Check out our latest equipment, video reports from our ambassadors around the world and how-to instructionals about canoeing, kayaking and stand up paddleboarding.
Palm Equipment International Ltd is based in Somerset, England with a European base in Asbach, Germany. From here we supply the Palm apparel brand, kayaks from Dagger, Islander plus premium composite paddles from VE Paddles -- everything you need to take to the water.
Great question, the ISO standard goes by the mass of the person wearing -- PFD Wearer’s weight (kg) 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 >70 Minimum buoyancy (N) 35 40 40 45 50
The ISO standard is the industry recommended minimum, you will find the size labelling inside your Palm PFD shows a higher N rating than this standard since all Palm PFDs are designed to exceed the standard. Testing your PFD buoyancy will let you know how much the buoyancy is depleted over time. You may wish to retire your PFD before it reaches the ISO minimum.
Cool vid…. Now let’s make some river surfing vids on swims, avoiding surfboard head hits, etc…. Remember, river surfing is not SUP and the gear is and should be completely different.
There are no drain holes in the upper of the Gradient. Drain holes or mesh are often a weak point in a pair of water boots, that will clog up or break after many hours of use in gritty, wet environments. Drain holes will also let fine debris into the boots. The Gradients will drain through the stitching and seams (they are not watertight) but they do not hold much water and we prefer to keep the river grit out.
The Bora is a more weatherproof for extreme weather, the Chinook is a little simpler and lighter. The Bora's fabric has a knitted lining that is warm to the touch and helps spread moisture across the material surface to aid breathability, where the Chinook has a simpler 2.5 layer fabric without that lining. The Chinook's inner neck seal uses velcro where the Bora has a zip and velcro, making it easier to open up the neck wide to vent the jacket. The Bora's front tunnel pocket has a warm fleece lining. Overall the Bora is a bit more premium and suited to cold water. The Chinook is a great option, a simpler all-weather jacket at a lower price point.
@@palmequipment Cheers. Where I live (Australia) my winter it’s probably still going to be warmer on the water than a UK summer so Chinook probably suits better!
Any reason why your Palm Lightning bag is so tight. It’s very hard to pack it tight enough to close the clasp. It's a great throw bag and rope but just wondering is there a trick to fastening it.
Best shoe I’ve ever had, I used it for my aqua Zumba classes, I dance on wet floor and never slipped, this definitely worth it, I brought so many other shoes non slip and doesn’t work on wet floor, this worth every penny ❤
Also, a helmet is good in the wind if you capsize and bail. The hat floats away while a helmet stays on. Also, you can roll with a helmet on but not a hat.
I sent my palm kayaking dry suit to them to replace a perished neck seal. They did an absolutely amazing job, I couldn't tell the difference between the old and the new. Well worth the cost to have it done professionally. Many thanks Mike (Plymouth)
The Rescue 850 has high floatation with over 80 Newtons for the M/L size. Buoyancy aids are designed to a standard where you can float in a swimming position, unlike life jackets that float you on your back with your head supported. So buoyancy aids in general can make you more confident and safer in the water, and let you be more mobile, but a life jacket will keep you face up all the time, while limiting your ability to swim. A buoyancy aid can give you more confidence while you learn to swim. Before entering the water it is always good to have a plan/know you can exit the water on your own.
@@palmequipment I don't really understand your reply... Will one of these keep me afloat if iI am conscious. but not able to swim? 115kg Non buoyant, non swimmer adult.
@@stephenbailey9970 The Rescue 850 PDF will help you float. If you are not confident in your swimming, before entering water deeper than you can stand in, it is best to have a plan of how you can exit the water.
@@palmequipment Errr... Still not an answer... We sail in a reservoir and I went in out of the back of a Keel-Boat on a very rough windy day... There was no plan to enter the water and no plan to exit... That's when I found my Palm Hydro did not keep me afloat... I had the chance to hang onto the end of the extended tiller as I went in.... Can you give me a definitive answer please? Thanks.
