• Kokatat Dry Suit - I have worn my dry suit more days than I care to recount and it has been an amazing product.  What makes it even better is the company behind it, Kokatat, which works tirelessly to make sure their paddlers are in the best gear possible.  My dry suit has been with me for over 4300 paddling miles.
• Nigel Dennis Kayaks - Simply put the best expedition kayak on the market, bar none.  It is an amazing boat that will get you and your gear where you want to go.  I would paddle nothing else, it is really that simple.  The NDK Explorer is just a bomber boat, period.
• Superior Kayaks CF  Greenland Paddle - This paddle has been by my side the entire time I have been on the Odyssey.  Simply an awesome paddle that also does two other things extremely well. First, if you need to paddle in 'Stealth' mode, this is the paddle for you.  Secondly it does an extremely good job as a tarp pole!
• Watershed Ocee- The Watershed bags are simply bomber.  My bag has been with me the entire duration of the Odyssey and it has protected my valuable camera and lenses perfectly.  The bag is tough and durable, but more than anything it is the only 'true' waterproof bag I have ever seen. 
• Spot Messenger - To me this is how all electronics made for the out door environment should be made.  It is another one of those pieces of gear that just works, does what it is supposed to do, and just keeps working.  My Messenger has been with me the entire time.
• MSR Dromedary - These bags just work.  They hold your water and don't infuse any strange taste like some other bags do.  The exterior is tough, allowing you to do just about whatever you want with them.  They will even double as an air filled pillow.
• Sea to Summit spoon - My trusty spoon is probably my most prized item, allowing me to get every last ounce out of both peanut butter jars and nutella jars. 
• Timex Expedition Watch - Before heading off to AK last year my brother bought me one of Timex Expedition watches.  This watch has been either strapped to my boat or my PFD for every single mile I have paddled.  Its primary role has been to help me navigate using the chronograph feature for dead recokoning.  Once again this is a stellar example of how outdoor gear should be built.  It does exactly what it is supposed to do and it does it all the time.
• Rite in the Rain - I have been using their waterproof journals since the first day of my journey to chronicle my adventures.  Once again, simply a stellar product that does exactly what it advertises.  If you need to keep notes in a wet environmnet, then their products are what you want to us.

Midway through this trip I was finally able to add the new Sea to Summit Waterproof map case to my kit.  This case is supposedly waterproof by using a roll top closure and then a velcro securing mechanism.  Theoretically, these seem like they would do the trick, so how do they really perform?

The first thing to note is that the case does seem to be fairly immune to the sand issue.  It is easily cleaned and even if you get a little sand, the case stays relatively moisture free.  This should give you a hint about my 'water proof' thoughts.  All in all the case stays relatively dry. The main issue is that water will begin to slowly works its way through the roll-top until getting into the main case.  Heat then makes the moisture expand in the plastic case and you begin to get into issues.

I believe that for short usage, these issues are easily resolved by wiping down the entrance of the case each night and getting rid of that seepage.  For long term use, this just becomes one more task to do each day and is likely not to get accomplished.  The end result is that you then have damp to wet maps.  With waterproof maps, once again, this is no issue.  However, if you are printing your own, the accumulation of moisture eventually becomes significant.  Once that paper gets wet, it is really hard to ever get it dry and then you have perpetual problem.

To date, this is certainly the driest case I have had, however, it still leaves me longing for a truly dry case.  I wish I could get Watershed to make a map case with their patented closure.  My maps would stay dry forever and I would be a happy kayaker.

When I was down in North Carolina (Ed, self proclaimed nicest Republican I would ever meet), turned me on to this epoxy in a tube.  I quickly added a tube to my kit and went on my way.  Last week, after suffering a complete 5" tear through the hull, I was obviously taking on a great deal of water.  Out of my space age Rec'Repair patches, I was forced to try the putty.

