Yakima Big Stack, Roof Rack Review

When I traded in my tried-and-true Silverado pick-up truck for a Tahoe this year I thought for sure gone were the days of quick and easy kayak loading.

Or so I thought.

To lug my large Jackson Karma around I had to install a roof rack. First, I tried just going with Yakima's crossbar set, which mounted directly to the factory roof rails. Just having the cross bars proved cumbersome when it came to securing my boat to the roof because I had few attachment points for securing tie straps.

Plus, what's more fun than paddling with some buddies! After all, who's going to laugh at you when you get beatered in that Class III hole? That means to get the most out of my 66-inch cross bars I had to upgrade to the Big Stack to give me more attachment points and more room for securely carrying more than two kayaks.

Yakima's Big Stack takes full advantage of the wide crossbars that fit on my SUV because the towers make it possible to secure as many boats as will fit standing on their sides on the bars. That means at least 4 boats. And stacking kayaks on the sides and sandwiching them next to each other, using the towers as the attachment point for tie straps, is far more secure than stacking two boats on their hulls side-by-side and then strapping two more boats down on top of the bottom two.

There are a few minor issues that bug me about this rack system.

The towers are advertised as folding down with the push of a button both for better aerodynamics when not in use and so you can fit your car in your garage without removing the towers. However, to get the the towers to fold I have to use a rubber mallet and whack the button several times to break them free so they'll fold down.

The mounts for cross bars also feature a fold-up end guard that is designed to "hide" the mechanism that clamps the mounts to the factory roof rails. These guards are floppy and tend to flip down easily.

The positive is that the method for using the super-long tie straps that come with the Big Stack is super easy to get your boat secure in a matter of minutes with just two straps. And the straps are so long that they can be used to secure multiple boats. Plus, Yakima also sends extra stern and bow tie straps that can be used to tie these end points to a rear vehicle hitch or front bumper/recovery hooks.

And the towers provide a great place to bungee a few paddles securely to the roof, thereby freeing up all the internal cab space for gear bags, gadgets and the like.

Lastly, installation was fairly painless. Overall, Yakima's Big Stack is a great option for getting the most out of your roof space for shuttling boats.

Club Boaters

It's 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below in many parts of the country. Rivers are too frozen to flow in other parts, and only the hardiest (read: most desperate?) of paddlers are actually hitting the rivers.

Where does that leave the rest of us? In the pool.

It's warm in here! The Meyers Lake YMCA pool in Canton, Ohio, offers some rough, but fun, games of kayak soccer Sunday mornings during winter months.

Kayak and canoe clubs around the country are organizing winter pool sessions and kayak soccer games to keep us happy and in our boats when the river is a less appealing place to dip our paddles.

These clubs are also providing a great opportunity for newer paddlers to sharpen their skills, and pool sessions help introduce would-be paddlers to the sport by giving them a chance to test the waters of a whitewater boat instead of the beat up old rental rec boat from the local flat water livery.

Here in Northeast Ohio, the Keelhaulers Canoe Club organizes a plethora of pool sessions during winter months. Don't let the name fool you. The club's more active members are mostly kayakers. They also have an incredible variety of river trips scheduled year-round that offer a fun time for the most advanced paddlers to the most square of noobs.

Have you taken advantage of a pool session lately? If so, did you reward the club who arranged it by becoming a member and supporting their local paddlesports efforts?

If you haven't, what are you waiting for? Make some new friends, sharpen your skills and get in your boat in winter without getting a case of the nose icicles!

Kokatat: the Only Drysuit You'll Ever Need

That's a bold claim, but it's not just a click-bait headline.

Here's the patch Kokatat put on my Hydrus 3L to repair 

a tear in the sleeve.

It's been a year since I bought Kokatat's economy drysuit, the Meridian Hydrus 3L.

I've tested it now on a cold March day in Ohio (air temperature below 50 degrees Fahrenheit and water just above freezing), a warm-ish spring day, a fall flat-water outdoor roll session and a bitter-cold October run on a dam release stretch of Stonycreek River.

And the suit sustained its first river-running injury: a rip in the sleeve.

Yet I can still say with confidence that a Kokatat drysuit is the last drysuit you ever need to buy.

I've talked performance already, and it's incredible. The issues I encountered--mainly getting a good closure and seal on the zipper--were user error. I've since lubricated the entry and relief zippers with parafin wax and added a touch of petroleum jelly to the closures, and the zippers seal tight with ease.

