Red Original Accessories – Silent Air Remover

Gimmick or Valuable tool? Yep, this one had already divided opinion on our recent IG Reel..

I’ve always been on the side of ‘it’s just air coming out of the board’ and I believe many would probably agree.

Red Original says; “The Silent Air Remover reduces the sound of a board inflated to 18psi from over 130 decibels at initial valve depression to less than 80 decibels. That is the equivalent of a jet taking off in comparison to background noise in a restaurant”.

I deliberately tested the Air Remover in my car park. I live in apartments, where any form of noise is complained about! So really, a good place to test it..

Tested where I knew people would hear any loud noises…

I set up my board to 15.5/16psi. A standard running pressure. As you’ll see on the video review (coming up shortly) I set up the Air Remover (AR) on the Rear and Central Valves, then using the ‘traditional’ press down without the AR.

Tested with a Decibel Reader in the same conditions for all

Rear Valve – 72db Max with the AR

Central Valve – 105db without the AR

Rear Valve – 114db without the AR

For the rear valve, that’s over 40db difference with the use of the Silencer, which may not sound like much but audibly it really is when you’re outside.

• Ideal uses:
• Morning/night paddles in built up areas
• On Busy beaches
• When kids are around
• When boarding with dogs
• Staying at campsites

The above are all opinions of course, but as a person who has been, for lack of a better word, bollocked, for unleashing my board air into the atmosphere by a river dog walker, I do feel it has its place and I’ll be keeping it in my bag. Maybe a bit on the expensive side, but, it is the only tool of its type as it stands.

Very simple to use and effective

Do you need it? Assess your paddle needs. Definitely valuable if you live in built up areas or paddle in crowded places with kids or animals.

We’ve seen comments of “Useless plastic” / “waste of plastic” – I disagree. You’re not exactly going to be throwing or leaving this on the ground somewhere for it to never decompose! You’ll be putting it in your bag/pouch and using it again. The device may not be to everyones liking or requirement but it does exactly what says it will do, Suppress exhausted air noise from a paddleboard – which it does well.

RRP £34.99

Don’t forget, Red Original have given us a checkout discount code of standuppaddleuk15..

UPDATE – the video test of the Silent Air Remover:

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Red Original Accessories – The Waterproof Pouch Review

Oh, you had me a waterproof..

It has been a big week for us over on StandupPaddleUK. We’ve received a fair amount of kit to test, trial and review. We’ve always loved what the crew at Red Original are doing, it’s high quality products, made the right way, by a brand that really cares about the community.

A bumper delivery for Review!

I’ve got a few reviews to write for their products but let’s get on with the Waterproof Pouch..

So as I said at start of the review, ‘you had me at waterproof’.. Yeah, this thing is legitimately waterproof. There are photos on their website of a guy swimming in the sea holding the pouch, that is insane! I’ve used dry bags before but this thing is the next level.

I mean.. Wow..

StandUpPaddleUK as a collective have been using this item for some time. Dale is a huge fan of the pouch and really does swear by it too.

Dale out on the River with his Waterproof Pouch fitted to the central grab handle

Sizing: the pouch its self is 23cm long x 12cm deep x 5cm wide. You’re easily able to get your phone, keys and a GoPro in there.. We’ve even had a drone in there. It’s also the perfect place for something like an inhaler, the most important piece of equipment when I go out on my paddleboard after my PFD! So knowing that my medication is protected is also a great thing.

I’ve comfortably fitted my Keys, GoPro, Sony A6000 and iPhone in here with space to spare

On the board: The really great thing about the pouch is you are able to connect it to you and your board in several ways. The double Velcro strap system can be secured to grab handles, your deck bungee straps, the RO deck bag and the RO AirBelt. Personal preference for me and Dale is attaching it to your central grab handle as everything is then easily accessible beneath your feet.

As ever, we are testing in line with the use on a paddleboard however you could use it on a kayak, on your bike, open water swimming.. It really is a very versatile piece of kit. I’ve now used this pouch on two paddles and during one of them was a horrendous downpour of rain, the pouch protected my keys and phone. I like the integration with my board, I don’t use a Red Paddle board, so it is really great to see a product working on different brands products. We talk to brands a great deal about integration with other manufacturers/competitors so it’s really good to see that you don’t have to own a specific board to use their accessories..

Integration across the Red Original Range. The Waterproof Pouch and be connected via the velvro straps to the PFD Airbelt. A great idea for the paddler without the need for a bigger dry bag

The Pouch attached to the RO Deck Bag – Attached via the Bungee Cords

Quick Water Test: So the basic of the basic, let’s submerge this pouch and see what happens..

A full basin of water 💧

Submerged for about 2 minutes

100% dry internally

Absolute madness. No water droplets, runs or signs of moisture inside of the Pouch. That’s a pass on the water test.. Kind of the most important part of the review really!

