Friday, April 17, 2009

"what else do I need, coach?"

-water resistant or waterproof pants
-a larger dry bag to stow the layers as they come off
-small bungee cord(s) to secure the bag and stuff to the kayak
-my water bottle seems to be fine, even have a clip already!
-a whistle (in case I fall in - easier to follow a loud whistle; can't hear a voice over the water sometimes)
-food suitable to the activity (that one was not in her answer, but something I have to do today)
-I've also decided I want to get a little dry camera bag

So, darn, I have to make a trip to REI! (Although I may need to go elsewhere for the pants.)

Photograph from Oregon.com
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4 comments:

  1. i'll be curious about where you end up finding waterproof pants: rei definitiely didn't offer any that fit me!

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  2. Hah! Yes, REI is not the place to go. I did find a jacket there in the past - but the clothing in the store is not, in the words of a friend, "big girl friendly." Tales of the pants search to come!

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  3. I did a lot of calling around about the waterproof pants. One place said they *might* have something that would fit - but it's location and the time of day prevented me from getting there (a kayak and canoe shop on south Macadam; John's Landing area0.

    REI had nothing close. The website has a couple of larger sizes listed for ordering - but one of them they are apparently no longer even going to carry online.

    Alder Creek Kayak said they usually have a couple of larger sizes, but none were in stock. (I really like Alder Creek Kayak. They were very helpful when I purchased my PFD and had several styles that would work.)

    Depending on what you need, Andy & Bax may have something. They had one style of paddling pants which came in a larger size - didn't quite work for me though. The problem was that the women's plus size was a narrower cut than the men's and the men's almost fit, but the hips didn't work at all. But, if you're looking for a rain pant (as opposed to a paddling pant), A&B did have a couple options. I did purchase a rain pant which I thought was closer to what I wanted than it ended up being (the "pockets" were actually flaps to give access to the underlayer -- not so good at keeping out water!). While they did nothing to keep me dry when I went in *3 times* and would not have been that useful at keeping the water out when I was on the non-self-bailing boat, I think they will be very good for walking and hiking in the rain. Just not sitting in nor taking unexpected swims in the water.

    I am on the hunt for appropriate clothing! I did find a good paddling top at A&B which fits well and worked well until I was actually IN the river.

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  4. bah! i say. good tip on andy&bax, though: thanks!

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