Rick wrote:
"Oci-One Kanubi" wrote in message
ups.com...

snip...


I wear Converse Chuck Taylor's All Stars in my whitewater
canoe, but
I'm a decided minority on the river in that respect.



Richard,

I always wore converse all-stars in the 70s. They really gripped
wet rocks and were still good for portages. When the last pair
finally wore out and it was time to replace them, the soles were
not the same material, it was much harder, and were decidedly
slippier on wet rocks. I haven't looked for them since the early
80s, so are the soles somewhat 'softer' again?

I cannot really compare. But the current soles are a little more
slippery than I would like. I wear them for the firm sole, since I
paddle kneeling with my toes pointed straight down: the sole (attached
to the high tops lashed around the ankle) supports the weight of the
foot and lower leg, rather than the toes.

I always have two pairs on hand; a pair that fits, and an outsized pair
that fits over wool socks and the built-in latex foots of my drysuit.
When I was paddling 100 days/year I had to replace both pairs annually,
because of the unfortunate tendency of wet canvas to rot! These days I
am boating only 50 or 60 days per year, and so they last a liddle
longer.


-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
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Richard Hopley Winston-Salem, NC, USA
rhopley[at]earthlink[dot]net
Nothing really matters except Boats, Sex, and Rock'n'Roll
rhopley[at]wfubmc[dot]edu
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