TRAK Centre: Opening, April 11, 2008 (Calgary, AB)

We're opening up a retail centre at the Calgary Farmers' Market on Friday, April 11, 2008! Come and see our new digs, assemble a TRAK and sign up to one of our indoor demo events. Even though we are getting a ridiculous amount of snow this morning in Calgary, paddling season is just around the corner! We can get you TRAKing in no time!

Calgary Farmers' Market, Second Floor
H6, 4421 Quesnay Wood Drive SW
Calgary, Alberta
email: store.calgary@rethinkkayak.com
phone: 723-0077

Hours:
Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

A Kayaker's Waltz by Ken Whiting & Friends - a video of their Grand Canyon trip

This video is completely outrageous. This group of professional kayakers headed out on a 21 day trip of a lifetime in December down the Grand Canyon. They had a variety of boats with them, including a couple of TRAKS. Clearly they had themselves a good time. Also heard a rumor that the TRAKster pack can transport significant amounts of alcohol - Which might be directly related to the musical extravaganza this wild video is set to??

I don’t even know what class of water the Grand constitutes… but if you ask me, it looks like the “class cheating death kind.” I think I’ll leave this kind of kayaking to the pros! What became of these fine TRAK Kayaks during this trip into the Grand, you ask? (Or in other words, did it break?). Nope. Just needed a good clean.

For all Canadian’s whose parents didn’t make you watch CBC as a child you might not remember the original version of this song… For the rest of you, watch the original link for some classic Canadian Broadcasting Corporation programming. ENJOY!!

Ken & Friends:

Original Version – CBC:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJ7AvPIjaTQ&feature=related

Where are you visiting from?

Lights, camera, action... Hollywood here we come!

A rockin' TRAK commercial made in 48 hours by director Danny Roew (www.dannyroew.com)

Title: "Escape and Rethink" 1 x: 30

On Facebook.com? Join the "Friends of TRAK Kayaks" group

Share your TRAK experiences, share your photos, meet some new friends, ask someone who already owns a TRAK a question... you know how it works, just join.

Here's how to do it:
go to Facebook.com, search for "TRAK Kayaks" and join: Friends of TRAK Kayaks! (And then invite all your friends to join, too).

Elevate Film Festival

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.... what an unbelievable experience this was.

This year TRAK had the great honor to be a sponsor for the Elevate Film & Music Festival. The event was held Saturday, September 15 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA. Yes, that's the home of the Academy Awards.

I can't explain better than the amazing team can themselves - "Elevate is the first 48-hour film festival to challenge the international film community to create works of social and global importance. Our mission is to unify though art and media by bringing awareness to organizations and individuals who are making a positive impact on our world. "

I encourage you to go to the website and watch and learn and get inspired: http://www.elevatefilmfestival.com/. Some of the people who are involved in this project are also involved with "The Secret".

I don't know if I can find the words to do this experience justice. All I can think to tell you is that next year - get yourself to Hollywood for this event if you want to be left touched, inspired and elevated.

Who participated in this spectacular event:

Alanis Morissette had her video for the first single off her new album, "Underneath" (It will be out in 2008)

India Arie had a video made for her beautiful song, "Hope" (listen to the song here: http://www.musicremedy.com/i/India_Arie/videos/Theres_Hope-6298.html)

This was one of my favorites:

"Legacy of Love" You can watch it here: http://www.frazadelic.com/2007_8.htm

There were commercials (including ours - http://youtube.com/watch?v=rT0I3lWY-q8) documentaries, narratives and so much more.

From what I'm told there will be a DVD available. You should line up to buy it.

Here are the behind the scenes and event photos from the professional photographer (WOW): http://leebrubaker.smugmug.com/gallery/3703899#212398873

What a show! There were entertainers throughout the theatre literally stopping the crowd with their costumes and antics. Here's a pic of a few of them in front of the TRAK display.

This was Hollywood, baby - so of course there was a VIP entrance for movie stars and the well connected...Ken & I were on hand for this event - and during the set-up day we had a few minutes and took advantage of our "Elevators Passes" and explore the theatre. This is the view from the infamous stage.

Here are some clips and press coverage from the event:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=mfQtxyJKO4Q

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPEj3nWbyXk

And here's the report from correspondent, Ken Whiting: http://helipress.com/news_article.cfm?newsId=262

Ken, Brendan & TRAK take on the Ottawa River

Just a leisurely paddle on the Ottawa river.... all in a day's work for a couple of world champions.