I’ve never really been a ‘rating’ reviewer. I prefer more to explain how the products work, how they integrate with different things and essentially if they are practical in their use. I really do believe that the waterproof pouch is a 10 out of 10 product. I suggest you check out the product itself on their website (click here for the link). As usual a video review on our IGTV will follow.

RRP is £64.95. Oh also of note; Red Original have been kind enough to provide StandupPaddleUK with a discount code – use code ‘standuppaddleuk15‘ at checkout to get a discount!

Thanks to Ross over at Red Originals for the continued support and their immense products! Learn more about Red Originals over on our IGTV Series.

Cheers to another review, stay tuned for more Red Originals product reviews..

Vivobarefoot ESC Tempest ‘Out of the Box’ Review

As you know may, or may not know, I’m one of the guys behind StandupPaddleUK. We review, test and trial equipment in the paddleboard/watersports industry.. And pretty much anything that can be used while out with your board!

Find us on Instagram StandupPaddleUK

As someone that paddles a lot of rivers and canals footwear is an absolute must. I know a lot of people are very keen on barefoot paddleboarding, which has its advantages when the weather is really hot but I always find myself trying to get out of waterways and more often than not the terrain is not favourable to bare feet. I started researching different types of footwear and qas generally pointed in the direction of a wet suit shoe or boot. I myself do use a Gul Powershoe but the problem with a wet suit shoe is they absolutely stink out your house and car!

This all led us into looking at amphibious footwear and the first company that I came across that produced something which not only looked cool but had a ton of technology behind it and is made by a sustainable company, Vivobarefoot.

In a different life I was a personal trainer so I’ve been well aware of the brand as I used to wear the footwear while working in the gym. However these amphibious shoes are completely different.. Minimal still, but different!

Now I must point out that these are solely being tested for general fit and in line with the use on a paddleboard. I’m not testing their performance for running/triathlons, the review is to show how well the shoe integrates with the day to day use of paddleboard. That being said these are being marketed as an Amphibious Swim/Run shoe so anyone outside of the paddleboarding arena will need to do a bit more research elsewhere if running is your niche.

Introducing the Vivobarefoot ESC Tempest Amphibious Shoe…

Straight out of the box: No plastic. Boom. Love that Vivo!

The make up of the shoe: The upper of the shoe have a very interesting pattern which I’m sure when in the water (mainly for swimming) provides some form of friction).

Quick draining mesh and recycled plastic PET ankle sock construction are designed to keep your feet comfortable between land and water.

The bio-based Bloom EVA midsole gives additional flotation! **Bloom is amazing FYA – it us formed into a performance foam made using algae biomass which cleans and restores the environment when harvested. The first sustainable alternative to the synthetic and petrochemical EVA foam!

How do they feel when they’re on: Bloody hell they’re difficult to get on.. I’m a UK8.5 / 9, so with a wet suit shoe I always size down because they’re stretchy. Out of the box I would say these are slightly smaller than ‘true to size’ and anyone with a wider feet should size up by one.

Now for me, these are very weird but also cool looking shoe. We’ve been sent the Zinc colourway but the shoes do come in three different colour options, these which are:

Obsidian
Obsidian/Orange
Zinc

Image from the VivoBareFoot Site

Image from the VivoBareFoot Website

Sole of the shoes are very chunky and they have been manufactured with Michelin so you can almost guarantee that the sole is of the highest quality. *The level of grip that you get from these while on a paddleboard will be tested with an ‘on the water’ test*

There are no laces on these as they are a Speed Toggle. The ST is quite a thin lace system which I feel could be a little bit thicker but on the whole does a good job of tightening the upper. I’ve honestly worn these without tightening the ST as the fit was so snug to my feet.

Overall fit: I have found these, quite tight and fit very snuggly around the top of your foot. If you’ve broken a metatarsal before like me then you may feel that they rub on the top of your feet, however this may wear off once the shoe has been worn in. When walking around normally there are no issues, I found them to be quite comfortable without socks. The shoes essentially work straight out of the box with minimal adjustments and are also very fast drying is also helpful!

Currently retailing on Vivobarefoot’s website for £170. They do a cool 100 Day Trial which may be worth the option for some people. Click Here to read more about the 100 Day Trial!

As a footballer, well, an ex footballer, these reminded me and felt comparable to these…

A very similar fit to that of the Adidas Ace boots..

Myself and Dale will be carrying out ‘on the water’ tests which will be video reviews on our IGTV. We really want to test out how well these handle on the paddleboard, getting in and out of water (specifically onto the sides of rivers or canals). I get the feeling they will be a great tool in our arsenal..

Remember that this is a minimal shoe and while we’re not talking about running it is advisable that if you are trying a minimal shoe for the first time that you seek advice from a professional.

Thanks to Vivobarefoot for allowing us the opportunity to test these out. Stay tuned for the ‘On the Water’ video review. Ciao, Darren.