Paddle Grips for Take-Apart Kayak Paddle Shaft, Kayaking Accessories, Non-Slip Grip, Blister Prevention - Cascade Creek

No more blisters after a long day of paddling when you forgot your gloves in the car. Fairly easy to install, but they're nice and grippy on the paddle. I found it easiest to install them by getting them wet, as they suggest, get the paddle wet from the joint where the other half of the paddle attaches all the way to where you want the grips to end up, then start slipping the grip onto the paddle. The secret is that once it's on part way, hold the paddle vertically so the blade is on the ground, then pull the Yakgrip from the TOP of the grip downward. I actually stuck my fingertips into the Yakgrip rim, which pulls it away from the paddle a bit and makes it a whole lot easier to slide the grip on. I would bet soapy water would work even better, but I was too lazy to go that route and really didn't need to. The grips are nice and comfortable as long as you rotate them on the paddle so your hand and fingers avoid the seam, which is pretty much a no-brainer.

I am a big fan of these Yakgrips. I bought the Red 100-R and they did not have the Velcro, which was what I needed. My kayak paddle breaks in half in the middle. On my aluminum shaft paddle, the grips will slide a bit on the smooth shaft. This hasn't been a problem for me because I just adjust them to the proper spacing every half hour or so. The benefit's of comfort, no blisters, and a larger grip diameter for my larger hands outweigh having to adjust the position a few times a trip. Also, I now use these on my carbon fiber paddle shaft. The shaft has some very small ridges just in the construction, and the yakgrips don't slide at all while paddling. Great product, highly recommended.

These grips performed well in terms of reducing blisters on my hands. I went out one day with just one pad to see if there was a difference and there definitely was. Made for much more comfortable grips. I have a Caviness CavPro KPC which it fit nicely on. Even with my ergonomic grips, these made the paddle more comfortable. You WILL need to have a 2-piece paddle (comes apart in the middle) to install this variant. Although they sell the one with Velcro that comes apart in the middle (which I actually ordered but received this) that may work, you can't be sure that they will send that one unfortunately (maybe discontinued?). HOWEVER, the grips did slide a little bit when wet, which is inevitable. And frankly it's impossible to say how much they will on your paddle because paddles vary greatly in material and shape. My paddle has a different material for the grips with a feel similar to graphite which these grips did hold on to well enough that it didn't bother me much. But with an aluminum paddle, or plastic, it may slip more. Can't really say. It IS rubberized on the inside of the grip so it's not neoprene all the way through, but when the rubber gets wet it's a little less grippy. Overall I was satisfied with the product, it did what I'd hoped and it's not to expensive so if it doesn't stay in place on your paddle like you'd hoped, you can use tape/zip ties to tighten it or just let it go.

I wasn't able to get both pieces installed on my Aqua Bound paddle. So, not wanting to delay my friends any longer, I went with 1 glove and this grip on the other side. I want sure if I liked this grip at first, as it felt kind of weird having the paddle feel so much bigger around than I was used to. Or maybe it was just the difference between the grip on one side and the glove on the other. But, at the end of the day, I compared how my hands felt. The side where I just used the glove, my hand was cramping and my forearm ached. The side where I used the grip was a bit tired, but no pain at all. I realized later that there is another option where the grip wraps around the paddle and velcros together, so you don't need to slip it over the paddle at all. I'm probably going to buy one of those for my next trip, so I can use my favorite paddle without discomfort.

These things saved my hands! Especially when I was new to paddling, I tended to hold the paddles too tightly and always came away with blisters. I'm a better paddler now, but still like having the extra grip on my paddles. On my second pair -- the first pair lasted about 6 years and were still serviceable, but were looking a bit ragged. Be prepared for a bit of a battle getting them onto the paddles. But once they're on, they're great.

Got my first kayak this summer and enjoy the kayak but was getting blisters on my hand. The yakgrips have solved this problem very nicely. Comfortable, reasonably easy to install (but you really do need to follow the directions and wet/soak grips to get them to slide on), and easy to hold (I see other reviewers felt they were too thick but they fit my hands very nicely). My only complaint-- after six weeks one of the two grips started to separate at the seam and couldn't really be used any longer. I expected them to be more durable than that. I will say though that I contacted the company (Cascade) and they very nice and immediately sent me a replacement grip with expedited shipping at no charge at all. Very pleased with this simple product which does exactly what I wanted it to do, and can't beat the service when I had a problem.

I really like the Yakgrips and have them on both my paddles. They do prevent hands from fatiguing and getting crampy on long treks. I don't get blisters between my thumbs and forefingers as I used to. I did have to use water and a very light film of soap to install them. They are not the easiest things to get into position, especially if you have a paddle shaft with a bump-out. I thought they would never shift after installation, but I was wrong. I found the best way to keep them where they belong is to put a good size tie-wrap on both sides, tighten the wraps as much as possible, and trim the excess with a razor knife to prevent any sharp plastic edge from cutting your hands. Use great care in cutting to prevent damage to the grips or shaft.

I had been using surfer wax on my carbon fiber paddle shaft, but that wore off in the spots I used it. I thought I'd try these. After several long paddles these are my results. GOOD: They are comfortable and provide the hand to paddle grip I wanted. They are not too big--but I would prefer them to be thinner. BAD: They do slip and slide up and down the paddle shaft. I've tried various methods of making them stay in one place--nothing works. I even tried wrapping heavy duty rubber bands around each end---even that didn't work. Contact cement might work. This is a drag. They slip in one of two ways. Slowly--that I don't notice, and suddenly: stick, stick, stick-SLIDE. When I try to push them back into the correct position, same thing. They won't move and then they jump several inches. I spend a lot of time fussing with them. ---- The concept works but not the execution.---- What I plan to try next is to contact cement neoprene material from an old wetsuit top. The neoprene is less bulky than the Yakgrips, which is OK, and I can make a longer grip. - I tested the Yakgrips on a Werner Camano Paddle with a narrow shaft 1.25" (instead of the usual 1.5" -- this would make some difference but I don't think a larger diameter would solve the problem). I have good paddle technique and correct grip (which is loose) No feathering. -- I use the paddle for ocean (salt water) kayaking off the southern California coast in water that is about 68-72 degrees. -I tried using Windex as a temporary lubricant ( wet it's slippery (it's a base) when dries usually nothing slides) Works great for applications like this, but didn't help in this case.