New for 2011 is the Synapse Ferrule (with SmartSet Technolgoy) found on all AT Touring paddles.  This new technology lets you easily set your desired paddle angle.  Simply pull from the middle out, twist to desired angle setting, and release.  The Synapse is built inside the shaft housing and relies on mechanical pressure instead of small and vulnerable pieces that can be found on other paddles.  Wind picks up or dies down…you can easily adjust and reset your paddle angle on the fly, with the ease of one motion with this new technology.  A closer look below.

I REALLY liked this technology.  We started early morning, had lunch on the water, and finished just before supper time.  As the wind picked up later in the day, I adjusted the feathering of the blades for less wind resistance.  I played with this technology a little…it is so easy and quick that it allows the ability to precisely “dial-in” to conditions with simplicity.

The Quest Carbon is a very stiff two-piece paddle available in a standard diameter or small diameter shaft.  It weighs a lightweight 33 ounces and is available in the following lengths:  210, 220, 230, 240 standard, and custom lengths are also available.  The suggested retail is $300 which is a passable price for a full carbon touring kayak paddle.

If you’re in the market for a new touring kayak paddle, I would encourage you to give AT’s touring paddles a look.  All kayakers will appreciate the thought and innovation that has been put into this year’s lineup.

The majority of paddle bags on the market are designed for Stand Up Paddles (SUPs), kayak paddles, or dragon boat paddles. Having a hard time searching, I contacted Bending Branches to see if they could refer me to a manufacturer. At the time, I wasn’t specific as to what my criteria was…just asked if there were any paddle bags they would recommend. I was referred to Duluth Pack (one of my favorite manufacturers), however the paddle bag they produce is made for a single canoe paddle, not two. Bummer. A little more searching and I found and settled on a paddle bag, the Paddi Bag by Danuu. Based upon my findings online, this paddle bag seemed to meet and perhaps exceed my expectations of what I had envisioned.

After receiving the paddle bag via UPS yesterday, today I got the chance to really inspect it. My findings, simply put, were that I made the right acquisition. The bag is great! Aside from perhaps one upgrade (I’ll make mention and suggest later), Danuu, famous for their adjustable kayak and canoe covers thought of everything.

The Danuu Paddi Bag is an adjustable canoe paddle bag fitting paddles up to 62″ in length. There is an inside center baffle that separates your paddles, or serves as a stuff bag. The center baffle contains an insert made of plastic that is flexible enough to be folded over to better protect various lengths of paddles. I do not recommend trimming the center panel insert, as it provides additional physical protection When folded over one of the paddle blades. This is where my only suggestion for improvement stems from. When folded over the insert wraps fully around one blade, however the blade on the other side of the insert does not receive the added protection. I believe that the material the bag is made from is protection enough, but if one blade gets extra protection I’d really prefer the other not get left out.

At the other end of the bag is a rubberized base and padded interior that protects the paddle grips. This end has vented trim which allows the paddles to breath and provides a way to shake out any dried sand that falls off your paddles into the bag.

Between the ends you’ll find an exterior mesh bag to store gloves, keys, etc. in, a ‘grip strip’ which doubles as an easy grab handle and the top’s tie down.  Lastly, an adjustable shoulder strap with shoulder pad with two locations to clip to.

If you’re looking for a paddle bag that will fit two bent shaft canoe paddles, I highly recommend the Paddi Bag from Danuu which retails for around a very reasonable $60.  If  your needs are to store only one bent-shaft canoe paddle or two straight-shaft paddles (no divider), then the Paddle Sack by Duluth Pack might work for you.

f you know of other available canoe paddle bags, please make mention of them in the comments section below. After an extensive search, these two were the only high quality bag manufacturers I felt comfortable slipping my coveted paddles into.

The people over at Confluence Watersports were generous in loaning us the Approach for the weekend to test on the French Broad River in Asheville, NC.  A group of five of us went out on the river; a canoe, Perception Tribe sit-on-top kayaks, and I was in the Dagger.

My previous kayaking experience has been spent in touring kayaks; a kevlar Perception Eclipse and a fiberglass Perception Carolina.  I grew up in an affluent suburb of Chicago.  The local kayak shop only sold expensive sea kayaks…unfortunately I dropped a lot of money early on, not realizing that it didn’t really make sense for the type of paddling I’d be doing.  Looking back, the shop took advantage of the wealth in the community…they should have been pushing the less expensive river runner kayaks.  The Dagger Approach would have been an ideal.  Most the paddling I did was on the river that ran through my hometown or on lakes in Wisconsin.  Although I lived near Lake Michigan in Chicago I never got out on it.  After my experience this weekend I would recommend this kayak to anyone paddling rivers and lakes and feel every shop should carry the model.  Here’s why…

It isn’t so much a car, it isn’t so much a truck…if I had to choose a vehicle to compare it to, I’d probably compare it to a Subaru Outback.  Second thought, it probably has more appeal than an AWD sport wagon.  I say that only because to the general public the Outback probably isn’t necessarily viewed as “cool”, but this most certainly is.  Now, if you know anything about Subaru’s and the Outback you can appreciate this statement and it will resonate with you.  This kayak doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well, but it will handle just about anything you throw at it.  That isn’t a knock against the Approach.  It is a crossover/hybrid kayak and it fits that title perfectly.