Race Amazing Banff

Okay, I'm busted - I've been falling down on my responsibility to keep the blog up to date. We participated in Race Amazing Banff (http://www.racebanff.com/) in September... and it was soooooooooo much fun!

Here's how it worked:

There were about 100 people competing in this 4 day, 3 night, 12 challenge event. The concept of the race was based on the popular TV show, and teams raced in and around Banff, AB in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.

One of the events was "TRAKing"... racers picked up a kayak and then had to get it the 8 blocks to the water. Teams could get their boat to the water however they chose... this was one of the funniest parts of the event - there were people pulling it, some carried it on their back while running, others hitched a ride from locals and some pulled up in taxi cabs with the trunks flying open! It was a sight to see - I promise you that.

Upon getting to the site, teams had to assemble their kayaks, get it in the water and paddle up the scenic Bow River to find a floating clue, and then pack up their kayak and return it to the pick up point.

Assembly:

We weren't sure what to expect in terms of how fast and how easy people would find the assembly. After all, these were not experienced kayakers, and not a single person had ever assembled a kayak in their life. We had mailed them out an assembly DVD the week prior - and it was obvious that they had watched it, in fact a couple of teams had downloaded it to their iPods and brought it with them. Most teams had their boats together in between 10-20 minutes. There were a couple longer than that, but did admit that they hadn't watched the video. These racers were such good sports. All most none of them had been in a kayak before and those who had were sit-on-tops. Upon getting a 2 minute kayak lesson, they were out in the water. And true to form, in about 5 minutes they had an awesome handle of the boat. It's a good thing they had to get on to the next challenge, or I don't think we would have got most of them out of the boats. The smiles were ear to ear!

We had such an awesome time with it - and we know the racers did too. Being part of someones first experience in a kayak is so much fun... especially when they were a little apprehensive to begin with - and then to see them being able to enjoy it so much is very rewarding. Definitely the best part of our jobs!

Men's Journal - "Adventure to Go"

Here's the skinny from Men's Journal:

“At 58 pounds (in the pack), it incurs a fee at check-in – but you can check in a damn kayak.”

Read the article at: www.RethinkKayak.com/news

Outdoor Retailer 2007

Outdoor Retailer is an industry tradeshow for all the manufacturers and dealers to connect and purchase product for the upcoming season. Twice a year (summer & winter) the entire outdoor industry descends upon Salt Lake City, UT for the largest tradeshow on earth. Everything you could ever think of buying for the outdoor sporting world is represented here – and not on a small scale. You’ll have to take my word for it that with over 1,000 exhibitors in a 430,000 square foot facility, it is a truly unique experience. This event is the Disneyland of tradeshows.

The first two days of the tradeshow are an open air demo (for the paddlesport group only), which allows dealers to get out and paddle every kayak available, before they put it in their stores for you. It’s smoking hot out on this beach 100 degree plus! (A big change for us folks from Canada, LOL). We tried, but it seems like every event we go to we bring more boats than the last one, and it never seems to be enough… we still had line ups to go for a paddle. But once they paddled it, we were quickly forgiven. :)

The following four days are inside the Salt Place for a more traditional show. We moved locations this year and to a larger 20 x 30, 2 storey booth (thanks Druid). Because there’s a lot of prototypes and such at this event, they prohibit cameras, so while I’d love to show you what this amazing show looks like from the inside, I can’t. Here are a couple of quick snaps from our booth.

Our team worked incredibly hard to get the booth ready to go, but once the doors opened – they worked even harder! This might have been the only rest Dray (our US Sales Manager) had for the entire show.

We ran a contest to see who could assembly the TRAK boat fastest. Rock climber, Philip Swiney, claims the winning time. The mountain guide from Las Vegas, Nevada assembled the 16-foot kayak in an amazing 4:59! Which is not only the fastest time for the show, but the fastest time EVER, even by the TRAK team.

We also had our good friend Ken Whiting out to do a couple demos in the paddle tank, which was always a blast. You'll have to take my word for this that it's him in the boat... who was in charge of the camera???

The booth was full of enthusiastic dealers from all over the US and around the world. (We bring on new dealers everyday, so if you don't have a local dealer, you likely will soon).

I know this is just teasing, but we have a VERY exciting project that we are launching on September 1. I can't tell you what it is quite yet, but it's very fun, stay tuned....

The reviews are out. The verdict is in. TRAK is the real deal.

