The Global Paddling Community

It’s not uncommon in the outdoor industry when it comes to making a women’s specific piece of equipment to start with a small men’s model make it smaller- “pink it and shrink it” as it’s called. On the contrary, when we set out to design a women’s dry top last year we started from zero with the clear goal to build the best womens’s specific paddling garment we could conceive. The result is the Shawty. First, the fabric. We picked our best for all-purpose paddling- the naturally water resistant 100% recycled polyester shell that we use in our 7 Figure garments. It has a sturdy but supple hand that dyes wonderfully to provide deep, rich colors. The laminate is the same that we use across our entire dry wear line and has proven to be remarkably durable and is not prone to the cracking and pinholes often seen on other waterproof breathable laminates. We also painstakingly fine-tuned the fit. We know that extra space inside a suit is hard to heat, and no one likes a garment that fits big enough for two people. So, we tailored the Shawty with minimal dead space to...

A couple of years ago Louis Geltman, one of our core team athletes, suggested that we design a line of expedition weight garments tough enough to take the abuse of hiking in and out of the remote rivers of the Pacific Northwest. “It would be like the Carhartt® of Paddling Gear. You could name them after the devil’s club plant we have up here”, Geltman said. “Its nasty stuff”. It sounded like a great idea to us, and for 2016 we’re proud to announce the release of the Devil’s Club line, featuring the Devil’s Club Dry Suit. The primary shell material used in the Devil’s Club is a proprietary 231 grams per square meter nylon Taslan that is almost 25% heavier than the material used in our Arch Rival garments. Despite the extra durability, however, this heavy weight fabric is still surprisingly supple. In order to keep bulk and weight down we use the Arch Rival 188 grams per square meter nylon in low wear areas like the inner torso and gussets. The result is a garment that feels solid in the worst conditions but isn’t too heavy or cumbersome for everyday use. Like the rest...

Simply stronger The best of our team proven Atom jacket made into a new‚ simpler‚ tougher whitewater suit. The new cut reduces the number of seams‚ positioning them to minimise wear. A flexible Masterseal entry zip‚ heavy duty double taped socks‚ and UK made latex seals are there to keep you dry.

We started the Arch Rival series in 2013 with the goal of making affordable dry tops and suits that were simple but remarkably durable. And by “durable” we mean able to stay dry for season after season of whitewater paddling- perhaps the worst environment in the world for waterproof breathable fabric. The interior of a dry top while it’s being used is sweaty, acidic, usually full of bacteria and or mold, and the fabric is under constant stress with 10’s of thousands of fabric-flexing rotations in the armpit alone in a single day of paddling. The first step to addressing this is choosing the right laminate. The stuff we use is called “WhiteOut”- a proprietary PU based waterproof/breathable mid layer that we developed after 10 years of hard earned lessons about what works and doesn’t work in paddlesports dry wear. The result is a barrier that will not crack or mildew or peel off the outer shell fabric or start to disintegrate even after years and years of abuse (and proper care). We introduced WhiteOut on the first generation of Arch Rivals, and we’ve been so pleased with it that we now use it across our entire...

In 2013 we first released the Arch Rival garments and the idea was simple- a basic, heavy duty breathable product that was affordable and could stand up to the horrible abuses suffered by whitewater drywear for many, many seasons. We love the laminate that we developed for these garments- we called it “WhiteOut”- and we’re still using it today across our entire drywear line. Its breathable, seemingly impervious to damage caused by the sweaty, twisting, flexing bacteria-filled environment inside a paddler’s drysuit or dry top, and it sticks to a wide variety of shell fabrics like gum on a shag carpet. The shell fabric we chose for the original Arch Rivals was a 200 denier nylon oxford that was inexpensive, strong and bonded really well with laminates. So why change it? Well, oxford fabric has a stiff hand when new, and some customers like a supple hand feel on their garments. We get it- we like that too- so we introduced the 2015 Arch Rival- the same jackets but with a softer nylon shell that is just as strong, just a bit more expensive. But still, we love the oxford. It breaks in like a leather...

This is the same jacket as our Long Sleeve Rival but with a latex neck, making it a super affordable but very durable dry top. The features include: - Fully seam seam sealed waterproof breathable shell - Latex wrists and neck - The same ridiculously durable laminate used on our most expensive dry suits and dry tops - Breathable inner tunnel - Simple and comfortable neoprene “punch-through” (no velcro) over gaskets This dry top is a phenomenal deal, and will out-last many other brands of dry tops- some at almost twice the cost.

