CHAPEL HILL, NC // DEC 2022 – LoPo Diveskins is pleased to announce the launch of its website and first five products. The first four offerings—dive skins, rashguard, and two legging styles—are the results of years of research and planning to create flattering and comfortable garments made by women for women using U.S.-sourced materials and manufacturing that is sustainable as well as protective of our oceans and environment. The latest addition is a simple headband using scraps from production of the specially-ordered fabric.
LoPo Diveskins was founded by two sisters, Jill and Kelly Newbold, alumni of the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, when they were unable to find a well-designed, quality-made, durable, and flattering dive skin. To help protect the ocean they love, they decided to use fabric made out of ocean-bound plastic bottles, a new fabric by North Carolina based Unifi, Inc. REPREVE Our Ocean fiber is made from bottles collected within 50 kilometers of coastlines in countries or areas lacking formal waste or recycling systems.
“We’re excited to finally bring these products to market,” said LoPo CEO and co-founder Jill Newbold. “The passion and joy all of our partners have exhibited in creating our first garments has been inspiring and we can’t wait to build a LoPo community that exhibits a similar enthusiasm for our beautiful oceans, lakes and rivers. The focus on women water enthusiasts who do what they love on (or under) water is a real draw to our why. Being a part of a solution is empowering and impactful.”
LoPo Diveskins is partnering with a U.S. garment manufacturer focused on sustainable, small batch manufacturing for creation of its styles. They source all thread, elastic, zippers, and other components from U.S.-based manufacturers. Each garment will be sustainably manufactured in small batches to avoid excessive overstock, thereby reducing the possibility that any excess inventory may end up in a landfill. LoPo products are also Berry Amendment Compliant.
LoPo Diveskins is currently taking preorders on its first run of garments at https://lopodiveskins.com and is planning initial deliveries to customers in early 2023.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina based LoPo Diveskins creates thoughtfully designed performance apparel made from bottles at risk of polluting our oceans. For investment opportunities or media inquiries, please contact Jill Newbold at jill@lopodiveskins.com.
Houston, Texas – RAILBLAZA, manufacturer of premium quality, user-friendly mounting systems and accessories, announced today the launch of its new C-Tug R with Kiwi Wheels.
The RAILBLAZA C-Tug R with Kiwi Wheels is the next evolution in the world’s best-selling kayak cart. Compatible with all the vessels the original cart suited and more, the RAILBLAZA C-TUG R now fits a wider selection of hull profiles including pontoon hulls like that on the Hobie Pro Angler and Hobie Outback, to name a few. Building on the bestselling innovations of the C-Tug range, the new C-Tug R features a pair of 20-inch hull rails allowing users to easily secure the cart for perfect positioning, to optimize loading/unloading, reduce pulling load and get on the water faster.
The C-Tug R assembles and dismantles in seconds and stows easily in a kayak or canoe hatch and allows users to leave gear onboard their craft while loading on and off the cart without the need for an extra pair of hands. C-Tug’s Kiwi Wheels are like nothing else on the market—puncture-free with hi-grip rubber tread, they are super durable, roll freely and designed to soften the ride.
Photo Courtesy: RAILBLAZA
“As kayak hull designs grow and evolve, we have matched that evolution with a range expansion and innovation of our own,” said Andrew Moczygemba, president of RAILBLAZA USA. “Our new C-Tug R with Kiwi Wheels is the perfect complement to the latest kayak models, and we’re confident it will greatly enhance any kayaking adventure.”
The new C-Tug R is lightweight, coming in at only 8.8-pounds with a 220-pound loading capacity. Constructed of reinforced composite material and stainless steel, reinforced axles, the C-Tug is constructed to last no matter what users throw at it. For secure transport, the C-Tug includes a strap with cam-lock buckle and an adjustable kickstand for easy use. C-Tug Kiwi wheels have a diameter of 10.3-inches and a width of 3.6-inches for excellent maneuverability over almost any terrain. Backed by an industry-leading five-year warranty, the RAILBLAZA C-Tug R with Kiwi Wheels is available through RAILBLAZA’s network of dealers for MSRP $169.99 USD.
For more information on RAILBLAZA, C-Tug, or their full line of mounting products, please visit www.railblazausa.com.
Photo Courtesy: RAILBLAZA
About RAILBLAZA:
Hold everything… with RAILBLAZA StarPorts and an extensive range of mounting accessories. The RAILBLAZA system lets you multitask the space on your boat, ATV, RV or trailer… Making your outdoor life one to hold onto. What sets RAILBLAZA apart from its competition is the simplicity of our StarPort mount, the ease with which people fit it, and the diverse range of situations it’s used in. Super strong, all RAILBLAZA parts are made from high quality, UV stabilized, engineering polymers, stainless steel and anodized aluminum. Where extra strength is required, the polymers used are fiberglass reinforced.
We’re committed to making people’s lives easier, by providing diverse, flexible and user-friendly mounting systems and accessories to the marine, RV and farming sectors internationally. We have proven this commitment by a process of continuous refinement of our product line, and excellent customer service. Since dispatching our first shipment in March 2010, people the world over have discovered how useful RAILBLAZA products are, we now sell in nearly 50 countries. www.railblazausa.com
RAILBLAZA holds several patents and other IP registrations for the C-Tug range with more pending. Please refer to the website or product packaging for more details.
