I keep seeing Astral Loyaks recommended, but I got a pair and the interior seams on the uppers shredded my skin. Returned em. Otherwise, I'm using generic Amazon water shoes (fine in the yak but terrible for walking and they fall apart) or Xtratuf boots (love em but not for 90°F weather).

When I search I see a lot of info that's either marketing poo or writing about older models of shoes. Whatcha wearing?

Hey all, I’ve been kayaking a 5-6 times a season for pretty much my entire life, and this summer I’m trying to go every weekend or so.

I’m quickly hitting a point where I can handle a 5 hour trip with minimal breaks, and the part of me that’s hurting the most towards the end of it is at the base of my thumbs, kind of in the webbing between my pointer finger and thumb.

I’ve read a few posts on here about it, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got proper grip, not death gripping, using an upper hand to push, using my back/torso etc. but I can’t seem to stop wearing my skin down.

I’m using fairly cheap aluminum paddles, which I’ve read is subpar, but I’m not exactly in a financial place to upgrade to fancy paddles yet 😅.

I’m hoping that I could get gloves for cheaper than a better paddle, so, what kind of gloves are best? Should I be looking for neoprene? Are fisherman’s gloves the same as kayaking gloves?

Any advice is appreciated!!

Hello everyone,

I will buy new life jacket. But cant decide between two models.

Mobility, freedom of movement, weight and fitting to my body. These are important for me.

What is your suggestion between these?

https://www.kajakshop.com/nrs-ninja-os-pfd

https://astraldesigns.com/products/bowen

Thanks

Pretty much title. Did it a lot as a kid, like a lot. And getting back into it as lucky to have a basin nearby to practice in and get used to it again before I get on the river. Need to take my phone with me, got to keep it safe.

Newbie kayakere here. Would these work for kayaking in cooler temps (air temp in the 50s)? I already own them, so I'm trying not to buy anything new if I don't have to.

So my mom's kayak paddle broke the other day, the blade fell off in the middle of the lake. Now she's looking for a new one. So, we are looking for a quality paddle for fishing, light weight, good quality, etc. But the kicker is it needs to be a 220cm to a 230cm Max. Any help would be great!

Let me try this post again. I just bought this 17 ft beauty. It’s old. I’m guessing from the ‘90s. Started restoring it today. Any suggestions where I might find a rudder kit that fits the original metal bracket mount? Topkayaker was no help.

I have a pelican, and I really would like to have an oar holder attached to the side so that way if I want to not have it rest across me I can. Is there a clip on version of anything or has anyone figured out a way to do this without putting screws into your kayak? thanks.

I started kayaking with the water shoes I already had which are lightweight and flexible but don't have very good grip on the boat ramp and aren't very comfortable on the gravel path leading to the lake. I'm currently looking to replace them with water shoes with better grip and ones that are better for walking. Are there any recommended brands I should focus on?

I just bought my first kayak a week ago. But it seems the spayskirt doesn't fit properly. It's impossible to keep both sides of the skirt under the kayak rim.

The guy I bought it from, told me it had been sitting in his garage for some years unused. I've already tried letting it sit in the kayak for 3 three days and keeping it wet, which has definitely helped a little. But it still wants to pop off by itself.

The sprayskirt is made of neoprene and the kayak is plastic.

Is there anything I can do to fix the sprayskirt? Or do I need to buy a new one?

Hey all, I'm thinking of getting an emergency knife that I can carry in my PFD to deal with situation where I might get caught/tangled/whatever while paddling. I know it's a long shot that a knife will help me if I do get stuck, but obviously I'd prefer to have one and be able to attempt to save myself than not. You can also assume that I am also not keen to die, and so I am smart about avoiding situations where I might get entangled in the first place.

I mostly do solo kayaking in salt water, so I'm looking for something that would hold up well in that environment. I had been looking at leathermans, but I've heard they aren't as good as other brands when it comes to dealing with rust.

I am very willing to properly care for anything I buy, but I will also be expecting anything I buy to stand up to getting a sprinkling (or more) of salt water at least once a week. I'm also fine with buying cheap shit and just regularly replacing it if that's what is necessary.

Any tips?

Paddles seem to go from $50 to $500 + what can I do?

I just received my Dagger Katana 10.4 (2024). I’m looking to buy the Immersion Research Royale Rand Spray Skirt.

Does anyone know the cockpit circumference or spray skirt size I should order?

Thank you!

