Brad wrote: >>>>This is a terrific endorsement of a piece of kayaking gear called a pee bottle. At least it works reliably for males.<<<<<< I think a pee bottle could be a real hazard in a kayak. Spray deck open, hands off the paddle, and your attention off the paddling while trying to be careful not to spill. Maybe you should take the advice Tsunami Ranger Eric Soures gave at a long ago West Coast Sea Kayaking Symposium talk. He said: "I'm Portuguese, I just go in my wetsuit." It definitely looks to me like the safer alternative, and both sexes could do it equally well too. I'm not sure what being Portuguese had to do with it though. Eric was not a fan of PFD's at the time either. He thought surf paddlers should also be very strong swimmers and needed to be able to get under the power of the surf at times. Especially when the surf was breaking into the rock gardens he loved to paddle in. Eric certainly didn't eschew all safety equipment though. The picture of him outfitted in Sea Kayaker made him look like some well equipped military commando. Later he started using a PFD but called it a "rib protector". For decades I skied without a helmet even though I took a few blows to the head and arms wrapped up around my head from skis spinning like helicopter blades (held to my foot by so called "safety straps"). Safer for other people I guess as they were designed to keep the skis from running down the hill. They were certainly not safer for me. I was an early adopter of ski brakes when they were an add-on accessories rather than integral to bindings as they are now. After Sonny Bono and the Kennedy clan member died of head injuries skiing in one year I went to school on them and started wearing a helmet. Now I'd feel naked without one. Besides providing some head protection it helps keep my head dry and the ear flaps and chin strap are great for holding the ear buds of my MP3 player in place. It helps hold my eyeglasses in place along with Croakies as well. The first couple of times I went skiing this year I had a few nasty little falls that twice bruised my hip and once made may left shoulder traumatized enough that I couldn't lift my arm from the shoulder that night. luckily it seemed to sort it self out overnight and was fine in the morning. After that I fashioned myself some hip pads. I'm 61 now and although I tell myself that by skiing and falling hard sometimes I'm giving my body the message that it needs to keep those bones dense and the rest of my body tough as well. That's the theory anyway. However, as a back-up I'll also wear hip pads and shoulder pads (hockey or lacrosse I think--I don't know for sure, I picked them up for a few dollars at a thrift store). Since then I haven't had any nasty falls to test out the new equipment but I've upgraded to some hockey hip pads just the same and even tried out some knee pads/brace one time (I put 19 stitches in my knee at the end of last season and 6 stitches in the same knee maybe 40 years ago--the later a chop to the bone from one of the "helicopter blade" skis). I probably wouldn't be wearing this stuff if it was getting in the way of my skiing but so far it hasn't and it might someday prevent a serious injury so why not wear it. Nobody else I know of does at the present. Maybe I'll have been the first to do so. Maybe I'll start the ball rolling and become a promoter like I did with the paddle float rescue. Let see first I'll patent them and then get on the Skiwise chat room and promote the hell out of them. Next I'll demand that the government make them mandatory for all skiers. If that doesn't work I'll write to organizations of lawyers and let them know that they could profit mightily because the liability for not requiring them would make them "bigger than Firestone" for lawyers. I'll accuse ski shops that won't carry them of a conspiracy to maim and kill the public in a book I self publish. I know. I'll go by the "handle" SkiPadMan. ;-) Matt Broze www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Matt Broze wrote: > Maybe I'll start the ball rolling and become a promoter like I did with the > paddle float rescue. Let see first I'll patent them and then get on the > Skiwise chat room and promote the hell out of them. Next I'll demand that > the government make them mandatory for all skiers. If that doesn't work I'll > write to organizations of lawyers and let them know that they could profit > mightily because the liability for not requiring them would make them > "bigger than Firestone" for lawyers. I'll accuse ski shops that won't carry > them of a conspiracy to maim and kill the public in a book I self publish. I > know. I'll go by the "handle" SkiPadMan. ;-) Great satire, Matt. Newcomers to P-wise may not see it as clearly as survivors of the death of Wavelength from Spoodle-man. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Quoting Matt Broze <mkayaks_at_oz.net>: > Brad wrote: > >>>>This is a terrific endorsement of a piece of kayaking gear called > a pee bottle. At least it works reliably for males.