New Kokatat Gear to be Tested on Florida Keys Paddle
Sweepstakes coincides with 111-mile trip by all-women team of kayakers
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ARCATA, CALIF. – April 11, 2018
Five female kayakers have set off to paddle the length of the Florida Keys this spring, bringing along with them some of the newest and most technologically advanced outerwear from Kokatat.
The Florida Keys paddlers launched from Key Largo on April 9 and plan to reach Key West on April 19. By day, they will test their mettle in the crystalline waters surrounding this iconic archipelago. By night they will explore the amenities of the Florida islands, staying at the campgrounds and resorts and sampling the cuisine that highlight this coastline.
The five paddlers on the 111-mile trip are Brandy Brune, Kristine Jackson, Lisa Kincaid, Shelby Litchfield and photojournalist Kathy Holcombe, who organized the trip. Kincaid is the promotional marketing manager of Kokatat and has helped outfit the group in gear from Kokatat’s 2018 product line.
In conjunction with the paddle, sponsors of the excursion will be providing gear for The Ultimate Island Paddle Adventure sweepstakes that is open to the public. Prizes will be awarded daily during the 12-day sweepstakes, with a grand prize featuring paddling essentials from Kokatat, Jackson Kayak, Werner Paddles, SealLine, Platypus Hydration and Backpacker’s Pantry. The sweepstakes will appear on all of the partners’ social media accounts, or you can be easily entered by clicking here.
Daily highlights of the trip will be shared on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/peter.holcombe) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/peterholcombe/).
For the trip, the paddlers will be wearing Kokatat’s new women’s Naiad life jacket, the most comfortable PFD for this kind of excursion. They’ll also be wearing Kokatat’s new Stance and Jetty jackets, lightweight and packable outerwear featuring Hydrus 2.5, a new, proprietary 2.5-layer fabric that delivers rock-solid waterproof and breathable performance. Additionally, the team will be donning Kokatat’s protective sun clothing.
“This trip is perfectly suited as a testing ground for much of our 2018 gear,” said Kincaid. “What we’ll be wearing is designed to keep us comfortable and safe in a wide array of conditions.”
The team will be documenting their journey with images and video and will be posting daily updates on social media about their trials and tribulations from this one-of-a-kind expedition. For more information, contact Kathy Holcombe at (303) 514- 0834 or Kathy@HolcombePhotography.com, who will be crafting stories from the trip.
About Kokatat Inc.
Kokatat has been manufacturing paddling gear in Arcata, California more than 45 years. At a time when many technical apparel brands were moving manufacturing offshore, Kokatat continued to invest in infrastructure in the United States. Kokatat founder Steve O’Meara was committed to the development of the finest and driest paddling apparel in the world and recognized the need to control and continually evolve the development of our dry wear. In the early days, Kokatat worked closely with W.L. Gore & Associates, makers of GORE-TEX®, to refine the sewing and sealing techniques required for full immersion suits and tops. Today, our hands-on approach to manufacturing continues to set the standard in paddling apparel. Into the water with Kokatat! Learn more at www.kokatat.com.
BYLINE:
Matt Crawford – Pale Morning Media
