Palm Equipment are bringing out a new cag, the Palm Fuse Jacket and while it may be aimed at white water paddlers, we think it is perfect for sea kayaker paddlers that like their salty water bouncy and dynamic. Made with their new, soft feel, two-way stretch fabric, using a PFC-free XP4 layer material, it's the PFC free part that has us the most excited.
In a previous article on 'Forever Chemicals' in Sea Kayaking we looked into the harmful effects of PFC's produced by the sea kayaking industry. While PFC's are incredible chemicals for making durable, waterproof and breathable materials, they have very long lasting negative health effects on the environment and everything in it, including us. However going PFC free isn't easy and we are excited to see Palm leading the way.
The shape of this jacket is incredibly athletic, if you want to look like an olympic paddler, at least when standing on the river bank or beach, this jacket should do it. This fit is helped by the stretch in the material which will presumable accomodate for those of us that don't quite achive the body type.
The very broad velcro adjustable neoprene waistband seals the twin waist tube with a corset like efficiency, adding to the athletic look. This gives a snug fit with a spraydeck and/or dry trousers while the super comfortable UltraStretch neoprene neck gasket and latex wrist gaskets with neoprene over-cuffs seal up the rest of the cag.
While we didn't recommend the new Palm Fuse Suit specifically for sea kayaking we think the Fuse Jacket is ideal for UK spring, summer and autumn sea kayaking when paired with a Palm Blaze Long John Wetsuit and would mean you could go PFC free. For the winter you could pair it with the Palm Atom Dry Trousers where we think the jackets waist band should keep you drier than most. We intend to put this cag through its paces in the tide races and test its toughness in the rough stuff and and let you know how it goes.
Specifications
Cost - £300
Sizes - S, M, L, XL, XXL.
Colour - Navy + mid blue
Materials - 179 g/m², PFC free, XP 4-layer stretch fabric, breathability 6,000 g/m²/24hr (A-1 method), waterproofness 25,000 mm
Fabric Composition - 94% nylon (polyurethane coated), 6% elastane
Features - • UltraStretch neoprene cuffs • UltraStretch neoprene neck gasket • latex wrist gaskets • twin waist • velcro adjustable neoprene waistband
By Philip Clegg
With over two decades of working in the sea kayaking industry, Phil can be found on a daily basis coaching for Sea Kayaking Anglesey. That's when he's not expeditioning, playing or putting kit to the test.