Paddling Antarctica Be prepared! Speights Coast ... - Canoe & Kayak

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Product Focus Get maximum life out of your dry bags. In simple terms a dry bag is made of a waterproof material that rolls over itself to seal. There is plenty of choice, with varying quality and price. I have put together a simple breakdown of styles, types of construction and how to get a long life out of your dry bags. Dry bag construction and materials. Dry bags are made of PVC, Polyester or Nylon, with or without woven threads and with electronically bonded waterproof seams. That’s the technical stuff out of the way. How to destroy your dry bag as quickly as possible. This is easy. Stuff it over-full. Force the top to roll 3 times as tightly as possible and then push it around a 90 degree corner to get it inside the kayak. You’ll win the prize for the world’s greatest dry bag destroyer. Things to remember to increase the life of your dry bags. DO NOT OVER FILL – buy a bigger size than you need. It will last twice as long and cost only a few dollars more. A dry bag that is only 75% filled will easily mould to the odd spaces inside your kayak hatch allowing you to carry more. Normally we would say that more small Modern dry bags can last many years, possibly for your entire kayaking career. bags are easier to pack into a kayak than a few large bags. This is true, unless the large bags are only 75% filled. Most dry bags fail either because the fabric rips or the clear window cracks. So keeping things simple here are a few things to remember. 1/- the clear PVC window has no woven threads in the plastic and is, therefore, the weakest part of a dry bag. 2/- lighter more flexible fabric is less likely to catch and rip going in and out of sea kayak hatches. 3/- Ripstop is a woven fabric that has an extra thread added to the weave, which stops a tear or rip from travelling across or down the fabric. 4/- When tramping, heavier weight plastic increases abrasion resistance but this is not usually needed when kayaking. 5/- Most commonly failure occurs where the clear plastic window joins the more flexible bag fabric. The strongest bag has Ripstop construction with no window. But who wants to go without a window? The next most common failure is cracking of heavy weight fabric where it rolls to provide a seal. Lighter weight fabrics often last longer. Making life easy. How to purchase the best dry bag for your needs. All dry bags keep their contents dry, but many make it difficult to find the thing you are looking for without empting the entire bag. It helps to have a big window in the bag. Completely clear dry bags are available, as long as you don’t mind displaying their contents to the world. My personal emergency kit bag is one of these, which I do not access often and can visually check the contents. For other stuff, especially clothes, I prefer a dry bag which opens along its length. It is easier to find things in a shallow bag with a big opening. This style of bag is a little more expensive but is so much easier to use. The value of a small auto purge valve. It lets air out of the bag! Award Scheme The NZKI Award Scheme was formed in response to a growing need in the Kayaking Industry to have more people with Kayaking qualifications, to encourage more kayakers towards expanding their skills and knowledge and to continue to increase the safety of our sport. The NZKI Award Scheme is structured around the assessment of skills and knowledge that are required for the type of activity to be undertaken by the Instructor or Guide. A star is awarded for each level achieved, starting off with the NZKI One Star for personal paddling skills and knowledge and moving up to the NZKI Five Star for an Assessor. For more information phone 0508 5292569 www.nzki.co.nz 20 I S S U E F I F T Y • 2 0 0 9
