New Ideas for Water Gear?

[akiratdk]

Hello everyone!!!

My name is Sean and I am a Design Student at Pasadena Art Center.
For this year I am trying to do design some water gear (hard and soft) for a class to ideate new stuff or better for us to use and have fun while we are protected!! J

My first assignment is to do some research about what you guys think about the brand of Vans Pro-Tec helmets and protective gear to start off. I can be good and/or bad because your feedback is the utmost important input for us to create better products for you guys!!~~~~ J

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Is there anything you guys might want to add or subtract with the Vans Pro-Tec Brand?

Technology?
(Blue Tooth, GPS, Electronic Gauges…ect…anything goes! Maybe a Sony PS3 integrated into the helmet? Hehehehe. Crazier the better)

Mechanism?
(New ways to tighten gear such as using a turn dial…. New components for better control such as having shock absorbers like Nike Air?)

Style?
(New colors, patterns, or materials…. Like carbon fiber, mesh fabric, metals…ect.)

Also is there anything that we should take out that is annoying the crap out of you?

I am here to listen and change it for all of ya~~~~ and your voice is very important and respected.

Cheers!~~

[UserName]

scratchy, dull red, polyethylene sheen, kpoch foam (smellyer th'bttr!). Maybee bring back straps made out of hemp or s'mthn..

[yak1]

How about an inflatable device that looks like a gas can so you can just pull it out of your boat, blow it up and stick your thumb out. Instead of seeing a dirt bag boater they will see some poor smuck who ran out of gas and feel sorry for him and pick him up. It can't look like a beach ball.
yak1

[raftus]

Most kayakers don't wear pro-tec helmets. They get more expensive helmets made of more durable materials. As a rafter I wear a pro-tec and have no issues with it. A turn dial for tightening the chin strap would be nice for the helmets we put our customers in - they get adjusted all the time and the little rubber bands are annoying. For my personal helmet I haven't made an adjustment in years - so the current system is fine.

Here is something that i am interested in: there is a company that is new to the US and is making gloves out of a neoprene like material that is supposedly breathable and waterproof. Anybody that wears any neoprene for rafting/kayaking would love breathable neoprene garments. The company is called Komperdell. Here is a link to their gloves: Komperdell Resistant Pro Gloves from REI.com

[Steve Kahn]

i'm on a posting barage here, so i'll keep it goinig....

one thing i've been thinking about is a kayak skirt with a zipper, like they put in a drysuit, so you could easily get into your cockpit without taking the whole skirt off....in an eddy or something....

[ActionJackson]

I've always wondered why somebody didn't put some type of ditty pocket on top of a sprayskirt. May be that it's hard to do without setting yourself up for something that is eventually going to leak. But it would be a handy place for sunscreen, Clif bar, or whatever. Needs to be cost effective. I wouldn't want it to add more than $10-15 to the cost of the skirt.

[Ron]

I've had a cheap Pro TEc helmet for 10+ yrs. and I've knocked the crap out of it and it's been great. It's hit a lot of rocks, but no harm to me, but no harm to me, but no harm to me. hee hee (just kidin' been great.) Ron.