Buying a dream

I am a sucker for toys. Just like a bowerbird collects blue objects I love gear.
Some might say however that stuff means nothing if it doesn't get used.

But is that true? 
 

gear closet?
A collection of toys for the sake of just pure possession is often viewed as a pointless consumeristic decadence and I tend to agree. But I also see the other hidden side of the reason why often individuals find pleasure in just "owning stuff".

Let me tell you about my experience of a few years in retail at the largest outdoor gear retail chain in the world.

I used to manage the bicycle department in a massive shop and occasionally I would mingle on the floor and help customers with their purchases.

There were some genuine outdoor type guys that needed gear and pretty much knew what they wanted and knew how good/bad the offerings in the store actually were.

The vast majority  of people tho that came through the door were clueless and wanted gear for what they thought would give them a lifetime experience.
 

Him: “I saw this program on TV about Mt. Whitney; I want to go there. What do I need?”

Me: “Sir, what experience do you have in the outdoors?”

Him: “I walk my dog to the park and I play baseball. I am a real outdoors lover”

Me: “Hmm, OK, let’s see…”

I love their enthusiasm, the candour with which they approach life and that they have a dream.

They would ask me what  gear I use when I go in them “out of doors” places and inevitably they would buy the exact same product from the store. I knew that there was also no point in telling them that some of the gear that I had was home made or that it was no longer available, so I kept quiet ; who was I to disappoint them?

I also knew that they were not buying equipment to go to the mountain, they were buying a dream. 

A few years later, returning to Australia, I started sea kayaking.

The first kayak that I bought was “expedition” capable. I knew very little about paddling and even less about seamanship. My new (to me) kayak was large, had a great big rudder and even came with a sail. I knew I was going to be paddling and exploring far away places in about a week or so.

Fortunately reality checked-in before I got in trouble and I learned that the sea is not a forgiving place where I should really prepare myself before dreaming too big.

I recently read on a sea kayaking forum about somebody that wants to paddle from Australia to Papua New Guinea soon. His experience so far: paddling a few hours on a calm lake :-)

My second kayak was also a large big-guy boat, for expedition use of course.


 

Eventually it hit me: who am I kidding?
I rarely go away for an overnight paddle and maybe once or twice a year on a camping trip for a week or so.

I soon realized that that mighty big boat is not the best suited vessel for my day paddles. 
 

Just like those big stompers that my customer was now buying in my store, with a cart full of top end gear worthy of a Himalayan assault. He would have been better off with a lighter and nimble boot that would not give him blister the size of dinner plates, but I knew I could and should not convince him. He was dreaming.

And that is how far his dream went.

I saw him a few months later, now winter, in my store again. I asked him and he told me that he never got to that mountain: “Things got in the way”. I will do it next year, for sure.

All he wanted now was some full suspension bike because he was going to compete in a 24 hour mountain bike race.

I should have known: Discovery Channel showed a piece on that a few nights before. 
 

I loved that guy: he was enthusiastic about his dreams (and keeping my biz healthy).

I knew that the bike, just like his “Everest” jacket, would have a special place in his home.

Every so often he would open the wardrobe and look at the jacket and sigh: one day... 
 

Dreams is something money can’t buy, for everything else there is MasterCard.

Oh wait a minute, people are buying “dreams”
Some say that traveling and buying gear are the only two sure ways of converting dollars into happiness.

GEAR: the 10 NON essentials

I keep on coming across lists of the ten essentials; ten essential items that I should not leave home without.
Ten essentials to go backpacking, ten essentials to go skiing and of course ten essentials to go sea kayaking. I even heard of the ten essentials to survive a trip to Thailand's notorious clubbing scene :-)

Of course the ten essentials are a go-to list of items that we should not forget when going on a trip or outing, items that make our adventures safer or just simply more comfortable.
I often also see the opposite of this these lists where backpackers, riders or paddlers overload their packs and crafts with items that I really would not think of taking with me. Just because my kayak has an enormous amount of space inside the hatches I don't find the need to fill that void with "stuff"
Before I sea kayaked I did a lot of backpacking so maybe I have developed a tendency to streamline and go light, often leaving at the unnecessary things at home.
I find truth in the saying "less is more", where I feel that the less gear I take with me the more I get in touch with my surroundings.
There are items that I don't take with me when paddling; here is my list of 10 non essentials

1) I have written about light shelters before and I still think that a "walk-in" tent is really out of place when sea kayaking. It just weights so much and often is a bad choice on a windy beach where the sheer size of the structure makes for good "shaking and flapping". I prefer to go with something smaller.