@@stephenbailey9970 Thank you for your reply. Sorry for not being clear in my answer. Your density (including the items you are wearing or carrying) will affect how much float you will need from a PFD, so we can only advise you try your PFD in a safe environment before relying on it to float you without assistance. 80 Newtons of buoyancy is about 8 kg force of uplift in water, which will offset your sinking force. The Hydro you have has a buoyancy of 70 Newtons, so given your experience you are right to be looking for a PFD with more buoyancy. The average person is slightly buoyant in fresh water, but this is not always the case, so what floats one person may not float another of the same mass with their face comfortably out of the water. If you can borrow someone else's buoyancy aid with more than 70 Newtons float you may be able to work out how much buoyancy you will need to float without treading water. If you cannot find a PFD (buoyancy aid) that floats you you might try a life jacket. Life jackets have much more buoyancy than PFDs and will always float you with your face and airway clear of the water.
We used minicell, the kind of foam with small bubbles that gets used for kayak centre pillars and sometimes footrests. You may be able to recover some foam from an old kayak. Some budget kayaks have 'ethafoam' for central pillar foam though, which has bigger bubbles and so will not cut, sand or paint as well as minicell. Minicell is not cheap mind, so best to use offcuts. The good news is that you don't need much for a small foamie, and you can glue blocks of minicell together really quite well with Evostick contact adhesive.
Thanks Bren and team for an amazing set of Jams. You are an inspiration to many young paddlers - keep bringing the fun and antics to our screens! Take care and paddle safe.
Yes, this advice applies to all sorts of kayaking. Flat water racing kayaks with wing paddles are a little different, but mostly the same. Jake is a whitewater paddler and a strong efficient forward paddle stroke is really helpful on the river.
I bought the eyson 24-M for ease of movement on a paddle board. The vest seems to be very similar if not the same as this one. I'm a good swimmer, but I'm old and when I had my first fall into the water, the vest popped up and the the whole kit slid up from my waste to my face and confused the heck out of me. From the demo, I better know it works. I didn't wan't to inflate the vest, I didn't have a replacement cartridge. I can see from my experience, to be cautious when not inflating the vest when you go in the water. I will give mine a full test soon.
People just dont seem to get it. It is a good demonstraton of this PDF in action. I just tend to be in rougher water, rafting/kayaking, so is not practical but for lakes and emergancies it is good. And for all those that bitch about this jump in a pool and make a life jacket out of your pants. This is way easier.
Cannot find any Palm equipment products in the US any more, no online supplier. I am looking for the Gradient Wet Shoe, any place in the US that supplies those now, in 2023?
How do people find the plastic quality on their Dagger boats? All the Nova's/Supernova's I've seen in shops are twisted and buckled. I had to send my two Axioms back a few years ago for the same issues too, really not prepared to spend all that money on something that's flawed. Nice design though.
we share the same experience of climbing, splitboarding or biking. We think it's a good idea to have a helmet with you also for difficult landings on rocky shores, especially if they are not planned.
The Riff replaces the FX in our line, so they have similar features. The Riff is an upgrade in every respect from the FX. It has a set of buckles at the side to give you the option to put on your PFD more easily. The main chest pocket opens wider as a shelf and the contents are more spread out, making the pocket larger and lower profile. The shoulder straps and underarm area have super comfortable neoprene padding. There's a hidden knife stow pocket and extra lash point. The Riff is also free of PVC foam, using EPE and Gaia foam instead. All that and it looks pretty cool too in our opinion.
The Palm Caddy trolley comes with a cam strap that simply loops around your kayak and through the trolley. At 00:40 Olly tightens the strap to fasten the kayak to the trolley.
I agree that the video would be better if it was explained how to connect the trolley to the kayak. The problem I keep having is that the strap rubs against the wheels of the trolley.
is it still plagued by the seam tapes coming off these days? (hf is sewing their tapes on. never seen that come off. but dunno about water tightness) and any experience wether its good fit on the Zet Cross?
I’ve found that Palm focuses on offering gear that fits the taller, athletic body shape. If you are differently shaped or abled, Palm is not looking to have you as a customer. It’s not only Palm but this acts as a method of gatekeeping shorter, rounder people out of paddle sports.
