Preparations are underway for our 2nd Annual vacation to Santa Cruz Island. With a new crew member, Natalie, joining us we've been busy juggling kayaking equipment to determine what fits who and what else is needed. So far the needs list is:- 2 Wetsuits
- 2 Helmets
- 2 Sets of Gloves
- 1 Helmet Light
Two wetsuits have been ordered from REI's outlet (www.rei.com). They have a great sale on Stohlquist Farmer John and Farmer Jane 2mm Wetsuits. Normally $119 now $59. I prefer the farmer john style wetsuits for summer cave kayaking.
Two helmets also ordered from REI. No deal on the Pro-Tec Ace Water helmet but still reasonable at $45 and free shipping. Free shipping is available if you ship to a REI store.
Working on acquiring the gloves and helmet light. Speaking of helmet lights. Last year I had them zip tied on the nylon webing which worked but not well. This year I decided to change this so they would be rock solid (pun intended). Here's what I did:
Marked the location of the two holes to be drilled. Made sure the end result would be a light pointed in the same direction as it's wearer.
Drilled each hole in the helmet.
The rear hole required me to pull back the helmet foam to thread the zip tie through.
Threaded the zip ties through the holes and around the light. Since the helmet is not flat I had to make sure I didn't over tighten the rear zip tie which would cause the light to angle away from the line of sight. Cutting the excess zip tie finished the job.
The result is a great kayaking helmet equiped for night or cave use. Before and after shots show the difference in each mounting method.
I then had to repeat the process five times. Where are my helpers? I'm sure they'll show up when it's time to kayak!
Speaking of kayaks, we still need to buy or rent a tandem. We have three, two tandems and a single, which provides seating for five. Since we'll have seven with our group this year we need one more tandem and we'll be set.
Two helmets also ordered from REI. No deal on the Pro-Tec Ace Water helmet but still reasonable at $45 and free shipping. Free shipping is available if you ship to a REI store.
Working on acquiring the gloves and helmet light. Speaking of helmet lights. Last year I had them zip tied on the nylon webing which worked but not well. This year I decided to change this so they would be rock solid (pun intended). Here's what I did:
Marked the location of the two holes to be drilled. Made sure the end result would be a light pointed in the same direction as it's wearer.
Drilled each hole in the helmet.
The rear hole required me to pull back the helmet foam to thread the zip tie through.
Threaded the zip ties through the holes and around the light. Since the helmet is not flat I had to make sure I didn't over tighten the rear zip tie which would cause the light to angle away from the line of sight. Cutting the excess zip tie finished the job.
The result is a great kayaking helmet equiped for night or cave use. Before and after shots show the difference in each mounting method.
I then had to repeat the process five times. Where are my helpers? I'm sure they'll show up when it's time to kayak!
Speaking of kayaks, we still need to buy or rent a tandem. We have three, two tandems and a single, which provides seating for five. Since we'll have seven with our group this year we need one more tandem and we'll be set.
2 comments:
Very nice! The flashlight attachment will be so much nicer. Very cool! We are getting so excited. it will be a blast. Can't wait.
Thanks for using the picture with the watermelon and dirty dishes in the background. Can't wait for the trip and the new wetsuit.
Aye Matey, speak yer mind!