More than 120,000 youth have helped Living Lands and Waters clean up America's rivers. | Feature photo: Courtesy Living Lands and Waters
From entrepreneurs and explorers to game changers and artists, the wide world of paddlesports is enriched by those who see a need and step up to fill it. Whether welcoming underserved communities, mentoring new paddlers or protecting waterways at risk, here’s who (and what) is changing paddling for the better this year.
America’s only full-time industrial strength river cleanup organization
What started as a project on one river, picking up one piece of garbage at a time, has turned into a full-time industrial strength organization cleaning up the big rivers of America with the help of more than 120,000 volunteers.
Founded by Chad Pregracke, Living Lands and Waters has removed 11 million pounds of trash from America’s rivers. | Photo: Courtesy Living Lands and Waters
“All you need to do is change your world. That’s how the world changes,” according to Living Lands and Waters founder Chad Pregracke. Growing up near the Mississippi River, Pregracke was appalled by the amount of garbage dumped in the water. So in 1997, Pregracke single-handedly removed more than 45,000 pounds of trash from the Big Muddy. The following year he founded Living Lands and Waters. In the 25 years since, the organization has worked on 25 rivers in 21 states and removed more than 11 million pounds of trash from U.S. waterways, including the Mississippi, Illinois and Tennessee rivers.
A full-time crew lives on a house barge, traveling port to port up to nine months a year, hosting community-based river cleanups, tree plantings, invasive species removal events and educational workshops for educators and students. They have five barges, two towboats, five workboats, seven trucks, a crane, an excavator, a bus and two skid loaders at their disposal.
“In response to the devastating tornado that hit Mayfield, Kentucky, in December 2021, Living Lands and Waters helped with the relief effort to remove debris from Kentucky Lake and the Cambridge Shores area for nearly six months. It has been our largest effort in a single cleanup, which resulted in the removal of over 1.2 million pounds of debris to ensure the lake is clean and safe for all to enjoy,” said Pregracke.
The Grand Salmon team celebrates a job well done at journey’s end. | Photo: Courtesy The Grand Salmon
2 Grand Salmon Source To Sea
In July, Libby Tobey, Hailey Thompson, Alia Payne and Brooke Hess reached the ocean after paddling the length of the Salmon River while promoting the removal of the four dams and a moratorium on the Stibnite Gold Project to save Idaho’s rapidly dwindling salmon populations. Along the way, they paddled 1,000 miles, organized community members to write thousands of letters to congress to protect the river, and raffled off one coveted date with pro kayaker Benny Marr.
Connecting adventure and science to protect the last wild rivers of Europe
There are proposals to build more than 2,700 dams on the last free-flowing rivers of Europe. The Balkan Rivers Tour was born as a rebellious promise to paddle all these rivers and show the world what is at stake if they’re dammed for hydroelectric projects. Since the first trip in 2015, the annual Balkan River Tour has spawned the largest direct-action river conservation movement in Europe.
Core Balkan River Defence team members Roz Rozman (far left) and Carmen Kuntz (far right). | Photo: Katja Jemec
Last summer, a Balkan River Defence crew of four kayakers paddled Slovenia’s entire Sava River in 11 days. “During the descent, we sampled water for an environmental DNA study and performed the first complete water bird census during nesting season,” said core team member Carmen Kuntz. “We now have two complete sets of data we can use as ammunition to protect the river from the 10 dams proposed.” The crew also premiered the documentary, One for the River: The Sava Story, and released a paddler’s guidebook for the river to encourage tourism.
Balkan River Defence hopes to shift the public perception of dams, directing the conversation towards energy alternatives. “We hope Balkan River Defence doesn’t have a reason to exist in the future,” Kuntz added.
4 Sean Yoro
Mural artist painting from his paddleboard for ocean conservation
Los Angeles-based artist Sean Yoro uses his paddleboard as a platform to paint semi-submerged murals on the side of shipwrecks, abandoned docks and sea ice. On these unlikely canvases, he paints portraits of women and hands bursting from the water’s surface, revealing themselves fully only at low tide. Then, they slowly disappear over time with the rising and falling sea.
“Environmentalism has always played a huge factor in my passion for art. In Hawaii, we call it our kuleana, or responsibility in society,” said Yoro. “I always wanted a more important message than just a nice-looking painting.” Yoro’s viral murals have helped raise awareness about dying coral reefs, climate change and sustainability. The impermanent nature of his works often underscores Yoro’s environmental message.
The biggest consideration is factoring in currents and tides, said paddleboarding artist Sean Yoro. | Photo: Courtesy Hula
“At first, I hated not being able to create permanent artwork out in nature, especially when you work on these for weeks on end,” said Yoro. “Since all materials had to be 100-percent eco-friendly, it was impossible to make anything permanent. But once I let go of this variable, I surprisingly found more satisfaction and visual impact. The artwork disappearing added to the message.”
Yoro grew up surfing in Hawaii, “So, initially, my 11-foot-long paddleboard felt like a boat. It was a huge learning curve to get the same techniques I paint with in studio while on the board,” he said. The most challenging factor in creating the murals is working with the currents and tides, and knowing what sections he could paint when and at what speed.
“There are always new issues needing to be advocated for, so it keeps me busy with future projects. I hope viewers at the very least get a quick glimpse at a different perspective with my art,” Yoro added.
