Safety Gear

Your buoyancy aid only helps if it still floats, fits and stays shut when you end up in the water. PFD care maintenance life jacket checks are not glamorous, but…

If your paddling takes you onto tidal water, exposed estuaries, sea lochs or busy harbour approaches, a handheld VHF radio is one of the few bits of safety kit that…

The right kayaking clothing in the UK is less about the month on the calendar and more about what happens if you end up in the water. Air temperature matters,…

A spray deck is one of those bits of kayak kit that looks simple until you buy the wrong one. The spray deck neoprene vs nylon choice comes down to…

Last summer, I found myself paddling along the winding River Wye, surrounded by lush greenery and the gentle splash of my paddle. The water looked calm, but a sudden gust…

You’ve been paddling flat water for a year, you’ve booked onto a whitewater course, and the kit list says “helmet.” You look at your cycling helmet and wonder if that’ll…

You capsized 200 metres from the shore, your phone was in a zip-lock bag inside your deck bag, and somehow water still got in. The screen is flickering, your car…

You’ve capsized. You’re upside down in a kayak, underwater, and everything your brain wants to do — flail, gasp, panic — is wrong. A wet exit is the simple skill…

You’re about to launch in January. The air temperature is 4°C, the water is barely warmer, and the first thing you notice — before your arms tire, before the wind…

You’ve loaded the car, pumped up the board, and driven 45 minutes to the coast — only to arrive at a windswept beach where the water looks like a washing…