I’ve been fortunate enough to live and work on the banks of the Ottawa River for the last two seasons now. The Ottawa is famous for being big water paradise and a freestyle kayakers dream. It attracts some of the best kayakers in the world during the spring and summer months. Here are my gear must-haves to ensure a great time on the water.
A Riff PFD
The Riff is designed to be a lower profile PFD that is super comfortable to wear all day and is designed to sit low and out of the way. It’s perfect for big volume freestyle where you want to feel free to throw big tricks, but it also has plenty of floatation for when you need it. You can also make a lap down the Ottawa a whole day, so the big front pocket comes in really handy to carry all the safety gear you need and more importantly all of the snacks to get you through the day.
Helios hoodies
The summer days here are long and hot. Some weeks it’s so hot that the only way to get through the day is to be in the river. The Helios hoodies keep you cool and protect you from the sun. Personally, I don’t like lathering on sunscreen twice a day and making my paddles all slippery. A Helios hoodie saves my arms and neck and also does a great job of stopping the mosquitos from getting to you. And yes, I said hoodies plural. Let’s be honest here, when we’re on kayaking holidays we don’t wash our clothes nearly enough. So for the sake of your friends, get two shirts and swap them out.
NeoFlex
I love NeoFlex. It’s the best. The leggings are super comfy, stylish and stop my knees/thighs from rubbing against my boat. It’s the long sleeve top that’s my absolute must have. It keeps you at a great temperature and with the thinner neoprene under the arms, provides great freedom of movement. I always wear long sleeves to keep me from getting burnt and the best part is, when you put the top over you spray deck and synch it down with the bungee, it doesn’t let any water in through the waist tunnel of the deck so you stay way drier than just a rash guard and you don’t have to empty your boat all the time. More time for surfing! Yay!