Kayaking scientist on a missionto create a Street View of threatened rivers and coasts
Armed with a 360-degree GoPro Max camera and fishing kayak, Earthviews founder Brian Footen is paddling for conservation. The former fisheries scientist turned entrepreneur is creating immersive digital maps of vulnerable waterways to engage the public, collect scientific data and create a powerful visual record of regions undergoing significant changes due to development and climate change.
Footen first documented Puget Sound. He paddled 10 to 15 miles a day, just 10 to 30 feet from shore. His camera mounts on his kayak and takes 360-degree panoramic images every 10 seconds. His kayak is also equipped with a water quality meter logging data at the same intervals, and a recording device geolocating his dictation of animal sightings. The result is an immersive Google Street View-like map with data for everyone to explore the current conditions of Puget Sound.
Brian Footen brings his digital mapping rig ashore after kayaking on Utah’s Great Salt Lake. | Photo: Rachel Rydalch // The Salt Lake Tribune
Although Footen still has about 700 miles of Puget Sound to map, he has also begun surveying the Great Salt Lake, Lake Tahoe, Lake Mead, Lake Powell and the Rio Grande to document the effects of the historic drought gripping the American West.
“You know, as a scientist, I published research papers, and they were read in journals by my colleagues and then put on a shelf somewhere. Rarely did they move policy,” said Footen. “Most of the people I presented to involved in policy, their eyes glaze over when you talk about charts and stats. But people remember what they see. The impact of photographs sets in people, so by turning charts and graphs into imagery, we can connect with people about these places. And with the conditions not improving, it’s more important now than ever.”
EarthViews has surveyed more than 6,000 miles of waterways so far, including almost 30 locations across the United States and the Okavango Delta in southern Africa, where EarthViews collaborated with a National Geographic project to create maps from researchers’ footage.
Want to survey your local waterway? It’s as simple as mounting a 360-degree camera on your canoe or kayak and paddling your favorite route. Get more details under the citizen science tab on EarthViews.
This article was first published in the Summer 2022 issue of Paddling Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
More than 120,000 youth have helped Living Lands and Waters clean up America’s rivers. | Feature photo: Courtesy Living Lands and Waters
Burnaby, BC – Last week, Jason Leggatt, president of Mustang Survival, and Andrew Branagh, CEO of The Wing Group, announced that Jason has resigned from his daily management position as president. Jason has provided valuable guidance to the senior deadership team, accomplishing notable strategic achievements, including transitioning Mustang Survival to new ownership with The Wing Group, and subsequently acquiring MTI Life Jackets, the assets of Ocean Rodeo Dry Wear division, and the assets of the Stearns Government & Professional division.
Jason built and now leaves an exceptionally talented team in place, and the business is positioned for continued dominance and growth in its field as the most technical and authentic waterlife brand in the world. With Jason’s ongoing passion and commitment to Mustang Survival, he will become a member of the board following his departure, enabling him to provide the board counsel and strategic guidance for The Wing Group and the Mustang Survival business in a governance role.
The Wing Group/Mustang Survival has commenced the search process for a new business unit president engaging the executive recruiting firm Boyden Canada. On an interim basis, VP finance, Juanita Killen, has been appointed acting president. The board wishes to express appreciation for Jason and his contributions to the company and wish him every success in his future.
Jason Leggatt will become a member of the board in his departure. | Photo: Ronan Gunn Photo
Jason Leggatt’s story
Jason joined Mustang Survival in 2000 as an Engineering co-op student from the University of British Columbia. With strong technical acumen and a quick student of new ideas, Jason achieved many successes in product development, engineering, project and program management. As time progressed, Jason realized his true passion was developing customer intimacy, identifying and solving real problems for users, and ultimately leadership.
Over the last 22 years, Jason developed a wide cross-section skill set holding positions in military business development, marketing and sales, VP research & development, chair of the Life Jacket Association, and general manager and president of Mustang Survival. He is widely respected in the industry for his extensive background and tenure at Mustang Survival.
About Mustang Survival
Pioneer in the design and manufacture of lifesaving solutions since 1967. Mustang Survival is committed to the protection and enhancement of those who push themselves to extremes, whether for work, duty, or to escape the daily grind. www.mustangsurvival.com
About The Wing Group
The Wing Group is the world leader in inflatable boats, life rafts, flotation, drysuits and other tactical and survival solutions for recreational, commercial and military customers.
Built on 200 years of combined experience, The Wing Group and its companies (Wing Inflatables, Henshaw Inflatables, Patten Company, FabTek Industries, and Mustang Survival) have developed an unparalleled reputation for highly technical, high-quality customer solutions—whether it’s a private yacht deploying an expeditionary craft, a fighter jet pilot requiring an aviation life raft, a rescue swimmer requiring protection in arctic conditions or a special forces unit depending on high-performing combat rubber raiding craft.
The Wing Group delivers confidence to the world’s most demanding marine and aviation users through innovative and high-quality technical solutions—on, over and under the water. www.winggroup.com
AQ Outdoors is facing a challenge many paddling businesses have been familiar with in recent years. While retail sales have skyrocketed, businesses have struggled to find the high-quality staff needed to successfully operate their paddling programs.
Simon Coward started at AQ Outdoors as an instructor himself in 2005, purchasing the overall business in 2009 and leading it ever since. Coward acknowledges staffing issues were creeping in before the global pandemic, but then worsened abruptly, spanning across service industries.
