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For Gearheads: A Few Technical Details
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| Misha, Chris, and I paddled north from PK in plastic Prijon Kodiak sea kayaks. I chose Prijon because they have the toughest plastic and the Kodiak is an elegant boat. I prefer plastic over fiberglass or Kevlar because I’m willing to sacrifice weight and speed for the assurance that a boat won’t break in the surf. |
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| We wore Lotus Designs paddling jackets and PFD’s (lifejackets) on the kayak passage across the Pacific. Lotus makes top-notch paddling gear and their parent company, Patagonia, has a refreshing environmental ethic. Patagonia is now supplying clothing for our Altai Bike expedition. Those cool, sun-protective organic cotton shirts and shorts will sure be nice when we hit the Takla Makan Desert in August! |
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We wore wet suit Farmer-John bottoms during the second year because I have an old man’s irrational, atavistic opinion that neoprene is the best material for the conditions we faced.
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I have four great financial needs in my life: gear, gas, grub, and airplane tickets. I thank the folks at Polartec and Gore-tex who helped with gear and cash grants for airplane tickets. Our Gore-tex suits kept us dry in the Kurils and Polartec base layers over our core kept us as warm as possible in one of the wettest, coldest environments on earth.
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Minor Sponsors
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Bob Trailers helped us out with Pro-Deal on bike trailers for the Altai Expedition. |
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Zeal Optics keeps me going in sunglasses and goggles.
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Links
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I am a frequent contributer to: Summit Journal
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If anyone is planning a vacation or expedition in Kamchatka, I recommend contacting Martha Madsen at explorekam@elizovo.ru.
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If you're interested in cutting edge kayak videos and adventures, check out Justine Curgenven's site. |
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Franz, my expedition partner in the Kurils, has a site: Franz Helfenstein
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