{"id":11920,"date":"2017-02-14T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2017-02-14T20:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=11920"},"modified":"2022-01-05T13:43:02","modified_gmt":"2022-01-05T21:43:02","slug":"crux-cold-water-boating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2017\/02\/14\/crux-cold-water-boating\/","title":{"rendered":"The Crux of Cold-Water Boating"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s cold. Outside it\u2019s raining, snowing, sleeting or a combination of all three. It\u2019s the middle of winter and your buddies are trying to talk you into going paddling. You look to your cozy futon covered in dog hair. The tea pot is about to start screaming for you to stay in and nestle into a good book. What\u2019s the game-changing factor in this equation? A drysuit for gods-sake! It\u2019s been waiting all season for you to take it out of the closet and hammer it through some pounding waves, pouring rain, and some miserable brush filled portages.<\/p>\n

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These past winter months living in and out of books\u00a0has left me yearning for whitewater more than ever, and with the Payette river less than an hour away, I can\u2019t be too picky on my weather conditions. You can\u2019t label me a fair-weather kayaker. Rain, sleet, or sunshine, when I schedule \u2018freedom\u2019 into my weekly schedule, I\u2019ve got to go. I throw my NRS Crux drysuit<\/a> on straight from the line in the drying room, load up the boats, grab the gear bag\u2014packed and leaning against a boat in anticipation\u2014and go.<\/p>\n

Through years of early season North Fork laps and late season bird hunting trips on Middle Fork multi-days, I\u2019ve put the Crux through the gear grinder.<\/p>\n

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My relationship with the Crux has fluctuated as my needs became more apparent and its need for design changes more imminent. From rubber booty catastrophes, fit, and function to name a few, I watched the NRS design team return to the drawing board. What emerged: a new cut, re-configured wrist and neck gaskets, new material, a new TIZip\u00ae zipper. The friendly faces and thoughtful gear design of the boys and girls at NRS brought my drysuit and me back up to speed.<\/p>\n

I love the punch through design on the neck gasket as opposed to the old version, which used a hook-and-loop fasten to create a \u2018first defense\u2019 against would be wet invaders. I cringe just thinking about cold water shooting down the inside of my drysuit. The new punch through style and material conforms to your neck, isn\u2019t abrasive and fits snugly enough to prevent the dreaded rogue wave from entering your happy warm place that you call the inside of your drysuit.<\/p>\n