To change the trajectory, Coward and the team at AQ Outdoors had to take an inward look at what it means to work as an instructor at AQ Outdoors, and how to evolve as an employer to stand out in the competitive market of today. That also meant evolving how they reach prospective employees—namely, using the medium of video across various platforms to interact with future instructors in an authentic and engaging way.
We sat down with Coward to hear how as an independent paddling business AQ Outdoors is changing its relationship with employees, and hoping for a recruiting campaign that goes viral.
Feature Image: Simon Coward owner of AQ Outdoors. AQ Outdoors / YouTube
Paddling Business: Across the outdoor industry, there have been challenges in terms of staffing. What have these challenges looked like specifically for AQ Outdoors?
Simon Coward of AQ Outdoors: The biggest challenge for us has been finding people who want to do the job for more than a season. Leading up to COVID, we had pretty good staff retention. From 2005 to about 2012, we had amazing staff retention. We basically had the same team come back for up to 10 years. But after that, it became more of a revolving door of staff. People were coming in and doing a season or two, then leaving. We built our program around a pretty highly technical kind of progression. So it was built around having returning staff.
The challenges started before COVID on a more minor scale. Then COVID presented some big challenges. We’ve typically relied on New Zealanders to come out because they get two-year working holiday visas, and there are a lot of young instructors looking to get some more experience. We would have young Kiwis come out and work for us. So from 2005 until pre-COVID, we were largely staffed with Kiwis.
It wasn’t necessarily by choice, it was an availability thing. We just had a really hard time finding Canadian instructors. Conversely, the shop has had really great staff retention through the whole period.
Image: AQ Outdoors / YouTube
Upon some reflection, previously we were providing a lot more learning opportunities for our young instructors, working with them and upskilling them, and having them work with mentors. As the shop grew, my resources shrunk and I got pulled into that direction because it’s the bigger part of the business. So the emphasis on training and learning opportunities up until this day, up until three months ago when we identified this, has been lacking.
I can only speculate that is a big part of why we haven’t seen staff retention. It’s not that people aren’t doing a great job, because they are. It’s not that they’re not engaged while they’re here. I just don’t think they’re seeing the benefits of growth that we provided so much of once upon a time. We’ve steadied the ship in the shop. We’ve got a great management team providing people with lots of mentorship and learning opportunities there. Now we have to steady the ship in the kayak school side.
PB: How do you as the owner of an outdoor business change course to provide a model to draw the caliber of instructors AQ Outdoors needs to be successful?
SC: We were chatting with one of our shop staff and she kind of tied a bow on it and said, “Look, the shop staff sticks around because the management team treats us with respect. We get lots of opportunities to learn more. We’re constantly being engaged and it feels much more like a career development role than a retail role.” At that point I went, “Oh man, we’re treating our instructors with a great deal of respect and give them training at the start, but once they get into the season, it’s just go, go, go. We don’t create space for those training opportunities or learning opportunities.”
We’re giving a renewed commitment to training and seeing if that is indeed the secret sauce. Having good in-depth staff training at the start. Making sure when we have our staff functions instructors aren’t teaching. Offering ongoing training throughout the season. Maybe bringing in external people such as the provincial slalom coach or someone to give them different insight into paddle sports. There’s always going be a bit of give and take in the outdoors, but hopefully we can create more of a give and take rather than a take relationship.
Photo: Courtesy AQ Outdoors / YouTube
Another aspect of what we’re doing for next year is we’re restructuring our programs. Firstly, tie in regular time off. The outdoor industry has never been good at regular time off. Over the last bunch of years, that’s not been what people want to do. I didn’t embrace that very quickly, to be perfectly honest. I was very much like, work 100 days in a row, go take a month off, go back to work for 100 days. It was that mentality of you’re in the outdoor industry, you work 80 hours a week.
That’s not the case now. People don’t want to do that. And I appreciate it, accept it, and understand it and respect it. It’s just taken me a while to get there. So I think restructuring our program so people are better able to have that work-life balance. They can work hard while they’re working but have time off to pursue their passions. Then they’re not just burnt out from teaching all the time.
We’re working very hard on trying to figure out how to make it a sustainable salary as well. I’ve been teaching kayaking for 20-something years, and I make probably a third of what a first-year ski guide makes if I charge myself out for a day of instructing. You look at that and it’s super inequitable. That’s not right. So we are looking at how we price our programming, how it ties into our retail store, and we are looking at bumping that pay up over the next five years to a point where it’s desirable for people to stick around if they’re willing to put some time in.
Now the challenge is finding people to put into those roles and testing these theories.
[ See offerings from outfitters worldwide in the Paddling Trip Guide ]
PB: That brings us to your recruiting video. Were you finding success or lack thereof in your traditional methods, and how did this lead to the video campaign?
SC: Over the last number of years, [recruiting] very much centered around word of mouth, somewhat tactical social media posting, reaching out to colleagues of mine from over the years, and reaching out to alumni of the outdoor education programs across Canada. Really just trying to spread the web as far as we can. We’ve also tried the traditional websites—the Indeeds and Monsters. But we’ve never had any even remotely qualified people apply through those platforms. So it’s always been a bit of a guerilla campaign through connections, social media, website and newsletter.
So it feels as though we’re casting a big web, but what I feel like is there’s a ton of stuff that’s falling through the cracks. Obviously, it’s not getting in front of the right people. You can keep smashing your head against the wall and expect a different result, which seems a bit crazy. The team chatted and we just went, okay, what could we try and do differently?
