Sorry --- sent to Ralph and forgot the List! Joq
attached mail follows:
Adding to Ralph's comments to Clyde on his Strait Jacket, I'd (obviously) second his points, and add a couple. The Velcro loop on the back is perfect for carrying a small C-Light for night visibility, although Phil Curry --- the founder of Lotus and a former NOC guy --- told me that "people in the Northwest had asked for that loop to carry their strobes when they paddled in shipping channels", so I guess it's all you Oregonians', Washingtonians' and BCians' fault. The vest is also bright yellow for good passive visibility, as opposed to blue, purple or black on the Rio Grande model. (My son has the black Rio Grande, and it's a tough looking outfit with his black helmet, but he just bashes into rocks all day, so passive visibility is definitely in second place to "cool".) The tow rig feature is handy as a backup, but of no value unless you might want to use it. (I used it last night to pull a 100 pound johnboat with 300 pounds of recovered debris from Goose Creek, and I'm not strong, either. That with a Greenland paddle! Tow rigs have value.) The fanny pack emulator I mentioned a while back is Lotus' "Whip-it" pouch --- the "Whip-it" being Lotus' 50 foot throwbag; the pouch is $20, doubles as a fanny pack for a bailout kit, and, according to the NOC catalog, "... attaches to all Lotus Designs' vests" --- so no points for the Strait Jacket over the Rio Grande on this point. The Strait Jacket has a lot of advantages for the sea kayaker, and <is> an excellent PFD for the price of an average one. And the logo's cool. Joq *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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