The weather is looking awesome ( for a change) this coming weekend, February 10-11- 2024, and for those of you thinkin about heading out to the river for a bit of fresh air and sunshiny Spring like paddling before the big game , This is the weekend to go for it! I thought I’d toss out a little info and some incentive in case you were just sittin on the fence. (<: Read below for a little bit of a teaser, a little gear history lesson and a brief list of the new arrivals at the shop. See ya there! Dan and the River Store crew!
We’ve got some special in store sales for this Super Weekend that are not posted online, but they could include several of the items listed below and a few others in the new and used boat category in particular as well as some used paddles. It’s worth a drop in visit to find out if you’re in the market for good boats and gear and planning to get out this weekend. (<: We’ll have hot drinks and some snacks available as always for the drop ins. **Check out our inventory via our online store before you come or just come in and browse all the sale items and new arrivals of great gear that we have in the store! **Don’t see what you want? Ask us! We can special order most things we don’t have coming already and save you money vs online buying in the process! **Got an idea for something we should carry? We want to hear about it! Email me at info@TheRiverStore.com **New shipments in the near future include the new Dagger, Pyranha and Jackson 2024 boats, More Werner Paddles, Kokatat’s VERY Special edition Klamath River Hustle(r) PFDs ( you’ll wanna pre-order these!), and much more! ** We’ve got a huge inventory of Watershed Drybags- used by all the worlds serious paddlers and river guides. ** We have the new Stealth and Covert whitewater paddles from Werner, influenced by Dane Jackson’s design assist and just out for the first time this week! ** A new shipment of our exclusive, iconic, and much sought after Sun Mitts just arrived as well! (See below for a brief history and description of our proprietary Sun Mitts!) **Plenty of new Kokatat Drytops, Drysuits and IR layering gear is ready to keep ya warm, dry, and comfy during all the great Winter and Spring Paddling! ** Over 200 PFDs from Astral, Kokatat, Stohquist and Harmony are in stock now!
Sun Mitts – a brief history and description of their use
Sun Mitts are an exclusive product of The River Store, sewn for us by master seamstress Julia Parnell.
Sun MItts are an amazingly versatile hand garment, great for keeping the cold air off of the back of your hands and wrists, and for protecting the exposed back of your hand from the negative affects of UV sun rays during all those paddling hours on the water. Many long time Grand Canyon guides and western paddlers have long thought of these as their go to hand wear no matter what the season is. You still have full palm contact with your paddle shaft without any loss of feel for the finer nuances of your paddle strokes and movements and they work great with long sleeve hoodies or drytop and drysuit gasketed garments as well. Sun Mitts were originally created by Oregon Paddler Hayden Glatte and his wife. Hayden was an instructor at Sundance and it was he who gave over the exclusive license to produce these mitts to The River Store over 25 years ago. We’ve made a few improvements over the years but the simple effectiveness and ease of use has remained. Lightweight, easy on and off, durable neoprene and velcro materials, variable sizing, and a comfortable, almost unnoticeable fit have created an almost cult following for these over the years. We still have folks from all over the country and beyond reach out to us when they lose or finally wear out their cherished pair. Most folks these days actually carry a spare set just in case. So, next time you’re in The River Store, grab a pair and try them on. Pick up a paddle and see how simple, yet effective the feel and performance of these little hand protection mitts are! We’re pretty sure you’re gonna love ’em as much as all of us do!