Rock Garden Series by Adanac Paddles

After a week in snowy Chicago (brrr!), I’ve finally arrived back home in Sydney, with my new custom made Adanac Paddles. I’ve had these for a week but hadn’t opened them properly until tonight, to get my first close look at them.  And I must say, my first impressions are pretty good!

Travel tube, and Adanac paddles in their booties

Full-length and storm-length Greenland paddles

The initial thing I noticed was the incredible rich smell, no doubt owing to whatever secret treatment paddle-maker Jill Ellis has used to finish them off. The smell is mesmerising, as is the beauty of the matching paddles.

Then I noticed the pimped tips – Purple-Heart tips (an extremely hardy Sth American hardwood) with the Fat Paddler logo carved into them.

Pimped paddle tips!

The loom on these paddles is very different from my Aussie-made Greenland-style paddles, which tend to have a fairly small oval-shaped cross section. This feels lovely in the hand but may be a little weak. These Adanac Paddles however have a thick squared-off cross section with rounded corners and feel incredibly sturdy in the hand. I can’t wait to get them in the water tomorrow.

Paddles and paddle booties

Completed with a pair of “paddle booties”, this is the ultimate package for a rough paddle-abuser like myself. Called the “Rock Garden Series”, this new product set from Adanac Paddles looks to be the goods. Can’t wait to test them out whilst kayaking tomorrow! Cheers – FP