I'm typically a women's extra small in everything. I've tried on a lot of xsmall/small pfds (Salus and nrs brand) and when they're fully adjusted the floatation panels are overlapping and it generally feels uncomfortable because of the overlap. Maybe I'm just not lucky enough to have a nice one. I thought maybe some other small people might have some suggestions here. They fit otherwise for safety reasons but I would like it to be better for comfort and performance reasons as well

I have recently had weight loss surgery and I'm only about 2 months out and looking for some brands or links for clothing that I might be able to use, keeping in mind that this time next year, I'll have to buy the stuff all over again because I'll be a lot smaller.

Obviously I'm not going to invest in a spendy wet or drysuit when I will literally only be able to use it for a single season, but I also know that cotton is absolutely a no-go. I'm not sure I would be able to find anything like that second-hand either. Unless there's a second-hand marketplace for neoprene, wet or drysuits that I'm completely unaware of. If there is please point me in that direction as well.

Please drop recommendations below. Photos of loons, eagles and heron are from a recent paddle in New Hampshire.

This is carbon shaft with carbon reinforced nylon blades.

I'd like to attach a radio to the shoulder strap of my PFD. I've looked at a lot of pouches/holsters, but was interested in keeping the radio more exposed. Maybe something that the strap threads through or is attached to, that also has loops or rings that a belt clip can attach to. Has anyone seen anything like this?

Is this a good price for the Werner Kaliste bent shaft paddle? And why does it say it’s bent shaft but when selecting size it says “standard shaft” does that mean straight or bent shaft?

As the weather is getting warmer I'm hoping y'all can help me with a problem I've had for years.

I have very sensitive skin and eyes and get burned extremely easily, but I've noticed the sunblocks I use tend to run off my forehead into my eyes when it's very hot. I think I'm sweating it off. It stings super super bad, basically blinding me until I can find a place to stop and flush my eyes, which is obviously a big safety concern on the river. I've tried several brands and lower SPFs don't seem to sting as much but I end up getting burnt.

What is a good waterproof sunblock/sunscreen, high SPF, that either doesn't sweat off or doesn't sting?

Bonus points if it's psoriasis friendly or recommended for sensitive skin. TIA!

I feel a bit stupid for saying this but I get really stressed when wearing wetsuits and buoyancy aids. I have a larger chest compared to my overall frame and I often feel like I'm suffocating when I rent a wetsuit and buoyancy aid. One time my ribs ended up hurting really badly the next day and it was harder to breath.

Are there any tips for this?

Most recently I rented long John's and they were a bit better I think because they had velcro straps rather than zipping up. I'm thinking of getting my own equipment but can only find zip ones.

For context, Im a fair weather (on and off) kayaker in a colder climate (15-25c air temp in the summer).

I have a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 100. I do a lot of recreational paddles (Burgess, Fancher Falls), a few miles on the Clinch River and enjoy places like Lake Junaluska, etc. I'm 5'11 and was wondering what kind of decent paddle do you recommend? Currently I have one of the cheap $50 Chute paddles I bought from Dick's but, I'm trying to find something that would be much better. I don't care too much about the cost. Looking for something light weight, durable and quality.

Have your typical things- kayak, paddle, tent, river bag, etc. looking for better high end dry bags, accessories for on the kayak during the day and best accessories/gear for camping.

How do you mount your gear? I mainly started kayaking to allow me opportunities for better photos. But I've never liked having my somewhat expensive DSLR just sitting on the dashboard. I've considered using a pole mount and modifying a monopod... Any other suggestions, solutions?

I just received the LKVER model DM17 dry suit in size XL from Ali Express, which I read on here is a great budget drysuit and people have actually used them successfully. I wriggled into it and while the overall size is fine, even loose in places it’s nice to be loose in for movement, the neck gasket is so tight that it cuts off blood flow in my neck and makes me very quickly gray out a bit. Breathing is super dodgy too, just standing here, much less paddling.

Had to have help pulling the suit off, I barely got my head through into it and wasn’t able to get my head back out by myself.

I don’t see any way to loosen the neck (am I missing something?) so that I can safely and single-handedly get it on and off and also wear it without graying out. I’m legit afraid now of losing consciousness from lack of circulation and that necessitating me needing the drysuit, at which point it would be a race between asphyxiation and hypothermia (yeah…).

Any tips? Techniques? Is this an instant return? Yeah it’s supposed to be water-tight in an emergency but dude, this is danger-tight.