Canoe & Kayak

“…there have been innovations in the category, notably the recent introduction of inflatable chambers to help make the boats more rigid. But in truth, any skin-on-frmae boat that collapse into a duffel bag performs like what it is: a compromise. Until now.

TRAK Kayaks T-1600 folding sea kayak is the most innovative paddling product in nearly a decade. It is the first folding boat that can keep up with a hardshell touring in speed and performance.”

Adventure Kayak

“Do you realize the implications? Here is a kayak that is immune to the classic tradeoff between speed and maneuverability! It can out run play kayaks and outplay touring kayaks. Global market domination is virtually assured… the TRAK T-1600 proves to be an awesome
transformer. It holds its own against any other folding kayak for its construction quality and ease of assembly alone.”

Read the full reviews and stories from Explore, Breathe and others here: www.rethinkkayak.com/news

Where are the hatches?

Alright. Here's how this goes. We don't have hatches, BUT that does not mean we don't have sufficient storage capacity for a kayak of these specifications, because we do. Our system just works better.

Keder Storage System

• Our Keder Storage System is an aluminum extrusion sliding on a track that provides quick and easy access to your gear, without the hassle of leaky, failing hatches.


• When opened it provides complete access to the ample storage cavity inside the stern.


• When closed it provides a fail-safe water tight seal.


• The Keder system has a stop on it to ensure it locks into the coaming.


• With the flat rib profile of the TRAK, gear bags can easily be loaded in the bow from the cockpit.

Storage Capacity

• Bow: 165 L / 44 gallons
• Stern: 172 L / 45 gallons

Also - watch for our new gear/float bags coming soon.

National Geographic Adventure Review

"TRAK Kayaks gives us the world's best... Beginners will dig this easy to use system; experts will have a field day."

To read the full story: www.rethinkkayak.com/news

10 year old assembles TRAK in 12 minutes!

My background in water sports is Marathon Canoeing (4th place finisher in Nationals in 1986)....but I have always loved kayaks....they have to be one of the most efficient boats designed by man and considering the conditions in which they first evolved even more amazing. Recently I took the TRAK Kayak out for a test paddle. I had my two daughters with me ages 15 and 10. I got them to time me as I assembled the boat starting the timer as I unzipped the storage bag. This was the second time I had assembled one of TRAK's unique kayaks and it took 8 minutes and 15 seconds to get it from the bag into the water.

My 10 year old wanted to give it a try after watching me do it on three separate occasions so the 4th time out of the bag she had the tube frame together in about 4 minutes ready to be put into the skin! I helped her with the skin and the hydraulics and we had it in the water in under 12 minutes.....A 10 year old can wheel the carrying bag down a paved boat launch and with a tiny bit of help have it in the water in 12 Minutes? Come on! Considering the wear and tear a boat takes in the sun and wind on top of a car (not to mention the extra racking and fuel costs to haul it) as well as the at home storage considerations, plus the strength required to get it on and off the rack ....and...Not withstanding this boats other obvious and unique features, in my opinion,......NOT owning a TRAK Kayak will be a costly error in judgment for any one serious about this boat for sport or recreation!

And by the way............this boat is fast! a darn sight faster than even the lightest marathon canoe racing shell paddled by me over the years!

Craig Shearer
Founder and CEO
Solar Freedom International

Read more testimonials from TRAK Owners on our website: http://www.rethinkkayak.com/testimonials/

Sir TRAK kayak visits Lady Smith

Sir TRAK kayak visits Lady Smith That’s right, Ladysmith, BC for Paddlefest 2007 (www.paddlefest.bc.ca). It was a great weekend of paddling on Vancouver Island, and even though I missed it myself, we had one of our friends out there on our behalf. So here are a couple of pictures from the event.

If you’re into paddling you might recognize the face in these photos. If you don’t, you’ll want to take a click over to this site, www.dubside.net and learn more about Dubside. He is a world champion in Greenland rolling! He’s also behind the concept Commando Kayaking. What is it?

com·man·do kay·ak·ing
n. 1. The use of collapsible, manually propelled watercraft deployed via public transportation, often on spontaneously selected non-circular routes. 2. Kayaking effected so as to render the automobile superfluous. 3. Kayaking enjoyed under adverse conditions of weather, comfort, and convenience. 4. Kayaking on the cheap. 5. A way of life that embraces all of the above.

Seriously, check out his site. And yes, we can make it in black.