2) A pillow; a full size house pillow. Nah, always found those thing suitable only for my bedroom. A small inflatable pillow does the job for me or even some clothing on top of my PFD will do at times.

3) Jeans. What's up with that? Jeans were originally designed for cowboys, to withstand the rough and toughness of mustering animals. They also work great for heavy labour and I condone their use in urban environments (however I don't wear jeans); but for sea kayaking? No, I don't mean just while paddling, (I have seen that too) but around camp. For me, only safari suit polyester pants are less comfortable while sitting on the ground.

4) Sitting on the ground, you ask? Who does that?
I do. Seriously guys: do I really need a reclining chair to camp away from home?
I rather enjoy being able to stretch my body on the ground on a simple light tarp or mat; it keeps me more connected to the place I am spending the night at.

5) Tables. Just like chairs I think that with tables I just want to replicate an environment that I want to escape from. I see no point to have my dining room in the stix. I want something different, something a bit more organic when I am away from home those few nights a year.



I do however pack a very light and compact butterfly table (the size of my kayak's bulkhead), if I know that I will be camping on a beach with sand and no grass. I dislike preparing my meal in the sand because inevitably it seems to end up in my food too. However, if I plan to go superlight, then a thin ground sheet will have to do and I will be extra careful in trying to keep that hot stove away from plastic.

6) A gas lanterns. Gas lanterns were the rage when there was very little alternative for illumination.
These days I prefer a super compact, less fragile, safer and much longer lasting LED camp light. They come in all sort of shapes and colors too.

7) A shower. Really, a shower? Yep, those big black plastic water bags, that I have seen people lay in the sun during the day planning to have a hot shower at night.

photo credit: grlfr
 All that stuff for a few days away from home? It's not like I am crossing the desert and I have been dusty for a week... when sea kayaking I tend to actually have a swim in a creek or the ocean if I feel the urge to clean myself. And if it's cold, I man-up enough for those few minutes of significant shrinkage :-)

8) iPod, iPhone, iPad or other electronic devices. Again, the beauty of going away from it all is to be away from it all. I see little point in distracting myself from where I actually am; silence is gold to me. Listening to and observing what's around me is way more soothing than the bobbing tunes that I listen to at home. I love being present in my new environment.
The only thing I take with me is the iPood

9) The mighty GPS, on an outing that I have done dozens of times before (I am yet to use a GPS anyway).  Maybe it's just me but I see no point "breadcrumbing" my trip, in details. Or even less know my top speed since speed, in a sea kayak, doesn't interest me.

10) Last but not least this little gem :-)

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GEAR: the kayak sled by Hybrid

I busted my back lifting a kayak to my shoulders and carrying it to the beach.
X-rays revealed some spinal degeneration that apparently is caused by an accumulation of accidents.

The quack asked me:   "Have you had any falls on your back in your past, even as a child?"
Me:   "About one a year, if not more..."

The back injury is probably a manifestation of a life full of crashes on skis, motorcycles, mountain bikes and who knows what other back blows that I used to just shrug off when occurring. They are now catching up with me :-(
I am also sure that my current sedentary lifestyle (desk jockey) and lack of regular exercise during the week contribute to my now bad back. What bugs me is that I can't carry my kayak solo on my shoulders and look macho, even though I feel some of my kayaks are not exactly ultra light.
So, my back got bad again schlepping my boat across a bank of sand onto shore and into a back yard. Not a  long distance but long enough to compress my spine out of whack; I need a trolley even for that short of a stretch.
The kayak carts I have are bulkier than I would like; they also have wheels.
Wheels and the shallow small lagoon I have to cross don't mix: the axle would clog up and the bearing would suffer.
I then remembered attending a presentation at a kayak fest (NSWSKC Rock&Roll in 2009) where a kayak designer showcased a "sled" that required no wheels.