We decided the medium of video was a way we could speak to who we are and maybe speak to some of the things we haven’t necessarily nailed in the past. But also discuss what we do very well and hopefully entice people into starting a conversation. It’s more of a three-dimensional medium. It allows you to tell a bit of a story. There’s a narrative around it, and maybe that’s the thing that gets someone going, “They align with my values. That sounds pretty cool.”
We’re in quite a niche industry with a fairly limited pool of talent that you can employ from. We put a bit of time and energy into it, but it was a relatively simple way to try and do something different that would hopefully capture people’s attention.
PB: What does your plan look like for distributing a video recruiting campaign? Who do you hope to reach?
SC: The initial plan was just to release it to the community organically. We started with our email list. I reached out to past employees and past colleagues all over the world to share. Reached out to the industry. So a bunch of our manufacturers shared it through their social media channels and everything. When you look at casting that net, it’s pretty large. You’re looking at some of the key manufacturers who have 70,000 followers on their social media platforms. It’s an international reach versus our more Canadian reach. So that’s how we started out.
The next step is using Google to create targeted profiles. So if you look at people with an interest in whitewater kayaking in these particular areas and etc., it narrows it down. Then this would show as the ad video at the start of a YouTube video.
Image: AQ Outdoors / YouTube
What we’re trying to do in this next step will be to invest a little bit of money and see if we can expand that web outside of all the connections that we have as a business or as individuals into a larger community. Maybe that’s where we find the right people or person. Once you find one or two key people who align with your values and are stoked on it and feel they’re benefiting from it, then they’re much more inclined to reach out to their network. If you can get into different networks, it just expands our network because we’ve had fantastic relationships with all of our staff.
This will be the first time that we actually put any kind of marketing budget into advertising for instructors, which is not something I ever thought I would see because it was always so easy back in the day.
PB: What do you sense it is about video that makes it stand out as a unique and potentially successful medium of today for finding your future paddling instructors?
SC: I’m not really a social media guy, but whenever I go on there you are just bombarded with information. We have these supercomputers in our hands. It’s so hard to get through the noise. Video is easily digestible, and it ties to the demographic of people we’re looking to work with us. It tends to be younger people. The format of visual media is what they’ve grown up with, and I think they’re much more likely the potential employees to say, “This is worth watching. I’m not gonna skip this ad, or I’m going to open this newsletter,” rather than reading a traditional job advertisement.
You can make it more eye-catching than a traditional job post. And it’s easily shareable. You make one that’s less than a minute long, and you post it on Instagram and you’re in that network. Then you have a slightly longer form that goes on Facebook, and you have the YouTube-embedded one which goes in your newsletter. So there are all these different ways you can approach it from a marketing standpoint. And you are marketing yourself. It’s a competitive job market and you want to try to capture people’s attention in a really positive way.
PB: From your experience thus far what is key to the potential success of video recruiting?
SC: Video is a great medium if you do it properly. It doesn’t mean it has to have high production value. It just has to be authentic and speak to who you are as an organization. If you go out and say something about yourself and then get a bunch of people applying, employ them, and don’t actually offer what you’re marketing, then you’re back to square one again. Authenticity is the key.
Photo by Karson: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-on-canoes-in-winter-6299733/
If you live in a region with tough winters, the paddling season can seem far too short. It can take a few weeks to get back into the rhythm after ice out. Muscles need to return to their once paddle-ready strength. Systems and logistics for transporting your kayak need to be locked in. New gear needs to be purchased, and old gear repaired. Then before you know it, the leaves seem to be changing.
But what if the paddling season didn’t need to cease come fall? If you want to paddle through the coldest and darkest months of the year, you will need a few solid pieces of gear to make it happen.
This highly breathable and versatile crewneck shirt is perfect for backpacking, paddling, hiking and adventure. Quick-drying, odor-resistant fabric makes Icrebreaker’s merino one of the best base layers on multiday paddling trips. The garment is made from 100% merino wool for warmth and moisture-wicking properties.
Designed with whitewater paddlers top of mind, this front-entry drysuit from Kokatat is easy access and is guaranteed to keep kayakers dry when paddling in any weather. GORE-TEX PRO protection ensures water won’t get in, even when fully immersed. The suit also features latex gaskets with a neoprene punch-through neck and neoprene-lined adjustable wrist cuffs. Streamlined leg pattern and wraparound routing of the women’s drop seat reduces interference with the kayak outfitting.
Comfort meets functionality in this four-way stretch, Polartec fleece onesie. It’s one of our favorite garments to wear under drysuits. Why? Because it’s moisture-wicking, dries quickly, has front and rear relief, and has an articulated design with flat-stitched seams. Give the gift of comfort to that special paddler in your life.
A great accessory for the canoeist or recreational kayaker in your life, this comfy jacket is contour-cut with a stretch-woven outer shell finished with DWR (durable water repellant) coating, specifically designed by Mustang Survival for outdoor enthusiasts who embrace adventure in any weather.
Whether you’re buying for the paddleboarder, kayaker, or canoeist in your life, these rubber-soled neoprene booties are built to please. One of our editors’ top picks for best water shoes, the 3MM Freestyle Wetshoe features seams sealed to keep the cold water out. With a graphene-infused interior, these boots are a great choice for cold-weather paddlers who suffer from chilly toes.
It’s in the name! The mitten-style design of these best-selling neoprene gloves from NRS increases warmth without compromising on grip or dexterity. A great gift for paddlers who refuse to take a break over the winter months.
