AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR we polled our readers to see what gear they liked best. Soon after our February issue came off the press, the survey forms included with it started filling our mailbox. As they came in, we keyed each respondent’s choices into a computer and counted the votes this summer. In the survey, we asked our readers to tell us what kayaking equipment they counted among their favorites. We left a lot of leeway for the responses, so the results here reflect some products that are new to the sport as well as some time-tested classics. Most of the vote-winning gear that has been around for a while has been through a number of changes. We’ve asked the manufacturers to provide us with a bit of history so we can see how even a good piece of equipment evolves to perform even better.
Many of the winners have been reviewed in previous issues of Sea Kayaker, and we are pleased the praise of our gear testers has been validated by the votes of our readers.
Thanks to all of you who took the time to complete the survey and to NRS for providing the prizes that added an extra bit of incentive.
The WhisperLite from MSR
For about 15 years, I used MSR’s original XKG, an amazingly durable camp stove that had quite a reputation for pumping out a lot of BTUs and decibels. It roared like a jet on take-off, and snow and ice were about the only things it wouldn’t scorch. The WhisperLite came out in 1984 with a name, I think, intended to let fans of the XKG know that MSR had addressed the noise problem.
Cranked up, it can put out the heat. It brought 16 ounces of water (a bit less than a liter) up to a rolling boil in 2 minutes, 45 seconds. Its three legs fan out from a compact folded position to form a stable tripod with a good base for pots and pans.
The WhisperLite burns white gas and needs to be primed to get the fuel line hot enough to vaporize the gas on its way to the jet. After the fuel in the primer cup burns off, you’re ready to cook. A flexible aluminum windscreen and base protects the stove from wind and concentrates the heat around the pot. There’s a lag time between tuning the valve and change of the flame, so it takes a delicate touch and a good ear to get the stove to simmer without sputtering out.
With the WhisperLite, a watched pot will indeed boil, but it will be less likely to char your dinner. (One of the more recent developments from MSR is called the SimmerLite. Maybe they’re trying to tell us something.)
The WhisperLite is a compact, light workhorse that will provide plenty of heat on cold days and nights when hot meals make all the difference. MSR reports that it has been one of their best-selling products, topping their sales list for the 1990s.
Performance Sea Kayaking: The Basics and Beyond from Performance Video
When Kent Ford of Performance Video and Instruction released Performance Sea Kayaking, there were lots of instructional videos for sea kayakers to choose from, but most had a homespun look to them. Ford’s production had a more polished, ready-for-prime-time appearance. His experience as a kayaker instructor trainer and world-champion slalom paddler didn’t hurt, either.
The hour-long video covers a wide array of topics from the gear kayakers need to rescues, rolling and expeditions. In the video, some first-rate kayakers provide the instruction. Olympic champion Greg Barton explains the forward stroke, Wayne Horodowich demonstrates self-rescue, and Tsunami Rangers Eric Soares and Jim Kakuk offer advice on paddling rock gardens. Roger Schumann, who reviewed the video in our December 1995 issue, rated Performance Sea Kayaking “one of the best sea kayak instruction videos around.”
Wayne Horodowich put his decades of teaching and kayaking experience into a series of videos. The fourth of those videos, ABC’s of the Surf Zone, is a three-hour class that starts with the basic skills and equipment required for any kind of sea kayaking. The focus shifts to techniques for negotiating surf. For kayakers who paddle exposed coastlines, surf presents the primary obstacle to getting off the beach and back again. The video looks both at finding safe passage through the least challenging areas of surf and seeking out challenging surf for the excitement of paddling it. The length of the production allows plenty of time for Horodowich to go into detail on particular techniques and to cover issues such as leadership and group dynamics that are of broad interest but might go without mention in shorter programs.
The ever-present Tsunami Rangers make appearances in this production as well, getting pummeled by waves and rocks for the sheer fun of it. Reviewer Gary Lai, commenting on the production in our 2004 issue, sums it up as “an excellent resource for sea kayakers new to the surf zone or experienced kayakers wishing to refine their skills.”