Basic paddling gear

[Nuala]

Ok, the fresher gear deal in Great Outdoors has gone down to €110, not a bad price for a basic cag (of the style of the better club cags), a longjohn wetsuit and booties, also there are options and upgrades available. I use the same style of booties and longjohn and find them perfectly good.

For freshers: if you think at this stage that you might be sticking with the kayaking it's definitely worth looking into getting your own gear, being warm and comfortable while paddling will improve your enjoyment of it. Now is the time to start thinking about it, as it gets towards the run-up to the holidays. If you are unsure what to get first ask anyone for advice, or the club should be holding a talk on buying gear soon enough.

[Asho87]

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."

[Ley-Ley]

Make sure to get a good termal if buying the long john, if you fall into the river without one your faffed and will be freezing. I got one in GOD's and it's really good. It's Palm and it costs a few euro's so only buy it if you can afford it. It also dries really quick so that's another plus!

[Monkey Loving Bob]

By my gear, It's way better than any of this new crap!

[caz]

"I only have the €30 I stole off that Granny on the bus. Can I buy anything with this?"




siobhan's post contains lots of excellent advice, but clearly targeted to a limerick audience 

[Sick Boy]

i would suggest to people not to bother with a splash cag. or deck. the ones the club has are just as good as the ones you will buy. if you really want your own cag (and it is so worth it when you get one) i would suggest saving up and getting either a fully dry or semi dry cag.

if you have a bit of money to spare the first thing i would suggest buying is a pair of booties. they keep your feet warm and glass free when you are on the river bank. they also make it far easier to fit into boats than wearing sandals or runners. after that on a small scale id suggest thermals. tk maxx are great for realtivly cheap (brand name) ones, pennies for cheaper again.

if you have a bit more money then invest in a wet suit.

[Diarmaid]

I've always said the order of purchases should be:

wetsuit
booties
and then camping gear: sleeping bag, tent, ground mat of some sort, maybe a stove, etc.
then cag & deck
then nothing else unless you get really into paddling

but if people are looking to spend some money, don't forget the camping gear in the midst of all the paddling gear. it will come in handy before too long and you'll be stuck without it. come easkey, it'll be better to go surfing in a club cag and have a nice cosy tent to sleep in, than to surf with brand new gear and have nowhere to sleep.

[caz]

hardly - nobody's gona leave you stuck for a place to sleep somewhere like easky. i would avoid surfing with a club cag at all costs! cian is right however, the club cags are more than enough until you have the money/decide to keep up the sport enough to invest in a better one. ditto with decks. no point in buying your own deck until you have your own boat.

[Karen]

Booties before wetsuit


My 2 cents !

[Ritchie]

i didn't really want to post here as people just seem to be repeating each others posts.

..My only advice is DON'T buy from the Great Outdoors-water sports department;
 - everything is over priced and service is discraceful (exc. Dave)!!
 - The guy who runs the watersports department is a complete joke, and good luck in trying to bring back anything (inc.faulty) with your receipt.


i-canoe is far better and cheaper;
 - They will offer you just as good a discount as the greatout doors and overall will probably end up cheaper.
 - The guy who runs it is really sound and the service is great.
http://www.i-canoe.com/


Second-hand is always the way forward on a low budget, just don't buy any buoyancy aids second-hand, too risky.


FYI: i have no sponsorship/loyalties with any of these shops, just experience.

[Diarmaid]

no point in buying your own deck until you have your own boat.

I disagree. a splash deck pops when you don't want it to, lets in water, etc.

ok, there are issues of fitting it to a given boat but I never had any trouble fitting my deck to any of the club boats and it made a big difference to comfort on the water.

after a wetsuit and booties, a cag and a deck should be the next two things you buy, because the club cags and decks are worse than what you would buy yourself, whereas, say, club buoyancies and helmets are good enough.

but this is a thread about basic gear. 

wetsuit and booties!

[Dave B]

Ritichie, it's fair enough if your an unsatisfied customer and wouldn't recommend gods to anyone but making personal attacks on the staff is hardly appropriate for a forum. You may not be happy with the service but there are many out there who are. Also not everything works out cheaper.. just on friday keith bought a kokotat cag ( almost identical to the palm sidewinder) that was 65euro more expensive.. I don't want this to turn into a big debate, I'm just saying state your opinon, but don't blatantly attack specific people just because you have an issue with them... rant over.
     anyways in my opinion the order of gear purcahsed would be...

- westuit and thermals first (even with booties your feet will get cold when paddling so hold out and keep using the old runners) once your core bidy is warm you'll be ok, and as your paddling the thermals and wetsuit will keep in  the body heat. Just ask leighton about the palm thermal he bought, he was like a new man
- cag- but not a splash cag..why buy something the club provides, probably best to start with a semi-dry, they're cheaper and easy to get on and off.
- Then booties/ nepopreme socks .. the neo socks would even help keep your feet warm in a pair of old runners.
- helmet
- spraydeck
- paddles
- boat
        that's just how I'd go about it anyway     

[Ritchie]

fair enough, people can have their own experience.

rant over.

[kmck]

Most important gear question, does this come in an obnoxious colour, Orange for preference or red or bright green. Since when does style come into safety. "I have got all this really good gear in greys and dark blue but I can't see myself in photos is this a bad thing?" Bring back neon colours, bring back rancid green and puke yellow and pink; these can be seen, failing that make sure your gear has reflecitve strips in it. Most bouancys have this.

[Monkey Loving Bob]

Hmmmm, ranty today aren't we? Anyway before you go racing to GODs (which I won't do from past experience, I've given them plenty of money that I've come to regret) or I-Canoe (where I find the service, products and price to be top notch), examine the third option and contact Total Experience, I've not dealt with them myself but haven't anything but good things. If you don't ask you don't get folks, what's the worst anyone can say - No?

E-MAIL: info@totalexperience.ie

CIARAN MAGUIRE: (086) 8724894
E-MAIL: ciaran@totalexperience.ie

BRIAN KEOGH: (087) 8307214
E-MAIL: brian@totalexperience.ie


PS: Colm in I-Canoe is an all round nice guy and he'll be more than happy to give you advice on any equipment going and what would be best suited to any budget you have...