A cold weather paddler’s nemesis: brain freeze. We can’t guarantee we won’t go upside down at some point, but we can guarantee protection for our brain bucket. Suitable to wear under helmets, this 2.5mm neoprene hood is perfect for extra protection and warmth.
Perfect for paddlers of all kinds, this Scotty cup holder is designed for cans, coffee mugs and insulated sleeves. It is also a convenient accessory rack to hang lures and tools and can be mounted on a horizontal or vertical surface. It also includes a versatile “mount anywhere” button and rod holder post mount.
A chilly day out on the water would not be complete without a hot brew. This 40-oz vacuum insulated flask is a double win: it keeps liquids hot for 24 hours or cold liquids cold for 24 hours. The lid doubles as an insulated serving cup; the twist and pour function allows you to pour without moving the stopper.
These heavyweight, wool-blend socks are ready to tackle cold weather. Designed with comfort and performance in mind, these socks are a perfect accessory piece for the kayaker who sports a drysuit or dry pants while paddling. Even if these socks aren’t worn on the water, there’s no such thing as “too many socks.”
It may be perpetually damp and smell funky, but the versatile wetsuit has faithfully served snorkelers, kayakers, surfers, rafters and divers since 1952. | Feature photo: Virginia Marshall
In 1952,surfing pioneer Jack O’Neill adapted technology developed by the University of California physicist Hugh Bradner to manufacture the first commercial wetsuit. O’Neill’s invention and its motto proclaiming, “It’s always summer on the inside,” ushered in the modern watersports we know and love by transforming cold water from a death zone to a playground.
Seventy years later, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the humble black rubber wetsuit, oft-maligned for being perpetually damp and malodorous, and its ongoing relevance to making paddlesports warmer and more affordable for all.
In praise of the unfashionable, functional and affordable wetsuit
Nowadays, many paddlers think we’ve left the wetsuit behind. I know I did. Drysuits have always had more cachet. Even when I learned to paddle spring whitewater back in the early 1990s, the wetsuit was on the outs. All the instructors and the grownups with means wore early drysuits, signaling nobody wore a wetsuit if they could afford otherwise.
I still remember my first winter kayaking trip after I got my new Kokatat drysuit. One crisp morning while my pal grimaced at the chill of his clammy neoprene and damp booties, I donned my bright mango Gore-Tex overtop with its fuzzy fleece liner and strutted down the beach feeling like I was snug at home in my PJs.
“Ahh, there’s nothing like the feeling of dry socks in the morning,” I boasted with the same smugness I now feel driving past gas stations in my electric car.
It may be perpetually damp and smell funky, but the versatile wetsuit has faithfully served snorkelers, kayakers, surfers, rafters and divers since 1952. | Feature photo: Virginia Marshall
Wetsuits get their second wind
Back then it seemed like the wetsuit would be relegated to the Rubbermaid bin of history. In my household, it was. I thought I’d never look back. Fast forward to today, however, and the versatile wetsuit is still going strong. With the increasing participation in outdoor adventure sports, wetsuit sales are expected to double over the next 10 years, creating a $3.4-billion market.
Wetsuits still play an important role in the paddling wardrobe. Back in 2002, while my contemporaries got jobs or trekked overseas, I took off on an 80-day kayak trip. Ostensibly celebrating the end of university, I might as well have been hailing the fiftieth anniversary of the wetsuit. For that whole summer, my paddling uniform was a sleeveless Bare wetsuit, paired with little more than a quick dry T-shirt, a paddling jacket and a pair of sandals. I donned that ‘prene and launched into the North Pacific, confident if my Current Designs Expedition ever capsized, the warm water trapped by my rubber second skin would buy me time to self-rescue.
I loved the sheer simplicity of the outfit, like an artificial layer of seal blubber keeping me both warm and cool. I paddled all summer in that rank suit, jumping into the ocean and streams to flush it clean regularly. I don’t remember ever being as uncomfortably hot as I was in later years wearing my fancy-ass drysuit.
Make your peace with getting wet
Wetsuits are long-lasting, not so much because of their durability as their ability to continue functioning once they start to wear out. You can wear the holes in your wetsuit like a dirtbag badge of honor, forever patching them up and enjoying the confidence of wearing something that can’t leak any more than it already does.
You have to keep fastidiously abreast of the leaks in your drysuit. I’ve lost count of the number of infuriating pinholes I’ve sprung in my precious drysuit socks. I’ve also had to replace the gaskets in my drysuit multiple times. And speaking of gaskets, there is the question of the neck gasket—whether to have one and semi-strangle yourself for the sake of hypothetical hermetic dryness. Or, to go the semi-dry route, opting for a loose neck cuff that allows your brain to remain oxygenated but will leak in any event you get submerged past your shoulders.
Wetsuit-wearing is, I’d argue, a more Zen way to approach water. In a wetsuit, wetness is your friend. Who can forget the experience of first jumping into cold water in a wetsuit, when some veteran reassured you that, although it would feel cold at first, the water in the suit would warm up. And, by peeing in it, you could accelerate the process.
All those questions of wearing the right clothes and keeping the wetness where wetness belongs are negated. This frees up space in the brain for other things, like meditatively paddling and enjoying the scenery—and releasing your bladder whenever it strikes your fancy, as carefree as a baby. The wetsuit is as close as you can get to wearing nothing at all, the immersion-gear equivalent of skinny-dipping. We paddlers are always seeking oneness with the water, and that’s a lot easier when you’re not obsessively trying to keep it out of your clothes.
