Gear Garage Live Show | January 23rd, 2024

This podcast is the audio version of the Gear Garage Live Show, where we answer submitted questions and talk all things whitewater.

Topics and links that Zach talked about this episode

• Illyfest April 27 & 28, 2024

Questions that Zach covered in the Q&A section of this episode

Topic: Auto Rite

You ever seen something like this before? Looks like a creature craft attachment for a raft. I’ve seen one other post showing them with the name “Auto Rite” but can’t find any other information.

Topic: Rigging firewood for Desolation Canyon

What's up Zach, my girlfriend and I have a permit for Desolation Canyon on March 22. She is rowing her RMR Phat Cat and I'm rowing my Hyside Minimax, so we have limited space. Because it's probably going to be very cold, I'm thinking about getting the Tuff River Stuff Everything Bag and filling it with as much firewood as I can. I'm wondering if you know of ways to keep the firewood dry on my small boat without using our dry bags for it. The everything bag is also pretty expensive, do you think it's worth it?

Topic: Swimmer

Hi, I have been a Whitewater kayaker for 11 years. Our local run floods occasionally and there’s a lot of fun to kayak. About a week ago I went out two days in a row after work at flood stage. First trip was great. The next day we were nearing the end of the run, and I got stuck in a hydraulic. window shaded a couple times and ended up swimming. I consider myself to be in pretty decent shape. I run at least two times a week and my job is very labor-intensive. I also kayak a lot throughout the year. The river was high that day. And I’d say the water temp was probably in the mid to high 40s. I felt like it was a near death experience and it scared the shit out of me. And I’m trying to figure out why. One of the issues I think contributing was that my Astro Willis PFD is from 2013. Could this have been a contributing factor to how difficult it was to swim? Was it a combination of the cold water and the aging PFD? Was the PFD providing any flotation at all? As soon as I realized I was out of the hydraulic, I swam as hard as I possibly could. My friend then came to my rescue, and I grabbed his stern. it took every shred of energy I had to kick my feet to get to sure. I almost considered giving up. It’s really bothering me how difficult it was and it’s messing with my head. I was also wondering if maybe my level of panic contributed to my exhaustion. Do you have any thoughts on this? 

Topic: NRS new Sleeping pad design

What are your thoughts on the new sleeping pad design from NRS? Honestly I’m a bit perplexed by some of the design choices.