The comfort is superb, although it did take a few wears (and some overnight stretching) to fully break in the neck gasket.

But what's really sold me on this suit is Kokatat's customer service and repair process.

On the repair, it cost me less than $50, including shipping costs, to send it back to California to have the factory repair the tear, which was located in an awkward location on the sleeve near the cuff and several seams. Everyone I interacted with at Kokatat couldn't have been more friendly, I was updated on the suit's status throughout the repair (which they did during the Christmas and New Year's holidays) and the suit was pressure-tested for any other pinhole leaks.

What's the kicker? I tweeted about the initial zipper issues (which were completely user error) and got an email response from the tweet from Kokatat customer service with advice and tips on addressing the issues.

Within the paddlesports industry, you're hard-pressed to find a company with a better product and customer service to match.

Bottom line, when it comes time for a drysuit or drytop, go with Kokatat. You won't regret it.

You could argue that the Hydrus material isn't tough enough, as evidenced by the tear in the sleeve. I still don't know where the tear happened. I found the hole when I was putting the gear away after my last river trip.

If that's your argument, shell out the extra few hundred dollars and get one of Kokatat's Gore-Tex suits. The material is tougher and won't damage so easily.

Glorious Cuyahoga River Paddling

Check out this video from a personally epic trip this season on the Cuyahoga River Lower Gorge section, which is all mostly Class III.

We waited an hour for a thunderstorm to pass before putting on, and we were rewarded with nearly 1400 cfs.

Review NRS Vapor Loft wetshoe

What is it? NRS Vapor Loft wetshoe is a high-top paddling shoe that features a rugged outer sole, zip-up inseam and neoprene outer shell.

How much? Regularly $54.95, NRS has the shoe listed for sale as of Thanksgiving Day weekend for $31.96.

What does it do? The Vapor Loft has a snug and secure fit with a tough and grippy sole that makes for a great river running and expedition wetshoe.

Hits: The tough yet flexible sole partially wraps up and around the heel and toes for added protection when scrambling around on rocks. The zipper also features a hook-and-loop tab at the top to prevent the zipper from slipping back down and coming undone unexpectedly.

Misses: The wrap-around heel and toe makes the shoe seem a little smaller than its size as advertised, and this can be particularly challenging if you're wearing a dry suit with incorporated socks and thicker socks underneath. Despite this, the stretchy nature of the neoprene makes up somewhat for the space crunch.

The Verdict: This is a great wetshoe. Despite the snug feeling, the shoe broke in nicely and feels comfortable all day on the river in a dry suit with incorporated socks and smart wool base layer socks. The shoe survived a mild swim in a Class III rapid without missing a step (or getting sucked off by the river). I would recommend this for river running and colder weather, but it might be overkill for park-and-play boating. Consider getting a size larger than you normally wear in a street shoe due to the wrap-around heel and toe (and the extra layers typically worn in cold water paddling).

Where I'd Rather Be

I hate having my picture taken. But there are few moments when you know just by looking at a photograph that it has captured a pure experience of bliss.

For me, this is one of those photos.

Aimed upstream, I had just run a rapid on the tree dense, boulder-lined canyon of Slippery Rock Creek, a favorite destination for boaters from Northeast Ohio who can hop across state lines to experience some of the most scenic paddling they can find for a day-tripper.

Was I peeling out? Was I ferrying across? Or was I lining up to try and catch the wave. It doesn't matter, because I know in that moment I was floating blissfully on a warm summer day, tucked inside my Karma with paddle in hand. There are few places I'd rather be.

These are the moments we cherish. Good friends and good water. It doesn't get much better.

Performance Review - Kokatat Hydrus 3L Kayaking Drysuit

So, it's been almost a year since I picked up—dirt cheap—Kokatat's economy drysuit: the Hydrus 3L.

I've had enough paddles, and unfortunately enough swims, to get a good feel for how this suit performs in cold weather and cold water.

That's me on the far left, post-paddle, in my Kokatat Hydrus 3L. The color is mango.

First, let's talk outfitting options. You can get just the basic version with no relief zipper, no sprayskirt tunnel and no socks for close to $500. I will tell you this right now. The relief zipper itself is worth its weight in gold. I opted for all the options, and that means the suit has incorporated socks, the sprayskirt tunnel and the relief zipper, and they're all worth the extra $100 or so. 

