Cliff Jacobson:
Eight of my eleven canoes are outfitted with Dan Cooke's,
spray covers and I have two of his wonderful tarps. My Pioneer
pack is now 20 years old and still sound as a dollar. The
only tear is a minute one that resulted from stuffing the
pack under a solo canoe thwart and tearing (very small) the
fabric on an exposed bolt. I consider the Pioneer the BMW
of canoe packs. It's the best! Where most manufactures rave
about "number of stitches per inch" and "bells
and whistles", Cooke gear emphasizes practicality, utility
and killer strength for the long haul. Form follows function.
Always!
For example, the Pioneer pack has the longest closing flap
( it's double thick with an easy-to-access zippered pocket
inside) of any pack in production ... there's always room
to stuff one more thing. The pocket zipper is stitched near
the flap center rather than at the edge (the common practice),
so it will run free when stressed. The flap closure is simple
and neat: there are no time-consuming things to roll, snap
or tie.
Most of Cooke's custom touches are subtle ... the result
of imput from those who have spent years afield. I'm proud
to say I've had a hand in some of them.
A word of advice: don't be put off by the (comparatively)
low price of Dan Cooke's gear. All the things that count are
there. You'll discover that you get much more than you paid
for.
Visit Cliff's website at http://www.cliff-jacobson.com
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Bob O'Hara:
"The canoe covers from CCS kept our crew dry on the
many rapids of the Baillie and Armark rivers."
"Thanks to Dan Cooke of CCS for building me covers that
open from the top. Not only do we stay dry in rapids, but
we have quick and easy access to our gear whenever we need
it and don't have to remove the covers."
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Joanie and Gary McGuffin:
The CCS canoe cover on the McGuffin's beautiful canoe
During their 2001 National Marine Conservation Area trip;
"the tarp performed beautifully"
Visit Joanie and Gary's website at http://www.adventurers.org
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Mike Wolfe
Arctic Canoe Expedition 2001 Press Release
September 19, 2001
Eighty-seven days after setting out from Reindeer Lake in
northern Saskatchewan, the four members of the Arctic Canoe
Expedition reached their goal: Chantrey Inlet on the Arctic
Ocean. After a year of meticulous planning, Luke Manger-Lynch,
Sam Moulton, Brook Yeomans, and Mike Wolfe paddled and portaged
their way roughly 1,600 miles across Northern Canada via fourteen
rivers and innumerable lakes. A major adventure fundraising
expedition for Camp Manito-wish with significant corporate
sponsorship, the four young men proved their hypothesis: that
it was possible to start at South end and reach the Arctic
Ocean in a single season. Though other canoeists have paddled
most segments of their route, to their knowledge no one had
strung them all together in one continuous journey.
We all greatly apppreciate your contributions, and enjoyed
using CCS spray skirts. Over a period of 90 days of Abuse,
the skirts maintained quality and versatility. We love the
ease of the snap system and being able to always have dry
gear under the skirts throughout brutal northern weather and
whitewater. All four of us speak highly of your craftsmanship
and would love to continue our relationship with you in the
future."
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Borealis Paddling Expedition:
5 women who paddled through the Boreal Forest, Tundra and
Arctic wilderness to initiate scholarship donations for campers
of Camp Manito-wish YMCA. The objective of the expedition
was to raise $50,000 to allow young people to pursue the Manito-wish
experience. Cooke Custom Sewing sponsored Packs, Canoe Covers
and a Tundra Tarp Tent to the expedition.
"We are very appreciative to [Cooke Custom Sewing] who
generously donated gear of the highest quality and durability
to outfit the Borealis Paddling Expedition.The performance
of this equipment [was] vital to the comfort and efficiency
of our trip."
For details of the expedition, see http://www.borealispaddlingexpedition.com/
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Hudson Bay Expediton -- 2005:
On the 75th anniversary of Eric Sevareid's trip, with his
friend Walter Porter, to the Hudson Bay as recounted in "Canoeing
with the Cree", Scott Miller & Todd Foster set out
to retrace their footsteps and paddle strokes. Cooke Custom
Sewing sponsored Packs, a Canoe Cover, and Lean 2 with Screen
for the expedition.
