Upside: Taking your music with you, on and off the water.

Downside: Do you want to ruin the silence of paddling with music?

Rating: ^^^^ (4 out of 5 peaks)

Ideal User: Practically any paddler who wants to enjoy music on the water or post-paddle.

***

I’ll be the first to agree that one of the joys of paddling is silence. With the only sounds often being my paddle slicing through the water or - when I stop - the natural world on the water or on nearby land. Quite simply, kayaking is one of my favorite "silent sports."

So I’m honestly a bit skeptical of any gear that actually adds noise to the experience of paddling. However, I think the HighGear TrailAudio 512 (or 256) can definitely have its place on--and certainly off - the water!

I’ve been lusting after a portable music player, so when I learned about the TrailAudio, I knew I had to get one. The reason I got it as soon as it was released was that it’s the first digital audio player specifically designed for outdoor activities.

Along with being splash resistant and offering rubberized sides, the TrailAudio was designed to be small, lightweight, and without any moving parts - making it ideal for adventures in the outdoors. With an airplane cockpit look, the backlit negative display provides excellent day and night visibility (anyone up for some full moon paddling?).

The small unit, which measures about 5 1/2"x1 1/4"x 5/8" (with a really cool carabiner attached), comes in 256MB and 512MB flash memory options. Features on both of them include: The carabiner or alternate USB end cap; built-in USB 2.0 (no cables needed, which I love); FM radio and FM recording in MP3 quality; data file storage (just like a small and portable hard drive!); and high-performance headphones that stayed put during several training runs. Both units weigh just 4 ounces and provide up to 12 hours of continuous play on one AAA battery. The patented USB carabiner clip seems ideal for outdoors-oriented activities. I’ve easily attached it to my kayak (flat water only!), belt buckle, D-rings, backpacks, and more.

This was my first portable music player, but I found it quite easy to download music (there’s lots of free stuff out there!). Once I got a bunch of Alison Kraus on my 512, the listening experience was great on and off the water. Downloading and listening is quite intuitive. HighGear has even teamed up with Napster to give TrailAudio buyers a one-month free trial membership and five free music downloads (a $14.90 value).

My gut reaction is that I may occasionally paddle to the sounds of music (maybe some soothing New Age stuff or some serious rock ‘n’ roll, depending on my mood and that of the water and weather). But, I think where I’ll really enjoy my TrailAudio is during post-paddle periods in camp. The bottom-line is that I love it and will only use it when some music might enhance the outdoors experience.

Price: $180 for the 256 and $225 for the 512

Contact: http://www.highgear.com; 1-888-295-4949

Editor's Note: Check out Lynn Seldon's web site at www.lynnseldon.com.