In moderate whitewater it behaves quite well and you can safely catch an eddy and play with comfort anywhere in the rapids.  That being said, she is not a play boat, but very much a river runner with a bit of an adventurous side.  Leaning can be done with great stability and without worry.  It’ll pop right up should you find yourself under water, but if wet-exiting is your means to get topside than you’ll appreciate the giant cockpit making exit easy.  A great feature for those of you just starting off.

The ride on flat water is one for recreation and leisure.  The lack of a sharp entry at the bow slows the boat.  It won’t slice through the water and be as quick as a touring kayak.  It was hard for me to overtake the sit-on-top Tribe which is longer and cuts the water better.  No, this isn’t a kayak to use on the river to go fast.  If however, you want a kayak for the purpose of getting out on the water and enjoying the outdoors around you and perhaps play a little, this kayak is perfect.

It provided an entirely different kayaking experience for me.  One that I enjoyed quite a bit.  The cockpit is large enough to easily pull a leg or both legs out and hang them atop the deck or into the water.  It was liberating and something I’m unable to do in my touring kayaks.  If I were to choose between the two on a river or lake, I’d take the Approach 9 out of 10 times.  There is enough space in the bulkhead to house gear for overnighters.  This is a great little boat and I would recommend it to anyone interested in kayaking whether they be a beginner or someone with experience like myself with a “specialty” kayak looking for something for more general usage.

Note:  I did not get the chance to fish from the boat, but with the large cockpit and ease to get in and out of it while on the water and stability when moving around whether in or out of the cockpit you would have absolutely no problems fishing from it.

Again, the Dagger Approach 10.0 kayak is an excellent all-around kayak providing the ability to do many things well and have plenty of fun.

As a result of this revelation, arrangements were made for me to pickup product to test and review on this site.  So, today while heading back to Atlanta I made two stops.  The first stop was at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, NC to purchase foam blocks and cam straps.  The second was in Easley, SC to pickup a Dagger Approach 10.0 kayak (with spray skirt) and an Adventure Technology Quest Carbon paddle.  The kayak belonged to an employee who agreed to let us use it for the weekend.  That’s pretty cool, so I figured it should be mentioned.

Tomorrow, I’ll finish my work week from my office in Atlanta.  After work, I will depart to visit two friends from college that are now living in Asheville with their “significant others”.  Monday, I will leave from Asheville to visit Raleigh again for a business meeting and on my way back to Atlanta that day, I will once again stop in Easley.  However, I imagine the same excitement will be missing because I won’t be picking anything up, but instead returning what I already imagine will be items I’ll be sure to miss.

A big THANK YOU to the people at Confluence Watersports and their PR agency for putting this all together (with less than a day’s notice) and helping us bring you the information you desire!

I saw the sign and it opened up my eyes, I saw the sign. Yeah…I know, I can’t believe I just wrote that, but it was fitting.  You know you like(d) the song, give it a listen.

Wishing everyone a happy and adventurous weekend.  What outdoor activity will you be taking up this weekend?

None of my local shops carried stock of this paddle, so I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting, but knowing the Bending Branches brand I knew the quality and craftsmanship that would go into the production of it.  The order was placed on Monday and although it was less than a 120 hour wait to receive the paddles I was quite impatient…it was constantly on my mind and I couldn’t wait for Thursday (today) to arrive.

Made from Black Willow wood, the Espresso 14 is a premium bent shaft wood canoe paddle (also available in a straight shaft model:  Espresso ST).  To call it gorgeous would be an understatement.    It is solid shaft, weighs a light 18 ounces, available in 48, 50, 52, 54 inch lengths, has a classic palm grip, and has a blade 8″ x 20″ that is reinforced with a glassed blade and wrap around Rockgard.  Retail price is right around $120.

Founded in 1982 and boasting craftsmanship from people with 25+ years making paddles the company has built a reputation upon uncompromising craftsmanship.  It was this reputation that has had me excited all week to receive the two paddles I ordered from my local shop, Go With the Flow in Roswell, Georgia.

When you first hold your Espresso 14 your eyes will be drawn to richness of color and grain of the Black Willow.  Next, you might notice it’s lightweight, but you knew you were getting a lightweight paddle.  The true fixation for you will be the beauty of the paddle and the passion that it will instill inside of you.  You could be someone that owns a canoe and gets out every once and awhile, but when you own a paddle like this you will have a desire and a mission to get out on the water more frequently…trust me!

Check back as I plan to publish a review of the Bending Branches Espresso 14 paddle after I put it to serious use this weekend.  It is going to be a fun filled weekend spent on the water for me!  How do you plan to spend your weekend?

The case itself is clear with a black rubber lining inside.  An external jack allows for full use of an iPhone or iPod microphone and volume commands.  The built-in cable manager holds earphones and cables.  The rubber liner doubles as o-ring seal and the case features stainless steel hardware.  This case is built tough…reminding me of the yellow phones that Nextel built for the construction industry.  Solid.

The MSRP for the Pelican i1015 case is about $20.  That’s a pretty inexpensive investment to ensure that your expensive investment is protected around H2O.  Although the case seems a bit overkill and bulky it performs its purpose well and will provide you a calming peace for the safety of your iPhone or iPod.