An affordable alternative
Let’s not forget the best feature of wetsuits: They’re cheap. A proletarian counter to the elitism of the drysuit, wetsuits are in tune with kayaking’s anti-establishment roots. I bought my drysuit 15 years ago on a pro deal when I was working full-time for this magazine. Which is to say, I did not have to take out a loan or get a second job to pay for it, as I would today. For whatever protection it provides against the shock of cold water, the current price of that fancy top-of-the-line drysuit is sure to take your breath away—it’ll set you back as much as I once shelled out for my first fiberglass kayak.
While inflation rages, wetsuit pricing remains preternaturally static. I would challenge an economist to explain how you can still get a three-millimeter Farmer John for just over $100, the same price today as it was 30 years ago.
Maybe it’s because wetsuits last forever, so there is no demand. Or, predictably black, they’re always in fashion. Or maybe it’s because wetsuits literally grow on trees—now often made of natural rubber, sustainably harvested from FSC-certified tropical forests—and are decorated and trimmed with garbage, including scraps of recycled pop bottles and discarded tires.
Meanwhile, my astronautical Gore-Tex drysuit is faded and shows its age in more ways than just its out-of-style color. The gaskets are all old and gummy, it no longer beads water, and I just blew out the neck again and haven’t gotten around to repairing it. So, I’ll soon be reaching into that Rubbermaid for my old circa-Y2K Bare, which is still going as strong as it smells. After thousands of kilometers, some peeling around the edges of the knee pads is the only sign of wear. Nothing the half tube of Aquaseal in my freezer won’t fix.
At 70 years old, the oldest wetsuits are just entering their golden years. And that makes mine barely middled-aged, just like me. It’s got a lot of trips in its future.
Inspired by his own thoughtfulness in writing this column, Tim Shuff wore his old wetsuit out for a single day of spring paddling. It’s now back in its Rubbermaid bin. He’s since replaced the neck gasket on his drysuit. Shuff is a former editor of Adventure Kayak magazine.
This article was first published in the Summer 2022 issue of Paddling Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
It may be perpetually damp and smell funky, but the versatile wetsuit has faithfully served snorkelers, kayakers, surfers, rafters and divers since 1952. | Feature photo: Virginia Marshall
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps? | Feature photo: Daniel Stewart
Feeling stressed about nailing that new freestyle trick? Rest assured, no matter your skill level you’re not alone—expert whitewater paddlers still struggle with advanced moves and even some basic ones. But what’s the most difficult trick to master? We quizzed ten pro boaters on the river moves that still make them sweat.
10 pros on the hardest river moves you’ll ever make
“I have been working on the air screw since 2016. I still fall on my face all the time!”
— Brooke Hess
“For me, it was the tricky woo. And then trying to work out how to do it the other way.”
— Ottilie Robinson Shaw
“To pull out and be in the front, paddling your own true lines.”
— Mariann Saether
“It’s a skill to be able to bring the mission together. The remote location, the right gear, a committed and experienced crew, logistics permits and scenario planning and then just stepping over the line.”
— Mike Dawson
“The hardest move is to win over your small ego.
Don’t listen too much to that little bastard.”
“Bad habits can get in the way of any trick. The straight air screw is hard not because the move is hard, but because I have years of a bad habit I naturally go to.”
— Emily Jackson
“In small freestyle features, probably the tricky woo. On waves, it’s doing combos out of the air screw. On waterfalls, probably the cobra flip.”
— Dane Jackson
“The Rush Sturges version of the ear dip. And everything in modern hole boating looks impossible to me.”
— Benny Marr
“Your very first roll. It is at the very start of your kayaking career and there are so many different aspects of this move paddlers need to overcome. Understanding movement in a 360-degree sphere, in a dynamic environment, all the while you take away the ability to breathe. Once you’ve mastered this move, everything else builds upon it.”
“For me, it’s to be patient and let go. If I had to pick the hardest though, it would be the forward stroke. We often take it for granted and believe we know how to paddle forward when it takes constant questioning and readjustment to be as efficient as one can be.”
— Nouria Newman
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps? Answer on page 8. | Feature photo: Daniel Stewart
This article was first published in the Summer 2022 issue of Paddling Magazine. Subscribe to Paddling Magazine’s print and digital editions, or browse the archives.
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps? Answer on page 8. | Feature photo: Daniel Stewart
Southold, NY (October 19, 2022) – Rapid Media, publisher of Paddling Magazine, Kayak Angler, Paddling Business and the Paddling Film Festival, was recently recognized as a winner of the 2022 National Boating Industry Safety Awards as the Top Marine Media Outlet.
The awards program sponsored by the Sea Tow Foundation, in conjunction with their Boating Safety Advisory Council, recognizes efforts to promote boating safety within the for-profit sector of the boating industry.
Rapid Media received the award via a special online awards ceremony taking place after the cancellation of IBEX 2022 due to Hurricane Ian.
This is the second year Rapid Media has won the top prize in this category, this time for a completely new project, Strategic Search Engine Content Marketing Targeting America’s Highest-Risk, Most Difficult-To-Reach Paddlers.