® ® ® ® When the bag is full and closed you squeeze it, expel excess air and reduce its size. This is great for squashing your dry bag into tight spaces in your kayak. Sleeping bags and clothes bulk can be reduced greatly before stowing in your kayak. The smaller the size, the more stuff you’ll get into your kayak. My purchase suggestions. If you are looking for a medium price dry bag, go for a big opening that opens along the length of the bag. If you can afford a few more dollars, add a purge valve. In both cases, go for the lighter ‘Ripstop’ material. The bag will last longer. Finally buy bigger so you do not need to over-fill. On the other hand if you need a cheaper dry bag for occasional multi-day camping trips, buy a known brand. Some additional points. Are you storing moisture in your dry bag? Remember that if you pack your dry bag on a cold damp morning, when the day warms up the trapped moisture will be absorbed by the bag’s contents. Those who have paddled the Whanganui River may have experienced the resulting damp clothes and sleeping bags. My suggestion is, pack your clothes years, quite possibly for your entire kayaking career. So it is worth spending the time and money to buy the bag best suited to your needs and treat it with respect. The bag will return the favour. Author: Ian Cheesman – Keen kayaker and importer of Seattle Sports equipment. DRY BAGS H2Zero Dry Bags The Price Leader Heavy weight clear plastic with frequency welded seams and a tough, abrasion resistant base fabric. 10 Litre - $29.90 21 Litre - $34.90 41 Litre - $44.90 Omni Dry Bags Tough & Traditional Simple solid and dependable traditional design with tough abrasion resistant fabric and frequency welded seams. 10 Litre - $39.90 21 Litre - $44.90 41 Litre - $54.90 Latitude Dry Bags Length opening bags at competitive prices Opens along the length of the bag - no more losing things at the bottom of the bag. Polyester body and heavy-duty vinyl ends.This is a quality bag so... WHY PUT UP WITH A TOP OPENING DRY BAG? 10 Litre - $58.50 21 Litre - $72.00 51 Litre - $85.50 in sealed plastic bags, one for each day, before putting them into your dry bag. Only open a sealed bag when it’s needed. Boots and other bigger items packed in a dry bag are often difficult to get into a small kayak hatch. The best solution is put an empty 40 or 50 litre dry bag in the hatch and then pack them in. To sum up. All modern dry bags can last many Photos clockwise from far left: Ripstop fabric. Latitude Dry Bag with lateral opening. Close up of an auto purge valve Before-purge-example: Sleeping bag in a Super Latitude Dry Bag Finished-purge-example: Sleeping bag after using purge valve. My kit bag in a clear plastic Opti Dry Bag. Super Latitude Dry Bags The best of the future - available now Opens along the length of the bag - no more losing things in the bottom of the bag. Hands-free AUTOPURGE valve automatically purges the air as the bag is compressed or stuffed into tight spaces. Light weight urethane coated diamond RIP-STOP allows these bags to slide easily into kayak hatches. A full width window makes seeing gear easy. 10 Litre-$87.75 21 Litre-$101.25 51 Litre-$143.84 Micro Dry Stuff Sack For keeping small things dry and safe Same quality construction as the Super Latitude bags in a micro size. $29.90 All prices shown in this advertisment are recommended retail prices at the time of publication. Prices in stores may differ. Seattle Sports product is distributed in New Zealand by Great Stuff Ltd (email:greatstuff@graphics.co.nz) and sold exclusively through Canoe and Kayak stores. wwwcanoeandkayak.co.nz GS/DB2009 ISSUE FIFTY • 2009 21
Page 1: Speights Coast to Coast interview A
Page 5 and 6: $7.50 NZ $7.50 AUST • Saltwater F
Page 7 and 8: Marguerite Bay is one of the larges
Page 9 and 10: Sea Kayaking is available for a lit
Page 11 and 12: Mosquito Bay didn’t live up to it
Page 13 and 14: William’s Kayak Dream Comes True
Page 15 and 16: Favourite Places to Paddle #2 K Kil
Page 17 and 18: Yakity Yak Club Today Hi! The Yakit
Page 19: An overview of the Aratiatia rapids
Page 23 and 24: Favourite Places to Paddle #3 Favou
Page 25 and 26: Herb was now stationary, his lures
Page 27 and 28: ort racing Diem Hi all at Canoe & K
Page 29 and 30: Beginner or accomplished? Freddy le
Page 31 and 32: ne Kayaks Eastern Bay Scullers - Qu
Page 33 and 34: SINGLE COMPOSITE SEA KAYAK FULL COU
Page 35 and 36: what they do but also in harmony wi
Page 37 and 38: Check out our website! www.roofrack
Page 39 and 40: challenging part physically would b
Page 41 and 42: ISSUE FIFTY • 2009 41
Page 43 and 44: SWALLOW intrigue gLAdiAtOr The next
Page 45 and 46: 450 contour 480 contour 490 contour
Page 47 and 48: firefLy esCapee esCapade Here is a
Page 49 and 50: sea anchor sea rover compass pack s
Page 51: Built Fish Experience the thrill an

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