When we started showing the early versions of the 7Figure garments this past summer, the number one question we got was “what does 7Figure mean?” That’s not super important. But the second most common question was a good one: “What’s the difference between the 7Figure and the Arch Rival?” Lets start by talking about whats the same- the laminate. The 7Figure dry top is kept waterproof and breathable by our proprietary WhiteOut PU mid layer. This laminate is the result of 10 years experience in the paddling drywear trenches learning hard-earned lessons on what works and doesn’t work for the incredibly harsh environment inside a typical paddlers drysuit. It’s sweaty, acidic and often moldy, and the high wear areas like the armpit often get compressed and stretched 1000’s of times a day. Our WhiteOut laminate was first released on the Arch Rival suits and jackets in 2013 after it withstood our absurdly difficult stress test and it has proven to be so good in the field that we now use it across our entire drywear line. Whats this mean to you? That with normal care, this laminate should stay dry for many, many seasons. This is something that sounds...

Ideal for touring, kayak fishing, rafting and SUP, the semi-dry Oneida Paddle Suit offers versatile, bombproof performance for a variety of climates and activities.

Whether you’re deep in the canyon or paddling out on the open ocean, our mid-level Gauley Dry Suit provides ergonomics, performance and breathability for every adventure. - See more at: http://www.bombergear.com/products/gauley-dry-suit#sthash.5pAxBVLi.dpuf

Designed for paddlers seeking ultimate protection from the elements with the highest-level ergonomics, performance and breathability available. The Palguin Dry Suit delivers technology and innovation surpassing the rest. The time has come to expect more from your dry wear. - See more at: http://www.bombergear.com/products/palguin-dry-suit#sthash.84VYJYea.dpuf

The GORE-TEX® Icon rear-entry dry suit, previously only available in the Kokatat Jackson Collection, is now offered in Kokatat’s main collection in men’s and women’s styles in the new colors denim and violet respectively. The Icon features Kokatat’s exclusive and time proven 3-layer GORE-TEX® Pro Shell fabric with GORE-TEX® Cordura® fabric in areas of high abrasion.

Bomber Gear’s Hydrobo mb Semi-Dry Top features many of the same attributes as the other Hydrobomb tops with a few minor differences. Instead of the latex gasket on the neck, this top features tri-panel polyurethane coated nylon with a hook-and-loop neck closure system. Hydrobomb features include the Bombtech 2.5-ply fabric, double stitched, taped, and patched seams, latex wrist gaskets, a volcanic neck system, minimal cone-shaped cuffs, and Bomber Gear’s signature Performance Cut design. The dual-adjustable overskirt incorporates a hook-and-loop closure system with J-mesh sticky neoprene, rubber closer flaps, and a thinner material for less folds and a drier, more comfortable fit. Also features a sleeve pocket and a reflective screen printed logo. - See more at: http://www.bombergear.com/products/hydrobomb-semi-dry-top#sthash.pzad9tAg.dpuf

Our Hydrogen Neoprene TOP is fashioned from our premium 4-way SuperStretch 1MM neoprene with flat seam construction and brushed liner for ultimate comfort, dry or wet. Design in Bomber Gear’s Performance Cut fashion with reflective screen printed logo. Treated with an anti-microbial agent to reduce odors. Available Colors: Charcoal Available Sizes: Small, Medium, Large, X-Large and XX-Large

The Hydrobomb Dry Suit is ideal for those wanting full-body, all-day comfort through Bomber Gear’s unique performance-driven construction at a value. Key features include our Bombtech 2.5-ply breathable fabric, abrasion resistant oxford nylon on the seat, knees and shins, and 2.5-layer socks with reinforced bottoms. Like the Hydrobomb Dry Top, the dry suite includes the volcanic neck system with 4-way stretch, Slickskin neoprene, minimal cone-shaped signature cuffs and fused (not glued) latex neck and wrist gaskets for an ergonomic, performance-driven fit. Other features include a reflective screen printed logo and a draw-string waist. And with our signature double-stitched, taped and patched seams with waterproof front entry and relief TiZip™ zippers, you can count on staying dry.