As a contractor for the Water Sports Foundation, Rapid Media developed the targeted boating safety marketing campaign focused on the highest risk, most difficult-to-reach boaters—new paddlers, many of whom purchase from non-specialty retailers who lack boating safety and educational expertise. Reaching and influencing this most-at-risk audience required “out of the box” thinking. Multiple media platforms were used with impressive results including 5.6 million paddling safety impressions.
“Winning this award is important to us. It’s recognition and appreciation, but really it’s an indicator we’re on the right track, not only for this project but for everything else we’re doing. It reinforces we’re putting our energy into something that really matters,” says Marketing Director Cristin Plaice. “If we want to create a positive cultural shift, we need efforts at every single level. This campaign targets new paddlesports consumers weaving in best practices and safety messaging when and where they are doing their initial research.”
“We received a record number of applications this year, making Rapid Media’s win an exciting accomplishment,” says Gail R. Kulp, executive director of the Sea Tow Foundation. “Rapid Media’s award-winning project is a great example of how for-profit companies can promote boating safety through innovation, creativity and passion.”
For more information about the National Boating Industry Safety Awards and the Sea Tow Foundation’s Boating Safety Advisory Council, visit https://www.boatingsafety.com/.
ABOUT SEA TOW FOUNDATION
The Sea Tow Foundation—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization—was started in 2007 by Captain Joe Frohnhoefer, founder of Sea Tow Services International, after he witnessed too many preventable accidents and fatalities on the water. Through its flagship programs which include the Life Jacket Loaner Program, Sober Skipper Campaign, and the National Boating Industry Safety Awards, the Sea Tow Foundation strives toward its vision of a world where boaters are safe and responsible.
NRS founder Bill Parks on the past and present of the half-century-old river supply company. | Feature photo: Courtesy NRS
In the early 1970s, while teaching at the University of Oregon College of Business, I found my somewhat unorthodox management theories were often met with a familiar refrain: “Interesting ideas, but have you ever had to meet a payroll?”
I started NRS in no small part to prove that I could.
What NRS founder Bill Parks has learned after 50 years
I believed then, and believe even more strongly today, that a business that puts people first can not only succeed, but can outperform conventionally operated firms. At that time, the prevailing business wisdom—espoused by economist Milton Friedman and his acolytes—was that a business’ sole responsibility was to generate profits for its shareholders. I respectfully disagreed with that philosophy.
A young Parks manning the oars. | Photo: Courtesy NRS
I believed that financial success would result from positively contributing to people’s lives, including customers, employees, suppliers and other stakeholders. I regarded profit as a means to an end: financial success would help grow the business to generate more value for people, creating loyal, lasting relationships that would, in turn, lead to more success.
[ Paddling Buyer’s Guide: View all products from NRS ]
Keeping the right kind of company
I founded NRS in 1972 with the mantra that I would treat my customers the way I would like to be treated and focus on providing them with outstanding service. As the company grew, I quickly learned that if I wanted to build the kind of company I would like to do business with, it also needed to be the kind of company I would like to work for.
It is difficult for an employee to make customers feel valued if they do not feel valued. I began to focus not only on caring for our customers, but on caring for our employees. I worked to promote a fun, supportive and nurturing workplace culture where people could be themselves, feel secure and develop as individuals. As that culture flourished, the benefits of this approach surprised even me. Valuing employees not just as human resources but as human beings turned out to be our “secret sauce.”
I continued to teach business for 22 years before retiring from the University of Idaho in 1994. Holding down a day job allowed me to reinvest profits in the company (and occasionally loan it money). It also meant that, even though I worked long days and through vacations, I often had to trust employees to manage without me. I learned the hard way that trusting the wrong people could have dire consequences.
However, if I hired talented, trustworthy and hardworking people—and then got out of their way—NRS would basically run itself. It became standard protocol to interview every new hire as though they might someday run the company. It turned out to be a good policy. Today, many of those hires are running the business after staying with us for their entire careers.
Outside the office, Parks attacks the rapids… | Photo: Courtesy NRS
…and relaxes on the flats. | Photo: Courtesy NRS
A promising, people-driven future for NRS
In 2013, as I neared my 80th birthday, I knew it was time to think about succession. Over the years, I’d had plenty of interest from investors looking to buy NRS, but I didn’t want to see the company and culture we’d built fall to the wayside under ownership that didn’t share our values. I also wanted to share the success we’d had more equitably, so I sold the company to the people most responsible for that success: the employees.
As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, I’m proud to say that NRS is truly led by its people. Thanks to them, I’m still proving the doubters wrong.
Bill Parks is the founder and president of Northwest River Supplies (NRS), a company based and built from the ground up in Moscow, Idaho. At 88 years old, Bill is still active in the NRS business. Paddling Business is celebrating the 50th anniversary of paddlesports, as we know it, in the annual 2023 Product Guide.
NRS founder Bill Parks on the past and present of the half-century-old river supply company. | Feature photo: Courtesy NRS
LoPo Diveskins was founded by two sisters, Jill and Kelly Newbold, alumni of the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, when they were unable to find a well-designed, quality-made, durable, and flattering dive skin. To help protect the ocean they love, they decided to use fabric made out of ocean-bound plastic bottles, a new fabric by North Carolina based Unifi, Inc. REPREVE Our Ocean fiber is made from bottles collected within 50 kilometers of coastlines in countries or areas lacking formal waste or recycling systems.
This article was first published in the Summer 2022 issue of Paddling Magazine. 
