Kit Reviews, Travel and Advice
Some of you may be aware of the ‘2022 whitewater helmet ratings’ that Virginia Tech released a short while ago (https://www.helmet.beam.vt.edu/whitewater-helmet-ratings.html). Virginia Tech tested 24 whitewater helmets from major brands such as Sweet Protection, WRSI, Shred Ready and NRS, in order to evaluate their ability to “reduce linear and rotational acceleration of the head from […]
On Wednesday morning I received an email informing me of my selection for the Halo Infinite flight test running from Thursday to Monday. This was of course very exciting as Halo Infinite’s release has been delayed to autumn 2021 (September-December) and, while we’ve been given the occasional blog post or screenshot, this was the first […]
In this post I’m going to follow up from my previous computer-related articles (about my computer, keyboard and controller) by reviewing my new monitor, the MSI Optix 32″ Curved AG321CR. I had some very specific requirements when I was hunting for a monitor and I’ll go into why I decided to buy this one, how […]
Today I’m going to be reviewing the Razer Cynosa Lite gaming keyboard which is what I’ve been using for the past couple of months. So far it’s held up nicely, looks great and serves its purpose but I’m going to go into a bit more detail about how it feels and its specs. Design-wise the […]
If you’ve been looking for a solution to the recent cold weather then this down jacket made by Mountain Equipment might just be the answer. I received one as a present a few weeks ago and have since then had the opportunity to test it when walking in the countryside. The Senja is designed for […]
Today I will be reviewing the Nacon Revolution Unlimited Pro PS4 controller (a bit of a mouthful I know). Now I don’t claim to be a gamer and up until recently I’d only ever used a controller at friends’ houses, however I realised about a month ago that my laptop is more than good enough […]
A week or so ago I was listening to Money For Nothing by Dire Straits on Spotify Premium. My Dad came in and commented that it sounded odd, he brought in the CD and we compared the two. The difference was astounding: the drums were more punchy, the sound was crisper and there was a […]
In this post I’m going to review and then compare the Rocker and Strutter helmets made by Sweet Protection, both are very popular helmets but it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you, especially right now where it may be impossible to actually try on or examine either. I currently own […]
In this post I’m going to mix things up a bit (given that everything else right now is also mixed up) and write about the 3 bands I like most at the moment and what are, in my opinion, their top 2 albums. Coming in at number 3 we have Cage The Elephant with ‘Tell […]
Head-to-toes winter checklist – I’ve tried wearing a couple of different bits of kit and some of it works really well and some of it doesn’t (I just have to wait for it to break so I can justify getting something better); I’ll recommend the equipment I like and I’ll be blunt about things like […]
It was my birthday on Tuesday and I received a pair of Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%’s. I wasn’t really aware of these controversial shoes until the week beforehand when I watched a YouTube video from my recommended and then stumbled upon a magazine article on the very same day. I now know that there are […]
I was afraid that if I tried the Pyranha Ozone at Lee Valley I’d want one. I tried it. Now I want one. For those of us who don’t know, the Ozone is Pyranha’s latest release and replaces the Inazone in their “freeride” (river-play) category; in layman’s terms, freeride means you can perform modern freestyle […]
There are quite a few conflicting arguments about whether or not coffee is good for you, either way it is still one of the most popular drinks across the world and a personal favourite of mine. In the following article I’ll go over some excuses to drink even more coffee than you already do and […]
What do you want for Christmas? If your immediate answer isn’t a neon pink, fluffy dryrobe then read the rest of this post. If your answer was “what else do I want from life,” then I agree with your fashion choices. The first time I noticed dryrobes was at Nottingham during team tryouts. An awful […]
I have spent quite a lot of time outfitting each of my playboats; starting with my original 2016 Rockstar I then progressed to a plastic Jed and now a carbon Jed; I also have an Exo Rexy for river running. Each of these boats has come with slightly different stock outfitting and consequently I’ve had […]
I don’t know about you, but I need some caffeine in the morning. Despite the fact that for the last couple of years I’ve really been a tea person, in the last 8 months or so I’ve started to appreciate coffee and now it’s my preferred choice. It started with a cappuccino (or latte – […]
Last month I received the “Vaude – Uphill 9 LW” as a present. It is supposedly a cycling backpack but would work well for anyone looking for a small bag packed with little design features to make your life easier. I really like the way that Vaude have customised various features that are available on […]
I have recently come back from a month on the Ottawa river where I was unfortunate enough to blow my eardrum on the first day. I’m going to explain how I burst my eardrum, ways to avoid doing the same thing and how I coped with the issue while minimising my days off the water; […]
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 […]
I got my carbon Pyranha Jed around Christmas after a 9 week wait and I love it; in this post I’m going to go through the pros and cons of owning a carbon boat, my boat’s journey from the day I ordered it to the present day and why I think you should get one […]
What to wear on your feet while kayaking is a difficult question to answer, you want something comfortable, cheap and with some grip. I have come up with 3 different combinations: Palm Descenders for river-running, Adidas Adilette Sliders for summer freestyle and Peak UK Neoprene Socks for winter freestyle. Palm Descenders I really like my […]
I am going to compare four playboats – the Pyranha “Jed”, Exo/Guigui “2018 Helixir”, Jackson “2016 Rockstar” and the Jackson “4.0”. I have demoed all four of these boats at various locations including: the Ottawa river (August flows), Hurley weir (2 and 3 gates), St Pierre de Boeuf WWC, Holme Pierrepont WWC and Lee Valley […]
In this review I’m going to compare 2 freestyle paddles – the Mitchell “Nemesis” and the Werner “Sidekick.” I have tried both of these paddles on the Legacy course at Lee Valley to get a feel for them and decide each of their strengths and weaknesses (thanks to Above & Below shop). I will base […]
Patrick Kyak 