Sponsored byNRS
SK Newsletter: March 4, 2008
Immersion Wear Bios

 

 Immersion Research
IR, a kayaking gear company based in Confluence, PA, was started in 1997 by John and Kara Weld in the basement of their house on a home sewing machine. At the time, Kara was finishing a 9 year run on the US Canoe Kayak Team- during which time she was 3-time national champion. John was teaching kayaking and running rivers all over the world. Within 4 years IR grew to almost 40 employees and over 100 stores nationwide. Today IR makes gear for all aspects of kayaking and sells to 100s of stores, not only in North America but in Europe, Australia and Japan. Both John and Kara have almost 30 years of paddling experience each, and they still love paddling as much as when they started, and strive to use that passion to make the best gear possible.

NRS
The people at NRS believe that you, our customer, deserve the best. We give you high-quality, affordable gear and service that’s friendly, fast and efficient. Bill Parks, our founder and president says, “I created NRS to be the kind of company I would want to do business with. We treat our customers in the way we like to be treated.”

We manufacture an extensive array of rafts, catarafts and inflatable kayaks, plus a complete line of apparel and accessories for all types of boats and boaters. Our apparel spans the range from base layers like our sun protective HydroSilk™ to fully protective drysuits, wetsuits and all the gloves, footwear and life jackets you need for comfort and safety on the water. We also partner with other top-of-the-line companies such as Werner, AIRE, Kokatat, Carlisle, Cataract, Astral, Extrasport and Aquapac to bring you even more choice in gear.

If you enjoy any type of watersport, we have gear for you. If you call us, a friendly, knowledgeable human answers the phone. Our website is a goldmine of helpful tips and instruction. Our Associates are boaters and we share your passions for the outdoors and the water world. We look forward to helping you plan and outfit your adventures.

 

 Adam Knoeller/Kokatat
A designer for Kokatat for 10 years, I was born in Ventura, California and developed a love for the water while growing up on the beach. I became interested in technical apparel design while studying art at Boise State University in Idaho, where I was lucky enough to meet a professor who designed and made all of his own clothing (including shoes). This inspired me to design and make my own ski clothing and seek employment in the outdoor industry.

15 years (and countless new products) later, I am proud to be working with such a great group of people. Kokatat is a truly unique company and justifiably well respected in the paddling community. Learning from our incredible design lead Penny Holt has been invaluable. A novice whitewater and sea kayak paddler, I’m lucky to be surrounded by a terrific family of Kokatat paddlers, both in-house and around the world. These folks provide the inspiration and feedback that help us provide the best paddlesports apparel available.

Kokatat is the leading manufacturer of a comprehensive line of technical paddling apparel, from-GORE-TEX® drysuits to life vests. Designed by paddlers, for paddlers, to meet the most challenging weather and water conditions. For more information, contact Kokatat at (800) 225-9749, (707) 822-7621, kokatat@kokatat.com, or log on to www.kokatat.com  

Shelley Johnson/MTI Adventurewear
Shelley Johnson has been a Registered Maine Guide and kayaking instructor since 1991. Active in the instructional community, she has been involved in several sea kayaking videos including What Now? Sea Kayaking Rescue Techniques, Practical Kayaking, Performance Sea Kayaking, and Seamanship for Kayakers and has taught sea kayaking courses throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Over the past fifteen years, Shelley has been active in developing guide and instructor training programs and has worked to develop guidelines for industry standards in sea kayaking. She is a member of Maine Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors and serves on the State of Maine Guide Licensing Board.

Shelley has written articles for Atlantic Coastal Kayaker, Kayak Touring, Adventure Journal and has served as both Sea Kayak Techniques Editor and Sea Kayak Field Editor for Canoe and Kayak Magazine for six years. In 1998, Ragged Mountain Press published Shelley’s Sea Kayaking: A Woman’s Guide. Since that time Shelley has authored Sea kayaker’s Pocket Guide and The Complete Sea Kayaker’s Handbook, winner of a 2001National Outdoor Book Award. She also co-authored Sea Kayaking Guide to Maine with her husband Vaughan Smith

Shelley has been active in water trail development and island conservation, serving as the 1994 Chair of the Maine Island Trail Association Board of Trustees and presently serves on the Maine Island Trail Advisory Committee. Over the years, Shelley and Vaughan have been involved in the design and testing of sea kayaking safety and accessory gear and their company, Powerface, now works with the following manufacturers: MTI Adventurewear, Palm USA, Seattle Sports, Cannon Paddle, Accent Paddle and Paddleboy Designs.
Andy Knight/Palm
Palm’s design team is still lead by its founder Andy Knight. With over 30 years of experience in paddlesports the Palm design philosophy is to design the best gear possible. We currently work closely with our team paddlers for advice on current thinking, extensive testing and concept ideas. Our products are designed initially on paper, then on screen for accuracy and finally sampled by tailors to produce the garment. A new product concept may go through up to 5 or more revisions before being signed off for production.

OS SYSTEMS
OS SYSTEMS is the leading manufacturer of lightweight, high-performance fabric drysuits. Every drysuit is individually hand crafted in Scappoose, Oregon, USA, with an uncompromising dedication to quality and performance.

Since 1983, OS SYSTEMS has designed and manufactured over 90,000 quality drysuits, along with Thermal Wear and related drysuit accessories, for sport, military and commercial diving, search and rescue/recovery (diving and surface water), maritime and Coast Guard exposure protection, marine biology, aquaculture, fishing & hunting, water skiing, wakeboarding, personal water craft, sailing, canoeing, rafting, white water and sea kayaking.

Every drysuit and wader is individually tested under water and under pressure to guarantee dryness. OS SYSTEMS maintains a full service, in house, repair facility, servicing only OS SYSTEMS manufacture products, whether the OS brand or private label.

OS SYSTEMS does not have individual designers. We design our drysuits as a team. Some of us have degrees in design, some have experience in pattern making, some are end users, and some are production specialists.

Jim Stohlquist/Stohlquist WaterWare
Paddler, designer and president at Stohlquist WaterWare. Jim lives in a tiny Colorado mountain town, elevation 8,300 ft, with the Arkansas River flowing through his backyard. Jim got an early start, paddling at age 14, and has spent his life's work designing and building paddling gear. His tens-of-thousands of hours paddling, rafting and sailing have mostly been in the cold. There's no wonder the products he wears, produces and offers to others are his passion and his focus is trained on performance and quality. Jim’s formal educational background is in design, engineering and he is a Business graduate from CSU. Besides outerwear, exposure apparel and PFD's for kids and women paddlers, today Jim's professional focus is on design innovation and growing his company.