ARCATA, Calif. (December 19, 2014) – Kokatat has outfitted a four-member team that just began a whitewater journey of a lifetime, reaching from South Africa into China.
Stage one of Expedition Inception, a two-stage expedition, will take the team from South Africa to Egypt. Over the course of about eight months, the paddlers plan to run and explore multiple first descents and source-to-sea waterways.
Expedition Inception team includes Colin Wong (IRL), Jared Mulligan (NZL), Dylan Thomson (NZL) and Shannon Mast (AUS). These four friends share a love of whitewater and enormous optimism as they plan to drive and paddle their way halfway across the world.
The team will be using the journey as an opportunity to address water quality issues and raise awareness about drowning prevention. Drowning kills more people in the developing world than Malaria.
Stage two will be another eight-month journey starting in Turkey, moving through Iran and into the Himalayas. The timing of this stage is scheduled to coincide with the Himalayan whitewater season.
Expedition Inception team members will count on Kokatat’s Maximus Prime PFD, Gore-Tex® Rogue Dry Top, Gore-Tex® Knappster jackets and Destination Surf trunks to get them through rapids ranging from class 2 to 5+ and the vast stretches of wilderness in between.
The Expedition Inception team will be posting reports from the field on its website www.expeditioninception.com.
About Kokatat Inc.:
Kokatat has been manufacturing paddling gear in Arcata, California for more than 40 years. At a time when many technical apparel brands were moving manufacturing offshore, Kokatat continued to invest in infrastructure in the United States. Kokatat founder Steve O’Meara was committed to the development of the finest and driest paddling apparel in the world and recognized the need to control and continually evolve the development of our dry wear. In the early days, Kokatat worked closely with W.L. Gore & Associates, makers of GORE-TEX®, to refine the sewing and sealing techniques required for full immersion suits and tops. Today, our hands-on approach to manufacturing continues to set the standard in paddling apparel. Into the water with Kokatat! Please visit www.kokatat.com and follow Kokatat on Facebook and Twitter “@kokatat”.