Thanks again Al for representing TRAK at this event!

TRAK Rocks

“I have to be really careful with it, don’t I?” And the answer is, “no, not at all.”

Asking us about how tough the TRAK is would have to be one of our most frequently asked questions. And I suspect there’s others of you out there that wanted to ask but didn’t. It seems that it would be fragile.

But it’s not. It’s just the opposite.

The really cool thing about our kayak is because it has flex it actually absorbs the energy from impact, rather than resists it, which means that although it sounds counter intuitive, the TRAK is impressively resilient. The kayak was recently being discussed on a blog and one of the participants made this comment: “I wouldn't be surprised if the TRAK kayak would be tougher in certain situations than a composite.” This is true! In fact, here’s something you wouldn’t want to do with another kayak… pull up on a rocky shore and then drag your kayak up the beach. But you would want to do this with your TRAK.

Your TRAK can take a lot of abuse and keep on going. It’s not impossible to get through, but let’s just say it’s going to be a lot harder to do than you can possibly imagine. In the last 5 years we haven’t had anyone get through it in the natural environment. And we’ve done some cruel things to our high performance sea kayaks… they’ve been taken snowboarding, tossed onto a concrete floor from a storey above, hung up on angle iron in the water, grated it with a homemade “kayak grater” (based on cheese grater technology), pounded it with car keys and run into the rocks at full speed, time and time again - just to show that it can be done. The worst that’s ever happened is a few cosmetic scuffs, nothing to write home about.

Let’s say for arguments sake that you do actually damage your kayak… it can be repaired easily from where ever you are. (It even comes with a repair kit). And, it’s under warranty for 5 years. Unfortunately, it’s the nature of kayaks and punctures can happen - no matter what the construction materials are, hardshells are no exception. But you can be assured that our exclusive PolyTRAK™ expedition-grade material is top of the line and the strongest material on the market today, hands down.

Back in Black

It’s not exactly an official color, in fact, it’s a color I never thought we’d have at all, but I had to make an exception to make a black TRAK for someone who wants to give the new kid in town a chance. And with that, Derrick has the first TRAK in “ninja.”

Here’s his account of getting his new kayak – and his first assembly. Let me remind you about my earlier comment that for some reason no one wants to follow the instructions...

And just so we’re clear, Derrick isn’t paid to say good stuff about TRAK. He’s just a good guy, with an open mind and knows a great thing when he sees it.

http://www.kayakquixotica.com/2007/04/black-trak.html

Derrick has volunteered to let you try his TRAK if you see him at a symposium. You can check his travel schedule from his website.

Also - for all of you who have been asking... you can order a black TRAK. Just ask!

Chris & Iilana of Toronto - Assembly Time: 6:48!

Wow. Okay, that impressed even me.

We met Chris & Iilana at the Outdoor Adventure Show in Toronto. They watched Nolin assemble the kayak once, and then wanted their turn. So because this was a team effort and not an individual (they each assembled a frame section) that saved them a bit of time. Yet still, considering they had no directions to follow, it was very fast! Nice job.

Ten & IN Portability - video proof

I get it. You don't believe me. You've been lied to before with companies promising you outrageous claims. Fair enough. A 10 minute assembly time does sound a little out there, but I assure you it's possible.And not just for an expert. Our experience is that for a first timer it's more like 20 minutes as you follow along with the instructions and get familiarized with the boat. After the first time, expect to cut your time in half. If you want to be as fast (or faster than us - that's just a matter of practice). Send us a video or a link showing us how fast you can assemble your TRAK kayak and we'll post it here.We've also found that people feel compelled to attempt assembly without looking at the instructions at all.This assembly time is more like 40 minutes on the first pass.

Anyway, this is Mike, and now that I've got You Tube figured out - the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS37AK2fISY

Oh, and if you were waiting for the snowkayaking video it's now posted as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu_qjpEtVtY

Exactly how does that kayak go in that pack?

That 16' boat sure does go in that golf bag. There are only 8 pieces as you can see in the picture below. It's a lot easier to assemble than it looks. We say that it takes about 10 minutes, but let me clarify... we don't expect that on your first time. Each TRAK kayak comes with a handy printed Quickstart photo guide as well as a slick assembly DVD. In fact, one of our dealers said the assembly guide is the "best assembly guide she's ever seen for any product." I still get the feeling you don't believe us on the 10 minute thing - so next post is a video link. Promise.