GEAR
COPYRIGHT 2007 CENTRAL OHIO ADVENTURE RACING
Paddles and PFD's can get expensive. I race with a carbon fiber wing paddle that's sold by simon river sports. It sells for around
$200 is lighter but takes some getting used too. You can spend up to $400 for a one pound wing paddle. Wings are supposed to be 7%
faster and smoother so you see a lot of them used by elite teams. Lindel and also make good paddles. Realisticallyyou only need
an asymmetrical paddle for around $50. Pfd's or personal flotation devices come in so many sizes and shapes you can match them
up with your team colors. Lotus designs sell good whitewater pfd's that allow maximum movement that are light so thats my choice.
So expect to pay between $40-150 depending on the extras like zippers or pockets.
Compasses are in my opinion a necessity. Which
way is north? Most come with a straight edge so you can measure with it. Once again there are so many companies that are in the market.
Brunton, silva, and suunto are the biggies. You can get a basic compass for $20 bucks at wal-mart or spent $75+ on a compass with
declination adjuster, mirror, and luminous sighting apertures. I have at least three that fit all the above.
You think that's
all, but these are the basics. You have tons of other things like highlighters, pens, contact paper, rulers, helmets, tire pumps,chaintools, bike lights, gaiters, gu, gaterade and lists go on. Racers spend alot of money on every thinkable item you can use in
a race or to prepare for one.
The purpose behind this page is to address an issue a lot of people ask about. What gear should I get, or what's the best or the cheapest?
all good questions that I'll give my 2 cents worth. I think the best way is to start with the basics from the bottom up.
Shoes are
important because your going to be wearing these shoes for hours or even days. Comfort and stability are important factors in shoe
choice. I personally think that Salomon shoes are the best adventure racing shoes. They come in Gore-tex for winter and regular drainable
for summer. The shoes are pretty tough and are very versatile. They feature ladder lock closure laces. This is actually my favorite
feature. The xa-pros are pretty light as well. You can get them for around $49.99 for the non Gor-tex and around $80.00 for the water
proof. Look to the picture on the right.
Socks are about as important as the shoes. I prefer a wool ankle cut sock which I wear
with a coolmax liner. Smartwool are the ones I spend my money on. Hopefully you can spend about 5 bucks on a pair that will
last at least two seasons of racing. All good socks cost, but look for sales on-line and try some of the links to gear in the links section.
Shorts or bike shorts? fashion or function in my opinion. Honestly I wear both so I have the comfort to ride the bike for hours
but have pockets to stash stuff and trash (real handy if your a solo).
Performance T-shirts are great. I wear a light weight
simple T with my racing logo. Polyester dries quickly and is far better than cotton. Some folks race in the high tech polyester bike
shirts. Once again all things being equal I go for the simple cheaper item. You can spend about $5-60 bucks on these depending on
your budget.
Hats are handy to keep the sun out so I wear one. Once again a quick drying polyester hat will suffice. Some people
wear a big brimmed hat, but I like the simple baseball cap. Caps are about $10-20.
Headlamps are needed for the night time races.
I use the Prince-ton tech EOS 1 Watt light. It's small, compact, uses three AAA batteries and lasts forever. The big plus is I only
paid about $20 bucks for it. You can buy lights in the Petzl line that go for $50-75 that put out around 3 Watts. That's a lot of
light.
Backpacks are worth their weight in gold. I only race with a camelbak pack that has an integrated hydration system. You
need room for water, food, and bike gear. Get a pack that fits everything you may need for a race. Alot of people also use salomon
or golite Packs that will run from $30-100 dollars.
Mapcases are really handy. They keep your map dry and in my case attached
to me. I carabine my mapcase to my pack to have access to it. Once again expect to pay about $15-25 for a good sealine waterproof
case.
Bikes are very specific to the individual. You have two choices hardtail or full suspension. I have both, but got the hardtail
first. Hartails have only one front shock and no other suspension. Full suspensions are just that front and rear. Your budget restricts
what you can buy obviously. Different bikes ride better than others. I ride a carbon fiber Giant full suspension and love the cush
ride. Like I said check out different bikes and find what's best for you. I would expect to spend between $350-3,000 for a bike.
Watercraft depends
on wether you participate as a team or solo. You can rent at most races but if you do enough races the kayak or canoe would pay for
itself in a season or two. Here again there are only two choices a kayak or canoe. Both have advantages in different areas. Kayaks
are fast and light as well as mobile. Canoes are generally slower but you can race with at least three people and all your gear. Canoes
are spacious but that means your stuff can get wet. You have the choice based on your team needs. You can get plastic or composite
watercraft so expect to pay $350- 2,000 or so for both. Unlike bikes though watercraft requires registration and they need to have
validation sickers and hull numbers assigned by the state you live in.