Hybrid kayak sled presented at Rock&Roll 2009
I needed something like that.
I contacted Andre Janecki, the brilliant designer behind the Hybrid 550 sea kayak and founder of the Hybrid Foundation. Andre has been tinkering and inventing all his life; his expertise spans from architecture to industrial design, including his passion for sea kayaking.
Andre is also a philanthropist seeking funds for producing a sea kayak that will enable wheel-chair bound paddlers to access the water unassisted, in a kayak. (More info here)

I asked Andre for details on the "sled" and he immediately offered to help sending me a new sample that he showcased a few years back.
Here is the "Kayak Sled"


Mounted on the stern, the bungee cords are not essential to the operation of the sled
Simple in design the sled is a good alternative to wheels, providing it doesn't get dragged over pavement too much. I would like to quote A. Einstein: "Anything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler"
It weights slightly more than a water bottle and takes almost no space inside the hatch, when folded.
It doesn't rust and costs so little to fabricate that even the kayaker on the tightest budget can afford.


Adventuretess testing the Hybrid Kayak Sled
While they are easy to replicate, Andre Janecki holds the copyright to the design. He is happy to share his invention with all paddlers who donate $25 into the Hybrid Foundation account.
Chasing up individuals that want to forego his request is not his intention but I am sure he would have a legal team onto a commercial operation trying to swipe his idea.
For exact dimensions and details, please email Andre Janecki and support his project.

Included are a few shots of the   "Kayak Sled" showing general proportion as well as some details of the design.

The double (or single) rope (shown with the white plastic hook) should be securely clipped to the deck fitting/s
The 316 Stainless Steel screw is 60mm long x 5mm thick and the nut is the nylon-lock type.
The PVC tubes are standard stock size 25mm  O/D diameter, sourced from an electrical/plumbing supplier.

The Hybrid kayak sled folded
The 25mm tubes are further stiffened with the 20mm inner tubes. Please note: the inner tubes run top and across to approx. 2/3rd length only. This configuration assists with bending and distributing the load as much as possible.

IMPORTANT: the cord exit point from the PVC tube should be against the hull

P.S. Of course, the cheap PVC tubes have only a very limited carry load capacity.
Andre informs me that the commercial version will use very different materials, including a custom made cross section, etc.

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TEST: waterproof camera drop

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I have convinced myself that there is no durable waterproof compact camera on the market yet. These so called waterpoof cameras don't last if used regularly for sea kayaking. Corrosion creeps past the pretty external metal shell and kills the internal electonic components.
I have however never tested if they are as tough as they claim to be.
Only one way to find out...


While the test was more for "effect" than a scientific experiment it appears that the two candidates can survive normal drops even on concrete.
A typical accident would be slipping the camera out of my hand and onto the ground. Most times the hight would be around 3 feet. But what happens when the camera hits the ground from 6 feet? or even higher like 10 feet and 20 feet?
Watch and be amazed :-)



Surprisingly these so called "waterproof" cameras did not explode like most other compact cameras would. Only the tiny sticker on the selector dial of the Olympus Tough came flying off (at 1:13); no other bits broke off the two cameras.
At 10 feet I managed to crack the lens cover on the Tough, after 3 drops.

glass lens cover cracked at 10 feet drop
At 20 feet things got out of shape, I mean the poor camera bodies compressed so badly that permanently deformed the case.

camera body defomed and no longer aligned with front plate

ouch...

metal corner compressed and deformed from repeated 20 feet drops
Unfortunately I was unable to veryfy if the cameras were still working after each drop: corrosion claimed their respective "ghosts" long time ago :-)

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GEAR: the Birthday Rolls counter

I was getting dizzy and closer to my goal but I didn’t know for sure if I hit my target; I had lost count of my rolls.
It has become customary that when one of the senior paddlers in our group celebrates his/her birthday rolls must be performed.
A tradition started by Adventuretess that has gained popularity and is now religiously observed: one must perform a kayak roll for every year he/she celebrates (plus one for good luck).
Concentrating on keeping my rolls going in the rather nippy water I lost count of how many I still had to do.
I could cheat (nobody was really counting, they were all busy busting out their own rolls) but hey, we are an honest bunch and the Birthday Rolls are a serious matter to us.
So our ever ingenius collective mind, fuelled by friendly banter, suddenly came up with the idea to create a “rollometer”
We need something that will count how many revolutions a kayak makes.
Unaware of the existence of such a gizmo I thought that modifying a “step counter” (device used for walking, favoured by seniors) could work for sea kayaking.


