Immersion Research 2010

Spring sprung and now summer is here in the southeast, which means that the drysuits have been put away until next December.  It has been a great winter/spring of paddling and throughout it all my Double D drysuit kept me warm and dry.  For me, drysuit season started out in early December when I switched from paddling in my IR Comp drytop here in the Southeast to living in my Double D for two weeks in the Grand Canyon (see report here).  After a few weeks in the Grand Canyon, I headed south of the border for warmer waters (see report here), when I returned to southeast in January to found the entire region in a deep freeze. 

The following two months the core groups of local paddlers kept paddling straight through one of the coldest Januarys and February s on record.  Highlights included endless ice chandeliers on every run, beautiful snowy river banks, breaking through (and sometimes portaging) frozen pools on Little River Canyon and a few days dodging ice undercuts on the normally tame Tellico River.  Throughout it all I have been extremely pleased with the IR Double D and wanted to share my thoughts on the suit itself and the new improvements in the current model. 

From the beginning IR’s Double D drysuit featured built in booties, a relief zipper, and an entry zipper across the shoulder blades.  These are all great features that anyone should look for when looking for a drysuit, but several improvements to the newest version of the Double D have made it even better.  The new four-layer Entrant fabric is more durable, very waterproof, and still quite breathable. 

However, the best upgrade by far is the entry zipper.  I have always preferred drysuits that utilized a rear zipper entry because of ease of entry and how much drier my boat stays when compared to front entry suits.  IR’s new entry zipper is now longer which is great for big guys (like me) and the new zipper slides open and closed more freely than the old style zipper.  There also seems to be a little extra fabric around the entry area which makes it less tight around the shoulders and therefore easier for me to operate myself (not that I do a lot of solo paddling when its drysuit weather, but its nice to know I can do myself).

Conclusions?  Like most Immersion Research products, the Double “D” Drysuit is an extremely well thought out design.  A great example is the flap covering the rear entry zipper.  This simple addition protects the zipper and just as importantly, it allows me to pull my PFD down over my head easily (unlike designs where the zipper is exposed and the PFD snags).  This kind of attention to detail (and numerous other details on the DD and other IR products) continues to prove what we all know already… that IR was founded by real paddlers, with products designed by real paddler, for use by real paddlers.  The IR Double D Drysuit has all the top features anyone could want in a Drysuit.  With a price more than $100 less than other top-of-the-line drysuits, the Doulble D should be at the top of anyone’s shopping list who is looking to be warm and dry next winter.

For more photos from this past winter, click here.

Until Next Time…

Adam Goshorn

Summer Number One

I’ve been on the Ottawa since the start of the month and it’s really been a strange spring. Usually this time of year brings high water to the area as the snow melts up north and heavy rains fall. With little snow over the winter and no rain high water didn’t come this year. Instead summer came early both in levels and weather.

I haven’t spent a summer on the Ottawa for a few years but from what I’ve heard the last few haven’t brought low enough water to bring Garburator in at good flows. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem this year as it’s already been in for almost a month straight at the optimal level. On top of that the weather has been amazing for the past few weeks, the last few days the temperature has been between 34-38°C. I didn’t think I was going to get another summer on the Ottawa but with the levels and weather I’ve experienced it seems like I’m going to get the best of both worlds… an eastern and western summer!

My trip to the Ottawa was for more than just boating this time. I’ve been staying and paddling with Billy Harris shooting for my up coming movie Locals Only. Billy will be providing the ultimate Ottawa Valley experience in his own goofy and unique manner. It’s been a real treat to hang out with one of my best friends and super rewarding to shoot multiple locations with such a talented paddler… even if he is still trying to get rid of his Christmas pudge heh heh heh.

Summer number one complete, now onto summer two in BC! Enjoy the pics from Garb, special thanks to Neal Ross² for taking them!

Kelsey Thompson

Back Stab

Blunt

Helix

Flash Back

Pan Am

We call this the Screamer...

Take your sea kayaking skills to the next level. Visit The River Connection this weekend for the PowerUP Symposium. Join Karen Knight, Ben Lawry and Bob Foote in Hyde Park, NY for some of the best instruction in the country.

For more information of this event and The River Connection visit:

http://www.the-river-connection.com/instructional/symposium.powerup2010.php

Luckily I was able to do this video without much “help” from Heehaw Jones.  He still claims to be completely responsible for it though.

Thanks,
Spencer Cooke, Effort Inc

Visit Mountain Man in the beautiful Adirondack Mountains in New York this weekend to check out the latest IR gear and get a great deal!  They will have boat demo’s as well as our very own Jon Harmon to help you get set up with the right gear that you will need to make it through the season comfortably.  See more details HERE

We received this note yesterday from paddler/super banker Boyce Greer regarding a blow-out he had on a river trip this winter:

“I had to replace the neck gasket on my drysuit while on our Grand Canyon trip this past January.  I got it done, but it wasn’t pretty.  You probably have a much better technique than what I did.  I took my groover tube, wrapped some clothing around it to enlarge the diameter, and then stretched the neck of my drysuit over the tube.”

Re-Allocating assets on the Grand Canyon

Actually, no we wouldn’t have done much better. In fact, we probably would have thrown a temper tantrum and then been soaking wet and miserable for the rest of the trip. The irony here is that because were silly enough to make a career of making kayaking gear, we couldn’t possibly be held responsible to repair it in difficult situations. Thanks for showing us how to get it done.

Every year, many kayakers, both young and old, flock to Colorado Kayak Supply for one of the summers most informative and influential events of the summer, PaddleFest.  This event hosts industry folks that are eager to educate the public on the differences between products, and hopefully having the customer walking away a happy, knowledgeable person.  A number of clinics are available to you at this event, including Playboating Clinics, Rolling Clinics, and Creeking Clinics, as well as an endless supply of demo products for you to try out.  Stop by and say Hi to Jesse and Kara!!!

CKS carries the full IR line, and I’m sure we can find something to fit your needs- For more info, click HERE

Earl, THE man at CKS sent over this review of our Union Suit from a very happy customer:

After 15 years of being cold in the water, I finally got 2 items to resolve this issue.   The first was a drysuit and the second a IR Union Suit.  The Union Suit is so warm and so comfortable, that I like to wear it as much as possible, even when I am not paddling.  I wore it as a base layer to coach soccer the other day in 40 degree air temps with 20 mph winds and I was warm all day.  I have never been warmer or more comfortable on the river. It wicks moisture and breaths really well.  You can wear it with a drysuit, dry top, and or dry pants.  The zipper less entry is priceless too.  This is a must have item for anyone fighting the elements and those that get cold easy.

You can check out our Men’s Layering HERE

Check out our line of Women’s Layering as well, HERE

So after a successful Reno River Festival demshitz headed further west into California.  Despite some strange weather here in Cali we have had some good days of creek boating.   We are now hanging out in Chico trying to figure out our next step.  Demshitz will be leaving Cali in one week in route to Colorado.  Our 1st stop will be at Golden River Sports in Golden CO for a kick off party and rodeo.  Here is a video demshitz built, hope you like.