Is there a specific reason for your statement "now realised I need to upgrade my PFD to a one with a harness " i.e. why do you need a PFD with a harness, is it because someone said you need one for your type of paddling, or do you have another reason?

My honest answer to OP:
"Has anyone had any experience with Lomo drysuits?" Yes

"Would you recommend?" No.

Like others have said above, go with Typhoon if you want something relatively lower cost but still good to last. My Lomo dry suit lasted a year at best, Typhoon, going well after at least 5.

Don't underestimate the impact of blade size as well as length for young paddlers. My three sons all paddled dynamos from about age 7 or 8 and used Galasport slalom paddles in child sizes.(e.g. here:- https://www.coolbluecanoes.co.uk/products/contact-mini-multi/ ) not only short shaft but also thinn...

I am with Adrian on this one. The wording as set out on the site sets some very dangerous precedents effectively implying that access is not already available to rivers independent of any subsidies land owners may have received, whilst this may be an area of the law where canoeists and land owners c...

According to receipts from our last trip it was 80.7 euros each way per vehicle, avoiding the Frejus Tunnel. If you go via the Frejus tunnel that adds 44.2 euros each way per vehicle UNLESS you get the tourist voucher from Briancon tourist info in the old town which offers a discount on the return t...

60% of people voted so only 60% of MPs should take their seat in parliament.

If looking to go via the Frejus and taking advantage of the pre booked/cheaper ticket, it looks like you will need evidence of pre booked accommodation in the Briancon area, PLUS your vehicle will need to be less than 2 metres high including roof rack/boats, details here:- https://www.serre-chevalie...

As ever there seem to be various people trying to make money out of the issuing of these certificates this site :- https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/en/ appears to be the official one and is in English and allows you to order a vignette for €4.80 including postage to the UK subject to you sending a...

Mine were definitely a single piece, so guess they have changed (its been about 15 years!) The "rubber bung bits" on mine were to go over the protruding bits of bolt so they did not scratch/catch anything, but in my case there were only two of these, on eat each extreme end of the "U" shaped piece o...

I had two of these for years as my 3 kids all used them, but have now passed them on to the Scout fleet and wont be able to get a detail picture for a while. However from memory they are a bit of a fiddly fit, but essentially just push in/friction fit with the middle of the U" shaped moulding that f...

Went there about a month ago with a group of scouts after a low water run on the lower Dart. Have to say this is a really nice arrangement with the café and well worth protecting and preserving. They have invested in extra parking area right by the river especially for paddlers, so keeping their mai...

We have a couple of small Jackson Hero's in our scout fleet for just this situation. The Dynamo is a good boat but most grow out of it around age 12/13 ish and need something bigger but then they grow fast so need to go bigger again very quickly! Small size creek boats like the hero or GTS etc seem ...

Re-read the WCA statement in the link and still cant find any reference to this case being about trespass across water? So grateful if you could point me at where it "clearly states an act of trespass across water" is this elsewhere e.g. in the letter from the angling trust. and not intending to spe...

When my trusty Robson Oracles snapped in half (something to do with hitting a rock whilst I was upside down on a river in France:-( ) I took the opportunity to turn them into 3-way splits. A nice compromise between 2 and 4 way leaving you with a short section of shaft attached to each blade and a si...

Having read the statement I am not convinced it is quite so clear and comprehensive and there are a few points where info is not that clear, but also some where it does appear clear. Does anyone have more specific info on these e.g. This appears to be about an issue with access to land not water i.e...

10-15+ years ago it used to be fairly standard practice amongst my paddling group to take all the bolts out of a new boat and refit using silicone sealant to help them stay "dry." Then Jackson came along with their "no holes" approach and the rest of the market seemed to up their game as well. If yo...

and you realise you have left the keys for the shuttle car at the top of the river....again.......

Col de Galibier route is open and at the time most boaters will be using it (assuming early morning heading for an evening channel crossing on the way out or early morning/late evening on the way out) it is often quite. Exception being when there is a cycle event on! We went in and out that way last...

Via Ferrata kit rental was about €10-15 a day from what I recall seeing in the shops last year. For that you got harness, helmet and the actual via ferrata tails. So for two of you, assuming you have harness and helmets already then you are looking at 4 or 5 days use over lifetime of kit to justify ...

Unlikely to be reliable white water around by end of May in the UK other than at dam release/artificial sites I suspect. If you can hold off deciding anything until last minute you may get lucky with rainfall and just follow the weather but if you are planning something now that will definitely work...

There are lots of options on line - just google "chalets in Briancon" or similar. I have used out of season ski chalets for our trips each year in June for the last 10 years, and it can work out as cheap if not cheaper than camping! Typical costs are around €1000 for a chalet that sleeps 10 or so. I...

A swim at Hurley should be no problem, typically you get flipped by the wave and it will just kick you off the back into the wave train. This can confuse new rollers as they are then rolling in waves not flat water and they will be travelling downstream upside down at about 6-10Mph by this point :-)...

Depends on what you want from it :-) As in comments above, most regulars/good paddlers will say that 3 is best and is the classic Hurley set up, but 2 gates is much less intimidating for a new comer or less proficient. The first gate is less aggressive and it is usually easier to cross from the firs...

I have tried various options over past 15 years or so in water up to 4+ and suspect there is no ideal solution as both have different issues. suggest you try both and make your own call but key points from my experience are as follows:- Glasses:- Can fall off, but with a head band and a helmet on th...

Just a quick comment on the TVF Hurley prediction research. As the main author of that TVF study back in 2009 (was it really that long ago!) it was pretty accurate then and has been over a number of years, so really appreciate the coding improvement you have done, however we have noticed of late tha...

I have similar problems with latex neck seals, and this has got steadily worse over the years such that I also end up with the "garroted neck" look if I wear latex neck seals for an extended period. To date though I have not yet replaced the latex seal in my current dry suit with a neoprene one (tho...

Presume that by "back deck roll" you mean capsize to one side onto paddle blade and with continuous skulling type motion from back of boat to front roll up on other side, sometimes without even getting your hair wet! If so, a couple of points to note from my experiecne of this roll both personally a...

Nothing as dramatic as some of the ones above, but two others that I have done but not yet mentioned above: One is best with Sea Kayaks and is on the west coast of Ireland near Kinsale. Known as "hole open bay" at the right state of the tide there is a cave system that allows you to surf a kayak thr...

Does that mean that a sit up is the same as a leg raise? :-) Agree though that action you want is an upward force on the front of the boat (usually throught the knees) rather than a downward force (usally through the heels). How to acheive this is probably best worked out in the boat with a bit of e...

They used to ask you to self certify that you were "of at least 3* standard" or similar I think? There was no nee dot produce certifcates or anthing juts essentially to make sure you were aware of what you were getting into, and to presumably cover them. I notice you were also posting about the Nene...