The putty comes in a sealed tube, that you simply take out, twist off as much as you need, and then begin to need.  The putty has two layers, the epoxy and the filler, and you simply work it together like play-do until it is a uniform color.  When this happens you then have a few minutes to work with  it before it Kicks, and becomes un-useable.   I first applied a section to the inside of the cockpit, working it over and into the crack.  Using a little water on your hands you can actually smooth it out as if you were working with clay.  After doing the inside, I flipped the boat and did the outside of the crack as well as a few other spots on the keel.

Paddling the next day resulted in a significant reduction in water leakage.  In fact, it may have completely stopped it as I found tears in my spray skirt yesterday which may have been an additional source of water.  Either way, the putty made for a simple and strong patch that made the boat sea worthy until repairs could be made.  Yesterday, as I was removing the putty from the boat, I was really impressed with the hardness and the durability of the patch.  Interestingly, the patches on the outside/bottom of the boat required sanding to remove, they were that hard and that firmly attached.  The internal patch, while still attached, came off with a putty knife.  The only thing I can think of is that the external patches, when applied, were baked in the sun, possibly making them more durable?

There are several manufactures of this putty, and one of the great features is that the will cure under water.  This makes for a fantastic emergency patch material that can be used in almost any situation.  The Rec'Repair patches are certainly way more durable, but you can not beat the convenience of the putty.  The tube is small, and nothing is needed to attach it to your boat.  Something that anyone doing kayak trekking should consider adding to your repair kit.

For long  distance tripping  my repair kit now includes:

• Marine Epoxy Putty
• West Systems repair kit (glass and resin)
• Additional Glass
• 3 4x6 Rec'Repair sheets
• Duct Tape

With these items I am able to perform just about any type of emergency repair out in the field without adding a great deal of weight or taking up too much space in my day hatch.

Most recently I have added a Sea to Summit Waterproof map case, which is for the most part water resistant.  I would still hesitate to give it the 'Waterproof' label, as too much moisture is still able to work its way through the roll top enclosure and then find its way into the main case.  If you are paddling with non waterproof maps, as I do, then this is certainly better than any other case I have used, but still it places your maps at risk.  The real benefit is that sand no longer becomes an issue in gaining closure on the case, so the roll top can still do its job.  As of late, the velcro strip  has become unglued, thus causing me some additional issues. I will simply re-glue this and see if it hols.  All in all this has been a good case for the last month.

In NC I was forced to add a new Immersion Research spray skirt, courtesy of Lamar and Barrier Island Kayaks.  This was after a complete failure of my Reed Aquatherm skirt.  I must say, Chris from Reed North America took care of me and will be sending me a replacement as soon as I can send him back the failed one.  In the mean time the Immersion Research skirt has done an admirable job.  I find it similar to the Snap Dragon skirts in that you do stay warm inside, but the neoprene skirt does let water in, especially on the NDK coamings.  With that said, the Reed was the dries skirt I have used to date.  Recently I noticed a tear in the skirt, something that is not their fault, and will thus force me to add yet another skirt to my kit.  This will be the 3rd skirt of  the trip.

When I set off in January I left using a pair of Keen Hood River Boots that I thoroughly enjoyed wearing.  I had use a pair of their River Payette boots all of last year and loved them, so I was stoked to add these to my kit.  After a short time, the boots began to fall apart at the heal seam, thus exposing my dry suit to the abrasive elements of the boat and the reinforcing of the cup heal.  Credit goes out to Keene as  they have replaced the item sight unseen, but in the meantime I needed new boots and thus aquired a pair of Chota Posi-Lok booties.  I have  always heard great things about Chota's so I felt this was finally the last style of boot I would buy.  Well, I have to say they have been a disappointment for me.  In the end, it always comes down the simple things, and on these boots, Chota has skimped on the zipper.  They are always completely jammed from even the slightest amount of sand (something I can't avoid) and thus I can never zip them up.  Not zipping them up allows sand and gunk to then come into the boot, thus creating an abrasive environment on my heal.  I have attempted to attach leverage items to the zippers, but they are made of plastic, and immediately broke.  In fairness, the quality of the rest of the boot, including the bootie, foot bed, and sole are top notch.  I do like the slight reinforcement on the outside heal area to help in protecting the boot.  Lastly, they do come on the narrow side, so even though I ordered a size up, fitting my drysuit foot, with wool socks, into the boot was an extreme and eventually uncomfortable task.  This now leaves me looking for another option as I move back into the cold New England waters where the dry suit will be back on in a couple of days.  Suggestions??

