I paddled a fair bit during winter and here in Maine it gets cold. I recently purchased a set of Level Six Canoe & SUP pogies in hopes they would keep my hands warm. The problem is I can’t figure out how to install the pogie on the upper palm grip of the paddle. The lower pogie fastened around the paddle shaft with velcro. But the upper just has a 1.25" slit in the neoprene and the palm grip on my paddle measures a bit more than 3" across so it won’t fir thru.I contacted Level Six not once but twice and still have not heard back from them. Has anyone had this problem?
I have some neoprene boots, and the material is a bit stretchy. Maybe you can stretch the material enough to get the top grip of your paddle through the slit. Don’t forget, you won’t need to stretch that slit to match the full length and width of the top grip of your paddle grip if you tuck one corner of the grip into the slit first (instead of trying to make it fit through the opening “all at once”).
If you can’t make that work, just cut the slit to the minimum length that works. There’s nothing sacred about the size of the slit they provided and if it needs to be longer, then it needs to be longer. It might even simply be a guide to show you where the slit should be, and they leave it up to you to cut it the rest of the way to make it big enough for your paddle grip. After all, if they made the slit long enough to accept every size paddle grip, lots of people would be upset that it was more drafty than they’d like when installed on their own paddle. If that’s the case, it seems a bit surprising that they didn’t provide instructions to to that effect, but being in the business of making things like gloves and mitts, maybe printing up instructions is something they just don’t do.
Thanks for the advice. I had considered enlarging the slit a bit but when I first contacted Level Six they said not to do that as it would lead to fraying. I also considered tipping the handle at an angle to minimize the width of the grip but haven’t tried it yet. Level Six asked me to provide a photo of the problem which I did but I never heard back. Tried sending it again, still no response. These pogies used to sell for $20, then they doubled it to $40. Presently I paid $50. Seems like they could at least provide fit instructions for that price.
I’m fairly optimistic that you can get your paddle grip through that slit. If not, what other option is there except to make the slit bigger?
I tend to think there’s a way to avoid what the company says is the risk of fraying if the slit is enlarged. I looked at the pictures on their website and there’s no stitching around that slit and there’s nothing about the construction that would allow material along that slit to be hemmed. It looks just like it was cut with a knife or scissors. Since you have the actual item to look at, maybe you can see whether they did something to discourage the material from fraying along the cut line. Did they fuse the material at the cut edge with heat? If so, you could do the same. Or, you could use glue. There are special flexible adhesives that are made to be used on neoprene and whatever cloth backing fabric that it might be bonded to. I’ve used such adhesive on neoprene boots and there’s no question it would work to prevent fraying where any cutting of the fabric is done.
Maybe the company will eventually provide another idea.
Far as I can tell there is just a slit in the neoprene with no stitching or other reinforcement. It’s been over a week since I emailed Level Six (twice) and still no response. I am tempted to follow your suggestion and see if I can wiggle the paddle grip through the slit but with my luck it will tear. I think I’ll contact the retailer that sold me the poggies and see what they say. Thanks again for your advice, much appreciated!