<<<<<< > > I think a pee bottle could be a real hazard in a kayak. Spray deck open, > hands off the paddle, and your attention off the paddling while trying to be > careful not to spill. Maybe you should take the advice Tsunami Ranger Eric > Soures gave at a long ago West Coast Sea Kayaking Symposium talk. He said: > "I'm Portuguese, I just go in my wetsuit." It definitely looks to me like > the safer alternative, and both sexes could do it equally well too. I'm not > sure what being Portuguese had to do with it though. For decades I > skied without a helmet even though I took a few blows to the > head and arms wrapped up around my head from skis spinning like helicopter > blades (held to my foot by so called "safety straps"). After Sonny > Bono and the Kennedy clan member died of head injuries skiing in one > year I went to school on them and started wearing a helmet. I don't know if I'm Portuguese or not. There was one memorable six mile crossing we did where I had an overwhelming urge to pee at about the three mile mark. Didn't have an empty bottle, but a plastic produce bag sure worked nicely. The fact that women might find this methodology awkward did not deter me from doing it. I agree with Matt that you always want to stay alert when your spray skirt is open. You generally do the bag/bottle thing in calm conditions. As for skiing, after having a kid ski at high speed just past my ear, I would agree with Matt again that helmets and padding are advisable on snow. Several skiers have been killed or injured on Mt. Hood recently by being run down from behind by others. None of the victims wore a helmet. Would it be outrageous to suggest that motorists wear a helmet? Brad *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I'm tempted to launch into a story about a friend who ran down the same skier twice in one night at Stevens Pass ski area and again (but a different skier) at a now-defunct ski area near Everett, WA. But I won't. Or how we used to use "long thongs" (3-foot leather straps) wrapped around our leather boots and the bindings to give us better edge control during races. Our feet, for better or worse, were firmly locked in place unless the bindings themselves came loose from the skis. Thank god I discovered cross-country in my middle years. Regarding pee bottles, glider pilots could give all of you - male or female - lessons in peeing in cramped quarters. Some guys use an "external catheter" with plastic tubing to a container strapped to one's calf (presumably no shorts). I use a zipper-lock plastic bag with some diaper material inside to sop up the liquid. But I have to deploy full flaps in order to get gravity to help me along as my seat puts my middle as low as my feet. Anyone who knows me will know when I'm peeing by the glider going into a 45-degree nose-down attitude while not in the landing pattern. There can sometimes be impromptu contests in getting a baggie close to a target... but we won't delve into this any farther. Glider pilots are a raucous lot. Some marine supply stores sell a device that funnels pee overboard for female yachties. There might be problems with vertical drop in a kayak though. Dry suits, as I discovered recently, are not particularly handy when nature calls; especially if the nature calling is of the solid-waste variety. Maybe sponsons.... and then just stand up. :P Craig Jungers Royal City, WA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
<snip> > As for skiing, after having a kid ski at high speed just past my ear, > I would agree with Matt again that helmets and padding are advisable on > snow. Several skiers have been killed or injured on Mt. Hood recently by > being run down from behind by others. None of the victims wore a helmet. > Would it be outrageous to suggest that motorists wear a helmet? > > Brad I clearly remember seeing something in the automotive press back in the ... oh ... 1960s maybe ... where they were advocating helmets for passenger car drivers. Knowing that the average driver wouldn't likely be keen on wearing what passed for a racing helmet in those days, they had come up with a series of designs that superficially looked like regular hats but which were hard shelled with some padding. One model looked like a fedora, IIRC, and one looked like those hats that Jackie Stewart wears. I can't remember what they're called. Given that seat-belts are now mandatary -- we all wear them, don't we? -- and that interior car design has come a *long* way since the 1960s, I'm not sure if helmets for car passengers is really going to help much. Other than destroying ornate hair-dos, they're not going to hurt either. -- Darryl *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
