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I like the design and quality of Astral products. We have their Porter shoes also. My wife and I have had our Astral V Eights for two years. We have the first model with the mesh pocket. The only thing we have in that pocket is a tethered whistle and a pair of five dollar Gorilla Gloves from Home Depot. They are very comfortable with contoured and vented panels in the chest area. So the wife's chest isn't smashed and I have air space. I shortened the shoulder straps on our vests. The V Eight has been redesigned. I'll still give the older ones a 10. The new design has a different back, front pockets and Velcro for the shoulder straps. My wife didn't see the new V Eight with the pockets yet but, when we get to the kayak shop and she sees one I'm pretty sure we'll have one of them to review.

I have a Midori Solo for kayak trips that my wife doesn't go on. I like the small foot print of a solo tent when I'm camping at an unplanned spot. I got a Midori Solo for my son when we when on a three day kayak trip on the northern Susquehanna river. He is 6' tall and like the tent a bunch. See my review of the Midori 3 for more info that relates to the Solo. We like the door being on the side of the tent and that gives it a roomy vestibule also.

I didn't want to put a bunch of stuff on the deck, but seeing how others had this deck bag and liked them I got one to try out. On a three day kayak camp trip I was real glad to have the Access deck bag. It's not big enough to be in the way but, can hold a fair amount of stuff. It made my things like snacks (Cliff Bars & Turkey Jerky), camera, lip balm, sun glasses, baseball hat etc. handy to get to. As the weather gets cooler and I use a spray skirt the deck bag will be great. Inside the outer bag there is a custom fit removable dry bag with a small Velcro button attached to hold it in place. The deck bag has two Velcro straps and four corner straps to attach it to the deck bungees or lines. I like the Sea to Summit deck bag and the quality of it a lot.

My wife and I have a Midori 3. We have Necky kayaks and like the quality and design of them. Eureka is part of the same Johnson Outdoors group. We wanted a tent with a lot of screen during summer use. It's good quality, lightweight, packs small, goes up easy, has lots of room for gear, aluminum supports, big doors. I wanted solo tent for trips that just I go on so I use a Midori Solo for them. The review is the same for that tent. We use them with Tyvek ground clothes.

The Seals Sneak works great for my needs. I wasn't looking for a completely water tight skirt. I wanted some splash protection while being comfortable. It's lightweight and I don't feel confined while wearing it. It removes from the kayak with one easy pull of the handle. Being able to access the inside of the kayak by the zippers is great. I've seen some people use the Sneak with the zipper opened for sun protection. I only use it for colder weather. If you think that having a spray skirt is a claustrophobic or scary thing this is the skirt for you.

My wife and I are in Southeastern Pennsylvania and we rented kayaks a few times in late 2013 from the Take It Outdoors Adventure Group and like the hobby a lot. Over the winter we bought two Looksha 12s from Lancaster County Marine Inc. on their lay-away deal.

The Looksha 12s are great performing boats for us. They are big enough that we won't out grow them but small enough to haul and store. With the hull design, two hatches and a great seat for us we couldn't ask for a better combination. With the dealer service from LCM Inc. and even meeting the Necky rep at LCM's expo this has been a great venture for us.
We hope that this review will help others get on the water.