Yakgrips Cascade Creek Yakgrips -Blue Wave

I used these for well over two years before I realized that well, these Yak Grips really don't work and defeat the purpose of having them in the first place. A kayak instructor pointed this out when I first purchased them, but being of a stubborn mindset I thought I could prove him wrong. Nope. Lesson learned, listen to what your instructors tell you. First of all, blisters from paddling are usually caused by gripping your paddle too tightly. Since you have to wet the shaft of the paddle to slide the yakgrips into place, if your paddle shaft gets wet on the water-which it always will to a lesser or greater degree- the yakgrips also slide all over the shaft once your paddle is wet and you are using it. The result is that you have to squeeze the paddle even tighter to try to prevent the grips from sliding with each stroke. Having to stop numerous times to adjust the grips into their proper place on the paddle is a huge pain in the butt. Plus, when these grips get wet, it feels like you're holding a wet sponge. Eventually, I replaced the yakgrips with waterproof grip tape. The results are much better, it stays in place, and no more blisters!

I purchased these because I have severe arthritis in right thumb, so cant wear gloves. When I was looking at reviews a person provided an alternative way to get grips on paddle handles, and I am so thankful!I initially tried the instructions that came with grips: run water over each grip and handle and slide on. In ten minutes I only had it 5 inches on the first grip. Then I tried the other approach on other handle.Their instructions were: keep the plastic bag grips came in. Cut 2 pieces each 8 x 1.5 inch. Roll one up to line the inside of the grip with an extra inch hanging out on both sizes. Slide it where you want and carefully pull out the plastic bag. It took 30 seconds to get to the place I wanted.Since I still had the first grip on the other handle, I put the two handles together and found it was easier to get the first grip to its place. It still would have been faster to had used the bag initially.

I got these for two reasons.First, I've lost/forgotten my kayaking gloves too often and I figured it's a lot harder to lose or forget something that's literally on the paddle.Second, the shafts on all my paddles are black, and when it's 100 degrees and sunny that gets irritating, so I figured this could add a lighter colour.It works pretty well for both. These things fit VERY snugly on the paddle shafts, and are a pain to get on and in the right position even when fully wet, so I don't see them shifting at all once in place. That said, make SURE you get them positioned where you want them!Sadly the construction quality on these things is pretty bad. There's already a rip in BOTH grips and the seams are coming apart on one. I honestly don't think they'll last very long.

I read a lot of reviews first which were helpful on suggesting how to get these puppies on! Very hard- getting the inside of the grips wet though helped them slide on and get adjusted with ease! Otherwise you got just the tip of your paddle in and were totally stuck- no movement on/off or rotating! Ruh roh.These helped me be mindful of my hand/arm positioning and helped my grip so much! I usually don’t take off rings when kayaking, which can cause irritation, plus my fingers end up sore and blistered either way. Not this time, not any more! Love these grips.

I love kayaking, but the paddle rubs places on my hands. No one else I've kayaked with seems bothered by this problem. I think it might be because my hands are pretty small for an adult. Anyway, these grips saved me on our last outing. I was soooo happy. However, it took two of to get them on my paddle, and it was exhausting. The instructions say to wet both the inside of the Yak Grip and the paddle surface, but it was still quite the workout forcing them down the shaft. I recommend putting them on at home; I packed them in my gear and installed them while on the water. But in the end, they worked fantastic, and the blue wave pattern looks great on my paddle.