The Urban Sombrero??? -----Original Message----- One model looked like a fedora, IIRC, and one looked like those hats that Jackie Stewart wears. I can't remember what they're called. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Quoting Darryl <Darryl.Johnson_at_sympatico.ca>: > <snip> > >> As for skiing, after having a kid ski at high speed just past my ear, >> I would agree with Matt again that helmets and padding are advisable on >> snow. Several skiers have been killed or injured on Mt. Hood recently by >> being run down from behind by others. None of the victims wore a helmet. >> Would it be outrageous to suggest that motorists wear a helmet? >> >> Brad > > I clearly remember seeing something in the automotive press back in > the ... oh ... 1960s maybe ... where they were advocating helmets for > passenger car drivers. Knowing that the average driver wouldn't > likely be keen on wearing what passed for a racing helmet in those > days, they had come up with a series of designs that superficially > looked like regular hats but which were hard shelled with some > padding. > > One model looked like a fedora, IIRC, and one looked like those hats > that Jackie Stewart wears. I can't remember what they're called. > > Given that seat-belts are now mandatary -- we all wear them, don't > we? -- and that interior car design has come a *long* way since the > 1960s, I'm not sure if helmets for car passengers is really going to > help much. Other than destroying ornate hair-dos, they're not going > to hurt either. > > -- > Darryl Personally, I wouldn't mind driving with a Green Bay Packers helmet on. As for the type of hat that Jackie Stewart wears, I'm going to go out on a limb and call them Jackie Stewart hats. Brad *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I used to wear a helmet in my Ford Bronco convertible (with roll cage, which came in handy on two occasions as I was kinda as hard on that 4x4 as I am with my Nordkapp - and liked to roll); I only lasted one week wearing the helmet for street driving as I got too many weird looks. A buddy of mine souped up his RX7 and took me for a backcountry road spin awhile back to try his beefed up rotary engine. I was trying to act cool as we sped around curves, plastered in the race bucket seat by the g forces. He races at a track and had a helmet in the back seat. I reached around and pretended to ask technical questions about racing helmet dogma. I blithely asked if I could try it on. I didn't take it off until we reached the main road again. Helmets for sea kayaking seem to be one of those safety discussions we get into on Paddlewise every now and again too. I see pictures in SeaKayaker magazine showing various expedition photos. Sometimes not all the participant have helmets on their rear decks. Given the long trips being reported, I assume the members missing helmets don't have them tucked away in their hatches. I assume its a matter of different strokes for different folks. Some like to stroke with helmets on or readily available, others obviously not. Twice now I've been hurtled over a reef unexpectedly with full 360 rotation, with just enough water depth or roll tilt that I didn't crack my skull or severely lacerate my helmetless head. Once I was storm paddling lightly loaded and missed my timing going by on the seaward side of a reef just as large swell came through, and once I was running heavy on an outside coast tour and absentmindedly stumbled closer into a boomer zone than I wanted just as it exploded in full view of my buddies who were safely paddling outside the danger zone The large swell had suddenly curved around a headland. I used to carry a flag mounted high on the back deck, visible from some distance that allowed my companions to see where I was, check my parallel progress, and see if I was still oriented right-side-up, given that I typically paddled through every available rock garden while touring. How about kayakers wearing a helmet and running with a mounted flag whenever possible. Tell fellow paddlers _not_ wearing a helmet and using flag that they simpy look ridiculous without them. :-) Doug L > Quoting Darryl <Darryl.Johnson_at_sympatico.ca>: > >> <snip> >> >>> As for skiing, after having a kid ski at high speed just past my ear, >>> I would agree with Matt again that helmets and padding are advisable on >>> snow. Several skiers have been killed or injured on Mt. Hood recently by >>> being run down from behind by others. None of the victims wore a helmet. >>> Would it be outrageous to suggest that motorists wear a helmet? >>> >>> Brad >> >> I clearly remember seeing something in the automotive press back in >> the ... oh ... 1960s maybe ... where they were advocating helmets for >> passenger car drivers. Knowing that the average driver wouldn't >> likely be keen on wearing what passed for a racing helmet in those >> days, they had come up with a series of designs that superficially >> looked like regular hats but which were hard shelled with some >> padding. >> >> One model looked like a fedora, IIRC, and one looked like those hats >> that Jackie Stewart wears. I can't remember what they're called. >> >> Given that seat-belts are now mandatary -- we all wear them, don't >> we? -- and that interior car design has come a *long* way since the >> 1960s, I'm not sure if helmets for car passengers is really going to >> help much. Other than destroying ornate hair-dos, they're not going >> to hurt either. >> >> -- >> Darryl > > Personally, I wouldn't mind driving with a Green Bay Packers helmet on. > As for the type of hat that Jackie Stewart wears, I'm going to go out on a > limb and call them Jackie Stewart hats. > > Brad *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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