By Isaac Priestly
September 2, 2003
Upside: Stays cool, yet dry with lots of extra mobility over full dry tops.
Downside: For warm weather days only.
Rating: ^^^^^ (5 out of 5 peaks)
Ideal User: Great for playboaters or for those going on short runs (if you are a Northwester).
 |
Flashburn Shorty
Photo courtesy of
Bomber Gear |
|
Wearing a shorty dry top will be the closest you'll get to not wearing a
dry top at all in Oregon. Anyone that has had the pleasure of paddling
without a dry-top knows the incredible agility and heightened sense of
movement that comes with it. Shortys are not popular in the Northwest,
and folks don't know what they're missing - MOBILITY. Paddling in a
shorty offers an open and restrictive-free feeling, particularly with
the cut fit of the Flashburn.
With ample storage space (including a
large dry pocket - nice) there is no functionality compromise from a
standard full dry top. The Flashburn has the same solid safety features
the rest of Bomber's dry-tops share, including lots of reflective piping.
The high cut waist adds to good torso mobility as well.
Everyone knows how painful it is to pull on a full dry top on an 85
degree day. On a hot day you'll get just as wet from sweating in a full
dry top as not wearing dry gear at all. The Flashburn shorty provides a
good balance of cool yet dry, particularly with the breathe-ability of
Bomber's Toray fabric. I demoed this shorty mostly on Northwest creeks including the Upper Upper Cispus and Green
Truss section of the White Salmon, rivers that aren't known for being "warm water." However, at low summer flows
on warm days this shorty is the ideal garment.
But, let there be no doubt, the Flashburn shorty is for warm weather days
only. Don't over commit if you're on a run where temperatures could
drop or you expect lots of underwater time in cold water. The Flashburn
is best for short runs, park and play, ocean surfing, and warm water
runs. Also, you will need to get short sleeve thermal wear or a stretch
top to wear under it. Bomber makes some good features on these products
as well.
MSRP: $255.00
www.bombergear.com
|