Scott and Todd report that; "Dan and Karen Cooke make
unbelievably good canoe products."
For details of the expedition, see http://www.hudsonbayexpedition.com/
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Matt Adams:
Minimalists Shelters are Great for the Family too! I have
a family of five with kids ages 6, 8, and 10. Since I was
young I've spent springs, summers, and falls paddling in the
Boundary Waters and Quetico and have always enjoyed a light
and fast tripping style. This allows me to log as many miles
and see as much country as possible. As a family we've been
tripping in the Boundary Waters for a couple of years now.
To provide accommodations for five I began packing two lightweight
backpacking tents (one two person and one three person) for
a total of 11 lb 9 oz. Not only was this pretty heavy it forced
the family into two structures, neither of which had a lot
of room to spare, and made double portaging a guarantee. This
year we left the tents behind and used the Lean3Plus at ~4lbs
- what a dream! Weight was reduced by more than half, the
reduction in bulk was even better, the family could sleep
in a single structure, and we didn't double portage once!
The first night we used it my 10 year old daughter and I set
up the Lean3 in a mad rush to beat what turned out to be a
torrential downpour with high winds. A very hastily setup
structure withstood both wind and rain! The Lean3Plus has
become a staple piece of gear for my family. |
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Jim Conners:
A letter received from Jim Conners from his latest section
(Winnepeg to Hudson bay summer 2006) of the Canoeing with
the Cree route. Enjoy his pictures and story.
Letter received from customer from his latest section (Winnepeg
to Hudson bay summer 2006) of the Canoeing with the Cree route.
Enjoy his pictures and story.
Dan
A Black bear laid across my tent and on top of me at 4:30
AM. Nearly squished me. When it got off me the tent popped
up again and I sat up and grabbed my rifle. As I cocked the
rifle the wall of the tent in front of me ripped away. I guess
he hit it with his paw. We were face to face and he seemed
Very surprised to see me. He took off into woods several feet
behind tent.
No food in tent. Food containers and gear down beach undisturbed.
This happened on Lake Winnipeg about 10 miles north of Barrens
River. Many small holes from claws all over tent and one in
the gore text shell over my sleeping bag in thigh area. The
bear put a three foot hole in side of tent. It was a Bibler.
Only the third time I slept in it.
Lean 2 was put into full time service as shelter. I camped
many nights on rock islands with little or no vegetation.
Used loose rocks if available as anchors on the sod flaps
and tied off the poles to the canoe. When no loose rocks were
available I used my gear to anchor Lean 2. With the constant
winds blowing off Lake Winnipeg and very little availability
of anything to tie down Lean 2 it appeared hopeless at times
to set up Lean 2 sufficiently to handle severe weather. By
adjusting the amount of Lean 2 used and height of ridgeline
I always ended up with a very usable shelter. It is quite
a flexible contraption.
At Norway House I purchased a Coleman tent (only thing they
had) and alternated between the two shelters for remainder
of trip. No trips on horizon. It has been a ten year effort
between canoeing the Mississippi and the Hudson Bay trip.
Spray covers are awesome. New zipper piece over cockpit area
very effective in keeping breakers and standing waves out
of canoe.
All the best,
Jim Connors |
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Tracy
Dan,
A few more specifics on why I like it (Kneeling
Pads); perhaps might be useful for your promotion of the
pad:
* Definitely stays put; at least in the composite Wildfire
in which I tried it.
* Is stiff enough that it does not flop around. I also tried
it with about an inch of water in the boat and it still stayed
put.
* The material is not only good for my knees, but also does
not abraid the tops of my feet and toes. My closed cell interlocking
"equipment pads" rubbed my feet raw, and became
worse when wet. After the rain on Sunday morning at MFS, I
went home with band-aids on the tops of my feet. I generally
do not do FS paddling in the rain so that was a painful (more
annoying really) lesson regarding the use of those type of
pads.
* Easy to move around on.
Thanks again.
Tracy |
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