For the last couple of weeks I have been thinking about going 'Super Light'during the summer months and this would be an integral part of my kit.Dumping my tent, poles, stakes and going with the Tripod Bivy, a Sil Tarp,and the ENO hammock. I would of course dump other things, but these wouldbe my main sleep system. Not only would it be lighter, it would free upvaluable space in the the Yak and eliminate the chance of breaking poles.Stay tuned to see if I make the switch and how it all turns out.

Francine, thank you for your kindness and generosity!

-- One Mans Odysseywww.oneoceanproject.com - Follow Along

So, in short, this is an amazing product.  I have now slept in it more than my tent on this current trip.  I have been in torrential rains, near freezing temps, and stuff right in the middle.  It took me a couple of times setting it up to find a 'system' and now it is just a breeze.  Sets up and takes down in minutes.  In the torrential rain, not a drop came in and due to the little overhang, I was able to keep a portion of it open to help with ventilation.  On colder nights I have it completely closed up.  You do get a little condensation on the inside, but I think that is too be expected and reasonable.  When you are able to leave things open just a little, there is good ventilation and condensation is non-existent.

A couple of things that are pointed out in other reviews that I wanted to address.  First, yes, Bibbler does recommend that you seam seal the bivy.  They  don't say you have to, but they do recommend it and provide the seam sealer to do so.  The entire product is tape sealed, so some folks have question why you would need to do this or why you would have to do this on an expensive product like the Tripod.  All I can say is that it provides just that little bit of extra protection and only takes a few minutes.  If Bibbler was saying you had to do and they did not provide the sealer, then I would have a beef.

Second, I am using the Thermarest Neo Air.  I do love this air mattress, but it is thick, and that thickness takes up some prized vertical real estate inside the bivy.  Keep this in mind  if you use the neo air.  A standard 1" pad just feels more comfortable inside the bivy, but I am just adjusting to it.

Lastly, I am about 5'7" and somewhat broad shouldered.  I can't imagine being much bigger that me and being comfortable in the bivy.  There is definitely additional foot room, but if you are proportionally bigger (broad and tall), this is going to be a snug fit.

I absolutely love the product and will try and write a full review later in the trip.  In the meantime based on my current  21 nights of sleeping in it, I highly recommend it!

I am still not overly  excited about it when paddling in very swift currents or on my Ocean beach launches, but I am continuing to refine my stroke, and see this as a problem with me and not the blade itself.  I plan to paddle the majority of this current 4000 mile trip with the Superior Kayak blade, so I should have lots more to comment on as time goes by.

In the meantime, if you are in the market for a carbon fiber Greenland Paddle, look no further than this amazing blade!!  As before, I continue to give this product my highest recommendation.

I took both a Timex Expedition  and a Casio Pathfinder on my last expedition, and they both worked amazingly well and were incredibly important to my success.  I believe that when you are out in the wild, a tough watch with the following key features:  digital timers; digital compass; digital thermometer; digital altimeter; and a solid barometer are essential to your survival. This is exactly what the Ws4 has as it's core components.

I love the Casio Pathfinder watches as they are tough as nails, have solar power, and a wealth of features.  However, that is also their curse, in that they are complicated to use and the small size of the display (necessary to display all of the data) makes them difficult to read.  I am anxious to put this Timex through it's paces and see how it performs. The G-Shock puts the bar very high for expedition watches.

I will have a full review up before I head out on the Atlantic Odyssey.  Of course, I could not resist using my beautiful Superior Kayaks carbon fibre GP as the backdrop for this high tech watch.