Category: Gear

I imagine some of you reading this are hoping to find a kayak shaped present under the Christmas tree this year. Let’s be honest though – for most of us that is only happening if we put it there for ourselves! Kayaks, drysuits and other larger items are big investments and something that you save up for. Yet there are so many smaller items which I’ve added over the years which make such a difference to my paddling days. Many of which are much more reasonable to put on a Christmas wish list.

Two years ago, I wrote an article called 5 paddling items to add to your Christmas wish list. Since then, I’ve gained a few more items which I absolutely love. Some of which would make great gifts. Here are 5 more suggestions of items to add to the Christmas wish list.

In January this year I had an exciting a delivery – a brand new Pyranha Scorch! In the week that I got it – I was flooded with questions about it. I gave brief answers but wanted to wait until I had had enough time in the Scorch to really know it before sharing more detailed thoughts. I have now had a good 7 months of paddling in the Scorch and am ready to share those thoughts! For reference I have a medium but have spent some time in the small Scorch too.

This week has been a fabulous week because I had a new boat arrive – a beautiful shiny Pyranha Scorch! Always an exciting event! But before you can take a new boat out on the water, it is a good idea to outfit it to fit you. This blog is a quick guide to how I outfit a new kayak. I’ve also included some extra tips for outfitting a whitewater kayak as a woman.

It is the season of giving and what better gift to give than a paddling one! Whether you are searching for something for a loved one or a treat for yourself – hopefully this article may give you some ideas. This list doesn’t include the key pieces of gear that you need to engage in a paddlesport but instead the nice little extras that make it that bit more enjoyable. So sit back and enjoy as I take you through my top 5 nice little extra paddling related items.

A few weeks ago I had a call from a friend at Pyranha who asked if I would like to borrow a small Pyranha Ozone for a while and write a piece on how I had found it. I could not have said the word ‘yes’ any faster than I did! Afterwards though I asked my friend if they were sure. I did this on the basis that it was possible the only moves I might achieve were the classic ‘capsize and roll’. He laughed and just said that it would be a more realistic review then! 24 hours later my living room floor was set up to outfit the new boat that now occupied it. I should point out now that I am proud owner of a Z.One and so a lot of my following reflections on how I have found the Pyranha Ozone come from my comparisons between the boats.

When I started writing this blog not too long ago, I asked friends if there were any topics they would like to me write about. A friend of mine, we’ll call him ‘Pyranha Mat’ to preserve his anonymity, suggested one such topic. He suggested that I write a blog called ‘100 things Del loves about Pyranha kayaks’. Being the proud owner of a Pyranha Z.One, I probably could write such a blog. But the issue is that I own several kayaks of different brands and I would end up wanting to write a similar piece about each of them. So I thought why not just write a blog piece about all the boats I love and why I came to love each one.