Best Shorty Cag?

Recently my Peak UK “Combi” short sleeve cag became too irritating to keep. I’ve had it for around a year and never liked it – despite having latex arm seals all the water comes in at the neck immediately, the Velcro stopped working when wet, the colour faded from bright blue to bleached sky blue within 3 months and Peak UK refused to acknowledge that any of this had happened despite sending them very clear pictures. I’m going to Canada in a few weeks and I decided I needed a functional short sleeve cag, Above & Below recommended the NRS “Stampede” and after also trying on the new Peak UK “combi” (hoping it had been improved) and the Palm “Zenith” I went with the Stampede. Since getting it last week I have used it at Nottingham, the Thames and Lee Valley; I really like it. I’m going to go over my expectations for a ‘shorty’ cag and why the Stampede ticks all the boxes…

What do I want from a short-sleeve cag? I want it to be as dry as possible (although none of them are), I want it to be light and slim-fitting, I want it to be comfortable and adjustable and finally I want it be available in a nice colour at a reasonable price; from the top then. The NRS ‘Stampede’ shorty sets you back around £125 depending on where you shop from and the postage you pay – for a short sleeve cag which is not expected to keep you dry, anything around £150 is reasonable in my opinion. There are exceptions, but typically I have found that no manufacturers offer a short-sleeve cag in anything other than a ‘semi-dry’ option. This annoys me and I don’t see why most people would want a cag for any reason other than to stay dry, even during the summer. If I was OK with rolling twice and instantly being wet, why get an expensive cag in the first place? For this reason if you pay over £150 for a short-sleeve cag and it is not completely dry – it’s not worth the money. The Stampede is not dry, it doesn’t claim to be. What I dislike is cags made of thick fabric with latex seals that still let the water in (like the Peak UK ‘Combi’). Having accepted that most short-sleeve cags are not water tight, I think manufacturers should focus on making them as light and comfortable as possible without the useless toggles and additional extras! NRS have done a good job with this, the large Stampede only weighs 0.52kg. It feels light and gives you much greater freedom of movement than other shorty cags I’ve tried, the fabric is thinner and the Velcro is lighter but more effective. This latter point is important because one of my major criticisms of the Peak UK Combi was that the Velcro became almost useless when wet after only a month or so; as soon as I move now, it undoes itself and flaps about. In contrast the NRS Velcro is much stronger and stays in place, how long it lasts remains to be seen but straight off the bat a new Stampede compared to a new Combi, the Stampede Velcro wins hands down. Another annoying feature that the Combi had was a thick neoprene neck with a strap to tighten it. This strap never stayed tight and consequently all the water would immediately pour in at the top, to make this worse the neck seal soaked up the water and held it in resulting in a balloon effect at the end of my session. While Peak UK are ignoring this issue NRS have the solution. The Stampede has light latex-lined neoprene seals at the neck and arms. The latex lining means the seals stay in place without sliding around and rubbing while also improving how waterproof the cag is; these seals are also very thin (like the fabric of the cag itself) and don’t restrict movement meaning the Stampede is the most comfortable cag I have ever tried on. Yes, you will be damp after a few rolls but it’ll keep the water out of your boat, the wind from making you cold and it’s so light you won’t even know your wearing it. The Stampede also dries very quickly due to the thin fabric (easier to heat so the water evaporates) and lack of thick neoprene to absorb water.

Cosmetically the Stampede is great. It comes in any colour you like so long as it’s green but the green is above average. Not so green it clashes with other kit (like all Palm equipment) but green enough it stands out against other more boring colours. The seals are grey which is fine and it has one zip-pocket. I never really use the pockets but it’s large enough for some cereal bars (I would advise carrying any heavier items in the boat to prolong the life of the stitching). One final point that I have is that the inner lining the spray deck slides over doesn’t have simple elastic at the waist like most manufacturers, instead it has a toggle to tighten and loosen an elastic band (shown in the above photo at the bottom). I have been informed that this is common on American cags but it seems a bit pointless and might get in the way of the hip pads. I forgive NRS because despite this little irritation the Stampede is reasonably priced, it looks good, it is very comfortable, it feels light to wear and while it is only semi-dry – I don’t care. I love it! You should get one.