I had a step counter laying around (schwag collected at a trade show) that my engineer promptly disassembled and modified.

The step counter has a spring that holds the contact separated. A relatively firm jolt is needed to create the contact and trigger the counter.
When rolling there is no such jolt (as when walking) and the spring had to be de-tuned and made really “soft”.

We disassembled the step counter, re-soldered the spring/contact and luckily everything fit back together again.
Now the counter adds correctly even when simply inverted, not just when jolted.
A waterproof container with a viewing window was needed so it would be easy to see the progress of the rolls. A small clear dry bag (the ones used for waterproofing a cell phone) is used to keep the roll-counter in sight on the kayak's deck so progress can be monitored.


Now there are no ifs or buts anymore; the counter doesn’t lie. I must do all of my rolls or there is no cake for me later :-)

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GEAR: PLB versus SPOT

A few years ago I purchased a PLB for sea kayaking.

It was the new GPS enabled unit that pin points its position more accurately for easier location by the emergency crews.

While I would technically (and legally) be better served by a proper EPIRB, the PLB size makes it a safer unit for sea kayaking, in my opinion.

I can wear mine attached to the shoulder of my life jacket (aka as PFD... dang there are a lot of acronyms in this write up :-).

An EPIRB would probably be stowed below deck when out at sea in my kayak where a possible emergency situation could see me getting separated from my vessel.
No good having that emergency beacon below deck then...
While my PLB is small and light enough to not be felt when paddling I have not been totally satisfied by its reliability.

I hear of way too many units failing due to water intrusion (see this post).

The initial purchase cost is also a bit on the steep side for some paddlers.

How much does your life cost?_ is a typical question but one has a hard time coughing up that kind of money on a safety unit that most likely (and hopefully) will never be used.

That made me think of the alternative: the SPOT.

While SPOT can still be used as an emergency beacon (some argue that is not as effective: longer response time) the little unit offers more features that would make the purchase more "justified".

SPOT has the ability to send out a signal for emergency as well as one that just asks for help, but not rescue.

One can pre-write a message that can be sent out to his/her contacts (email or mobile txt message) and alert them of your wish.

Any message: "need more food" , "come and  get me, I'm chucking in the sponge", "" "all is good, I just hit a snag"... you name it.
SPOT also can send out your location position to your contacts.
It can be sent out as a Google Earth placement and your "support crew" can determine your whereabouts.
And that's a great feature, in my opinion.
I wish I had a SPOT when on a trip where I could not communicate via cell phone (too remote, no coverage) to my land crew on the estimated meeting time for the arrival pick up.
Sure, a satellite phone would have solved that but that gadget is even more expensive than the PLB.
SPOT uses less power than a satellite phone too: no need for recharging.
Initially costsing considerably less than a PLB, SPOT requires an annual subscription to the service.
After 4 years of SPOT use (including unit purchase), the costs equals to the one of an inexpensive PLB.
I can't comment on reliability, yet.

Is SPOT the perfect tool?
Not really.
I would like to see the ability to send out more than just pre-recorded messages.
I hope that in the future SPOT will offer a unit that might do that.
Or maybe there will be an "emergency beacon" app for the iPhone :-)

Must have accessory

I have been accused of being a hopeless geek and gadget crazy.
I guess, you might be right...

So, while in search of the ultimate accessory that no kayak should be without, I have come across one that beats them all.
Maybe not really making the list as one of the "ten essentials" I think some would really appreciate this marvel of ingenuity and thoughtfulness.


sold as: beer holder
While my tone could come across a bit sarcastic (you guessed it) don't laugh; some folks are seriously adding this to their kayak.
Since unfortunately I have witnessed a few times drunken stupor while kayaking I should actually point out that by no mean I am endorsing this stupidity.

Booze and water just don't mix...