But realistically its a big volume Norway boat, steep big volume the shiva will fly through.
The Shiva comes equipped with the standard Connect 30 with plastic pillars and heavy footrest I did a bit of boat lightening a few weeks ago to drop the weight down
Take a look Here - http://www.paddle4play.blogspot.ie/2013/05/pyranha-shiva-takes-diet.html
So the lightened outfitting held up perfectly, no issues at all the connect outfitting provides great control and security with comfy seat and secure backrest, I padded out the hip pads and shes ready to go, providing a secure comfy fit with good volume and space
I did actually try the Medium and was surprised it was much more manoverable and felt snug without all the excess volume, I think the large is just a little too wide with the knee position still very close not giving you the control to push it over.
For my second trip away after some chatting to friends I took a shiny 2012 Mamba 8.6 with the contour ergo play seat for a spin,
Having never paddled a Mamba previously.......... Ever!
I was in for a treat!

The big mamba was easy to adjust and make it fit me comfortably I left the seat central as straight from the factory, I inserted the extra seat pad and added hip pads and I was ready for the water. ive still to put in the foam heel blocks but these simply velcro in,
One thing with adjusting a boat is to fit it out with what your going to paddle in – if your using creek boots fit the boat while wearing them! it does make a huge difference,
heres some boat outfitting in playboats but gives an idea how to get a snug fit - http://www.paddle4play.blogspot.ie/2012/08/outfitting-kayak.html
So the Mamba,  like being back in a familiar friend, something I instantly felt safe and at home in. The seating was secure and comfy with the new leg lifter offering a snug fit to hold the legs up into the thigh braces.
First time on the water, the Passer in Merano Italy, A cruisey run down from the football pitches to the canoe club, alpine style read and run, waves and holes, with some weir style drops the boat moved around the river well, reacting safely on edge, carving and spining with ease. The big mamba at 89 gallons was as manoeuvrable as a much smaller river runner the flat bottem allowed the boat to plane and carve with the rounded nose and tail offering a great creeking shape, The Mambas first real test was the grade 5 + gorge just above the canoe club, which after a fantastic line utilising Graemes upside down boat the Mamba sailed through,
Check out more about this trip here - http://www.paddle4play.blogspot.ie/2013/06/king-of-alps.html
Racing the mamba was fast and furious with good hull speed and length it stayed on line and in speed, we have seen @Eoin Rheinisch  Paddling the large Mamba at this years Wacko taking the win.

So back to the boat, creeking in the Mamba is an absolute joy to behold, the boat is responsive and stable the mamba gives you a platform to push your limits, I felt I could put the boat anywhere on the river and really trust it to go where I wanted it, the boat wouldn't hold me back, On the Urnasch in Switzerland the Mamba enjoyed Boofs, Flares, drops and tight technical creeking on both slides and drops the Mamba performed well – Even a bit of hole surfing.
Check out the video -

Mamba on the Urnasch

Il definately be paddling the mamba some more this year, I cant wait to try it back in Ireland on familiar waters.
In short, get out their and try some boats!