Let's tackle these options one at a time.

First, the socks. If you don't get socks, the suit stops at your ankles with the same latex gaskets you'll find at the wrists and neck. That means you'll have to spend an extra $30 or more for wet socks, so you might as well buy the suit with incorporated socks.

Anyhow, let's get to their real value. The incorporated socks allow you to wear what's most comfortable on your feet, whether that be wool or some other cloth-type sock, which is absolutely going to be more comfortable and a better insulating base layer. This means your body temp is going to be easier to maintain than if your feet are merely staying warm via a layer of water sealed in by wet shoes or wet socks.

These socks are tough. On my first swim in the suit, the river sucked off my wet shoes and I had to scramble up the bank in the drysuit socks—something I don't recommend. I wasn't paddling alone, but I still ended up sprinting down the river bank chasing my boat, and the socks didn't tear despite the usual stones, sticks, broken glass and other debris littering the bank.

The sprayskirt tunnel has adjustable velcro.

Second, the sprayskirt tunnel. The extra layer of waterproof material allows for a snug fit of your skirt against the outside of your suit with another barrier for water wrapping tight around the outside of the skirt. The double tunnel has velcro adjustments at the waist, so you can adjust the seal between the sprayskirt tunnel and the skirt. Both these aspects of the tunnel help keep your skirt in place while making it harder for water to make its way toward the suit's one Achilles heel: the zipper.

Third, the relief zipper. If you've ever put a drysuit on, then you know just how cumbersome and time-consuming it is. Imagine having to peel your suit off, squeezing your neck through the gaskets every time, and putting it back on every time nature calls. With the relief zipper, one quick zip and you're back on the water.

We'll get to the main zipper, which really is the key to this suit's performance, but first a few quick other notes.

The fit is perfect. The neck gasket is a little tight, but a few wears and overnight stretching will get it to a comfortable size in no time without cutting. It fits extremely well with my NRS PFD. And the wrist gaskets are very comfortable and accommodating for my Seat to Summit paddling gloves.

Some people say the Hydrus 3L material is noisier and doesn't breathe as well as Kokatat's proprietary Goretex material. The suit really doesn't seem noisy to me compared to other drysuit and drytop material. I do think it could breathe better, as if you find yourself sweating a lot you will find your base layer damp by the time you get off the river.

So far, it's very durable. The suit has encountered the usual rock-scrambling, branch-brushing and other encounters with nature with no rips or punctures. 

Now, down to business. Let's talk zipper.

If this suit has one weak point, it's the main entry zipper. From the get-go, the main zipper has been a pain. It sticks often, but the big culprit is that it's not entirely waterproof. Now, if you can show me a truly waterproof zipper, I've got some prime land in Florida you might want to buy. In other words, many people will argue there are no truly waterproof zippers—especially when it's immersed upside down in a moving river. 

But every time I've practiced a roll or actually had to roll, or swim, in this suit my base layer started to get wet right at the closure point of the zipper near my waist. 

I've paddled comfortably in this suit all day with no complaints.

Now, if you're roll, or swim, is fast and you've got a few good base layers on underneath the suit, then this isn't that big of a deal. And for me, it hasn't been a real problem. But in a lengthy swim, this could be problematic, as your core could get soaked in frigid water fairly quickly—practically defeating the purpose of an expensive drysuit.

Before you write this suit off, consider user error as the potential culprit for a leaky zipper. Like a fool, I've been lazy with my maintenance and have yet to use any parafin wax to lubricate the zipper. And there's one tip I have yet to try, and that's adding a gob of Vasoline or petroleum jelly to the closure point for an extra "seal." 

Not doing either of these two maintenance tasks is a bit like taking a new gun that's sat on a gun store shelf, taking it right to the range without oiling it or the magazine and being mystified when it jams. I'll be performing these two basic maintenance tasks before my next paddle, and I'll weigh in with a short update to see what kind of a difference it makes in the performance of the Hydrus 3L.

Bottom line, this suit has everything you come to expect in the performance of a Kokatat drysuit at nearly half the price. 

If you're looking for a drysuit, but you don't want to shell out $1,100 and don't like the idea of buying used, then the Kokatat Hydrus 3L should be on your gear shopping list for this winter paddling season.

My Kokatat Hydrus 3L drysuit is comfortable, dry and warm and has been one of the best paddling purchases I've ever made, aside from my Jackson Karma.