I thought Siobhan's post on the ULKC website was good... (some things may be catered towards UL like All the Muster Dive and Canoe stuff... cos thats their local shop... but GODs and i-canoe will have similar deals at similar prices....
Quote:
"Club gear is great...but I want my own
Ever found yourself saying this to yourself? Although ULKC (and UCD) provide you with all the gear you need to learn to kayak (except the togs) many people eventually want to buy their own gear.
We've gone to the effort of making this a little easier for you with some savage deals on beginner packages from a few of the local kayak friendly shops.
I only have the €30 I stole off that Granny on the bus. Can I buy anything with this?Yes - the first thing you should ideally invest in is a pair of neoprene booties with a solid sole on them. These are essential for those romantic walks along the riverbank you take in search of your boat or in some cases the river. These cost about €30 on their own or if you have a bit more money to spend you can get them as part of the beginners deal.
I like the sound of this beginners deal you mentioned. Tell me more!
River Deep Mountain High, Rutland Street, Limerick €119
Munster Dive and Canoe, St.Finbarr's Road, Cork €110
I-canoe,
http://www.i-canoe.com, Dublin €100 + €12.10 shipping to your door
Great Outdoors, 3 Clarendon Market, Dublin 2 €119
Why a long john wetsuit?Well wetsuits are by far the best value for money. They are highly durable working even after a few rips and tears. Often in the early stages of the sport you might seem to spend as much time in the water as in your boat and wetsuits work best at keeping you warm when you get wet. A long john wetsuit causes less chaffing than a standard "steamer" wetsuit. That and wetsuits are useful for nearly any other watersport you may take up - why wouldn't you want one!
What's a splash cag?A splash cag is similar to what the club provides you with already. It's protects you from the cold wind for those brief moments you may be above the water. If you have the money though it would be worth upgrading this to a semidry cag or a full dry cag which you can do with all packages apart from i-canoe.
I reckon Santa's feeling generous this year. What can I get with a little more cash?
Your next step would probably be to get a semi dry or fully dry cag. Munster Dive and Canoe have an upgraded whitewater introduction package for €260 which includes the long john wetsuit, booties, semi-dry cag, a gear bag, roof rack straps and trendy shorts. After that you're after a neoprene spraydeck. These range in price from €50 - €100 but what you choose to get is dependent on your budget. They come in different sizes both for your waist and also for the cockpit of your boat so ask someone for a word of advice before you rush out on that one.
What about these thermal things that people talk about?Thermals are generally worn under your wetsuit and other paddling gear, as close to the skin as possible so keep them tight fitting - not baggy. The only rule for this is absolutely no cotton - it has no thermal properties when wet. Synthetic fabrics such as fleeces, polyester and nylon are the best bet. Penneys or Dunnes do great fleece tops for less than €5 so that should be your first choice. The outdoor stores will also do these kind of thermals but you will be looking at about €30 a piece for them.
Many people wear ski thermals which also have thermal properties but they can be expensive and they are most effective under dry gear not wet gear. As a beginner I wouldn't rush out to the shops for these ones.
Many people also wear rash vests. These are the kind of thing you see surfers wearing and all the really cool paddlers in the pool for some reason. You can buy these in any surf shop or kayak shop at a price ranging from €20 - €50. Most people wait until the Alps trip as we always stop in a shop called Decathlon where you can pick up good quality rash vests in a variety of colours (yes even pink!) for less than €10.
So now I have enough stuff to keep me warm what next?
After that heavy dent in your budget you'll be looking at buoyancy aids, a helmet and maybe some rescue gear...but that's a whole other post and probably a while away yet."