British weather. It’s one element that makes the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race not just a 125-mile paddle but the “Canoeists Everest”. And it’s what defeats many paddlers who didn’t invest in quality clothing. On the 2013 edition of the race, almost 1/3 of competitors gave up when met with sub-zero temperatures and a bitter Easterly.
And they have my sympathy. I endured years of paddling in bin liner cags, sweating one moment, freezing the next. This sport is hard enough without thermals whose seams chafe into the skin leaving you with welts like you’ve been the victim of corporal punishment.
Coming back to a cold British winter from a summer paddling around the Med made me apprehensive, but I had faith that the Vaikobi brand, so effective in keeping me cool all summer, had something to keep me warm.
This proved to be true and getting up on dark January mornings to break the ice on the canal became a whole lot easier.
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.”
Alfred Wainwright, A Coast to Coast Walk: A Pictoral Guide
My k2 partner Billy Butler and I tested the Vaikobi range throughout the Waterside Series, coming away with a series win and some times fast enough to get people excited about the 40-year-old course record falling. We also decided on our DW Vaikobi Kit list:
- I used my trusty V3 Ocean racing PFD while Billy preferred the VXP Ocean Racing PFD. Both are lightweight, low profile, and have plenty of storage options.
- The Vdry performance smock was our cag of choice. Breathable, soft, and has a nice long chest zip.
- A mixture of VCold Flex Top, Flexforce 1.5 top, VCold Hydroflex Tops kept us snug and didn’t become saturated and heavy like some tops do.
- Flexforce 1.5 Pants Simply the warmest, most comfortable leggings I’ve worn. The thick neoprene material slides wonderfully on the seat allowing great rotation and is thick enough to protect the skin from any abrasions. With 10 DW completions in the bag, Billy said these leggings were a game changer.
In the end, the race didn’t go our way as you can read in my full DW write-up. A snapped rudder wire put paid to any hopes for an outstanding time and just reaching the finish line became the goal. We finished in 4th place, leaving an excuse to return in the future. I’m proud to have been awarded the Jon White Trophy, in recognition of my achievement completing the challenge with the extra burden of type 1 diabetes.
Thank you to Vaikobi for providing my paddling kit, I think it’s fair to say it has been well-tested for my paddle around Britain!
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