ACCESSORIES

CALL - 925.820.2628 New - the River Couch! CameraShield Aquapac Mesh Bags & Neff Bags Soft Coolers Landing Pads

Mesh bags, Chums, soft coolers, and waterproof camera cases are on this page. Thighstraps and other IK equipment are in the IK Accessories section. If you're looking for boat accessories, such as camlock straps, they are in the Raft Accessories section. Updated March 2009

New for 2009 - River Couch

At $499 these aren't cheap, but for the boater that has it all, it beats sitting around on ammo cans and cooler lids. This inflatable unit is built with air bladders and has multiple chambers. Heck, if your raft fails maybe you can float it down the river....
The River Couch features two lift handles and two cup holders on the ends of the arm rests.
Update: So much for this new item! AIRE ordered only a few of these beyond what they had pre-season orders for, and as of March they are already out of this item. If you want one later in the year we'll check stock then, but it may be February of 2010 before these are available again. We did not order any for our inventory because all common sense indicates orders for them will be few and far between from the private boaters we cater to.

Camera Shield

The new waterproof Camera Shield is a lexan case that holds almost any point & shoot or flat-body digital camera. There is an adjustable lever that runs from the exterior by your right thumb, through to the interior that actuates the shutter button. In some cases you will also be able to manipulate the digital zoom control button/lever, however, the front-to-back depth of the Camera Shield does not allow for movement of a mechanical zoom lens. The right side (or left if viewed from the front, as in the photo) pops off to slide the camera in, and there is a spare gasket provided.
A lot of our customers have requested a camera case for river use without the exhorbitant price that many carry, and this seems to fill the bill. It is a very solid, very waterproof, well made box with only one drawback - since there are such a wide variety of both locations and movements for on-off switches, you almost have to leave the camera on or shoot photos every 59 seconds or less. This of course will either run batteries down quickly, or more likely necessitate frequent openings to keep turning the camera back on since most models have a feature that turns off the camera after a minute or two. The other option is to keep your camera in a drybag or a strapped-down drybox, but in our 23 years of boating we know that tucked away cameras tend to stay tucked away - it's often just too much hassle getting them out. Since most rafting photos are actually taken from shore, it may not be a big problem to open when you're ready to shoot. It does offer solid protection for your camera evn in a drop, and includes foam wedges so your camera fits snug inside. Also note that we carry the soft case Aquapacs, which allow manipulation of more controls than the Camera Shield does. $39; Neoprene leash bag for (padding the) case - $8

Aquapac

An option to the hard case Camera Shield we carry is called the Aquapac, and it now comes in two sizes - the Regular ($29) for digital cameras and smaller point & shoot's, and the new Large ($40) for bigger point & shoot's and moderate size SLR's. These generally do not share the problem of being unable to actuate on/off buttons like the hard case Camera Shield because it is made of optical vinyl with an area of extra soft blue matte vinyl across the top rear where many of your controls will be. Most on/off buttons can be manipulated through it. Like the Camera Shield there is not a lot of room for protruding lenses on either size, but a small zoom lens camera will easily work in the Large Aquapac. The closure is composed of thick end plates with two camming levers, and it is guaranteed to be 100% dry. This is a very well made unit from England, not one of the cheesy Chinese versions. Along with the camera pouchs, we can special order other Aquapacs for GPS units, cell phones, etc. Allow one week extra.

Mesh Bags & Neff Bags

Small black mesh bags for rope, etc are $4 each;
Large teal mesh bags for riverwear, pfd's, etc are $15 each.

PAKR Mesh Bags ($14) are 16" X 20" with two loops at the top corners for tie-in or tie-down, and a drawstring closure.

We occasionally have mesh Duffel Bags in stock at $45 to $49, so let us know the dimensions you need and we'll see if we have a match.

New this year are Neff Bags, which are mesh on top, allowing your gear to dry & avoid that nast "river foo" smell, but with pvc kayak material on the sides and bottom.
Neff Bags come in Medium ($45) and Large ($59)sizes. The medium is about 2.2 cubic feet, probably big enough for most boaters, and the Large is almost 3.7 cubic feet - the same volume as a large overnight sized drybag. Both sizes have carry straps and four tie down points, but understand these are not intended to be taken down a whitewater river unless you like wet gear. In industrial two-tone grey.

Soft Coolers

Soft Coolers are a popular, non-face-bashing alternative that make good sense for any type of whitewater boat. Soft Coolers are made of PVC and closed cell foam insulation. The models we are now carrying have changed. Three are listed here with the general accessories, and the fourth one (the new 36 Quart Kayak Cooler) is with the kayak accessories.
The 40 Quart model ($69, yellow one on the left, but usually stocked in blue) is for rafts, catarafts, or larger inflatable canoes & regular canoes. It has detachable carry straps and sturdy side handles that can be used for tie-down.
The mini 10 Quart Soft Cooler ($25, similar to the blue one in photo) has a separate unzippable ice pouch on the bottom, and can be tied down via two small webbing loops. We no longer carry the mid-sze one shown in red in the middle of the piocture. These soft coolers tend to keep ice frozen longer than the cheap discount store variety, but certainly not as long as a quality rigid cooler with a tight lid.

The 21 Quart Trapezoid ($69, now in red & grey instead of solid grey) cooler is for float tubes and wider i.k's, and now has two D-rings per end for easier tie-down. It also has a carry handle on top, and the pvc it's made from is equal in weight to the floor tops of the Tributary kayaks - very strong. There is also a rolled bead seam behind the zipper to minimize cold and warm air exchange.

AIRE Landing Pads

There are now two sizes of Landing Pads, a 24" wide model ($109, in light blue) and a 30" wide pad ($125, in the dark blue shown). Both are 3" thick and 6-1/2' long. The 30" size is now back in stock, and we've had the 24's all along.
This is AIRE's version of the ever popular Jack's Plastic Welding Paco Pad at a lower price, though in fairness to Jack, Landing Pads are made in China not New Mexico, so if you prefer American-made by all means stick with his.
The Landing Pads are super thick, comfortable self-inflating sleep mattresses with open cell foam on the interior and a pvc boat material exterior. These are a bulky 9" around when deflated and the wider size weighs about 13 pounds. We cannot recommend these for self-supported inflatable kayak camping. They are intended for rafters and car camping. If you are going to use one for this purpose we would recommend the narrower size. Two of the wider ones will generally not fit the interior of a two person tent side by side. Measure your tent before you order. These come in dark green or blue, with a summit kayak air valve, compression straps, and a stuff sack.