Brasher Hillmaster GTX
One of our best sellers, the Brasher Hillmaster GTX offers a durable yet lightweight boot with out of the box comfort......
One of our best sellers, the Brasher Hillmaster GTX offers a durable yet lightweight boot with out of the box comfort......
Designed for light and fast backcountry adventure, the Stratos 26 provides versatile organization in an ideal volume. Top lo...
A bestseller the Vango Wilderness Square combines soft and warm Terry Cotton lining with 300g of single layer.....
The North Face Longhaul is the ultimate piece of luggage for week-long journeys. This rolling travel pack will effortless......
The North Face TKA 200 Full Zip is a soft and thermally efficient multi-purpose fleece jacket. It can be zipped into a com......
Designed to keep your torso warm without restricting movement, Rab's lightweight Neutrino Vest provides great core insulat......
The Rab Bergen is a great year round mountain walking jacket, balancing full waterproof protection with low weight and pac......
The Vango Spirit 200 + is ideally suited to those seeking a very light and stable shelter with plenty of....
The North Face Nuptse is a highly compressible down vest offering a superior warmth-to-weight ratio, making it a favourite......
This beautiful Icebreaker Cami top is designed as a warmer luxury under-layer, or a feminine solo layer for comfort throug......
One of our best sellers, these natural Icebreaker Boxer Briefs feel fantastic next to the skin. Easy to care for and natur......
Mammut accessory cord is strong and resilient with a special braided core, and low stretch properties......
Year after year, this Hilleberg ultra-light solo tent is a favourite among backpackers and Taunton Leisure staff alike....
This Mammut static rope is highly abrasion resistant, very low stretch, maximum strength, extremely durable and has a long......
Mammut accessory cord is strong and resilient with a special braided core, and low stretch properties......
Three of our Taunton Leisure staff were given the opportunity to take our new inflatable Sevylor kayaks for a test float.
I was delighted to undertake this "onerous" chore because ever since my husband heard Taunton Leisure were selling inflatable kayaks he has been wanting us to get one. So this was the ideal chance for me to decide which one would be best for us.

It was a strange feeling driving along knowing we had two kayaks squirreled away in the boot along with paddles and buoyancy aids and there was still plenty of room for a rather large "paddlers" lunch.
We arrived and casually laid the two deflated boats out on the grass.




I was delighted that there was a simple diagrammatic instruction note printed on the inside of the kayaks for the older person, such as myself who finds they can't remember a thing these days (especially what they did with instructions!) The diagram showed clearly which panel to inflate first and the correct pressures.
We used the Sevylor dual action hand pump, which has all the different valve fittings needed, and easily pumped up the bases of the two boats followed by the sides and then the seats. It was so quick and easy to inflate that we over inflated every time and were pleased to be able to check with the supplied pressure gauge that we had just the right amount of air in each bit.

In ten minutes we were ready to get on the water and paddle to the next county. It would have taken just about a minute to achieve this because the river divides Herefordshire and Gloucestershire but I spent quite a few minutes wandering around aimlessly with each kayak in turn delighting in the fact that I could carry them so easily on my own.

Early on I have to confess to upsetting the tranquillity of the valley when Paul decided to just see if he could stand up in the boat whilst we paddled. We were wobbling wildly and I squealed so much that he said he would save that particular test until later. Luckily he forgot!

We all tried out the different boats and finished off with our most experienced paddler, Paul, trying both boats down some rapids.

At last we got him to stop and headed off back to the car.

The boats were easy to carry with their sturdy carry handles, and deflated with the help of the reverse pump and were back in the car pretty quickly. They would need to be cleaned and dried off when we got back. Ready for the next trial. I will be recommending more testing as soon as possible!
"So?" was the first word I heard on getting home. This single word was as it turned out, was supposed to gain a confirmation from me as to which kayak we would be using on the next fishing adventure in Cornwall.
"Well,"I am a woman, and of course incapable of a straightforward answer, so I explained, "They were both good."
"The canvas protective covering over the inflatable boat panels make them more robust than I expected.." I told him all about our day.
I couldn't get away from the fact that I preferred the look of the Canyon, I love the North American Indian canoes and this looked to me the most like these open boats. We sat lower in this kayak and it felt comfortable and stable. The bottom of the boat is the inflatable mat / lilo and overall didn't seem as rigid as the Colorado.

In the end I decided that the two seater version of the Colorado was best for us.
"At last, a decision!" my husband exclaimed.
"..., but the Canyon would do just as well and its cheaper!" I added.
Click here to see all our 2010 range of Canoes, Paddles, Pump and Bouyancy Aids