Gear: Palm Sidewinder Cag "04"
Manufacturer: Palm
Website: http://www.palm-equipment.co.uk/
Reviewer: Ronan

Review:
I took it to the French Alps this year at the start of the season with the highest water. Very comfortable, feels like a quality piece of kit. Doesn’t feel like it’s made of cheap materials and has all the high wear and abrasion areas covered. The elbows have Kevlar on them and the shoulders have a heavy cordura XP150™ double layer on them. The cut is completely articulated towards paddling rather than cuts from other makes that still aim toward flat panel construction techniques.

The neck closure has been improved with a front mesh drain and a soft seal skin rubber band at the top edge of the closure, with a larger velcro strap to make it more adjustable and make it tighter for playing in bigger water.

The original cag had a nylon cross weave inner making separation areas for micro-climates to form and helps excrete moisture through the XP70™. Palm have incorporated a better system in the "04" cag to form a breathable shell using a PU micro dot texture system. The original had wear around the armpit and elbows which eventually loosened the cross weave, although this didn't effect the waterproofing of the cag it will have made moisture excretion slower.

The neoprene cuffs have been extended to provide better resistance against cuff implosion and leakage with a seal skin inner at the top of the cuff which creates a better bond with the skin.

There has been an new addition to the with the creation of 2 dry storage pockets, either side of the breast, just at the armpit which allows good access even with a full spec WW B.A on. These are fully dry so you can store your car keys inside; although that said I would put a piece of tape around them so they don’t wear a hole in the cag!

Again the cag uses an elasticised draw closure system with rubber woven in as a band and is exposed inside the Cag so it can grip the deck better and stop it riding down as well and gripping dry bottoms better making a better seal. The double waist system is fantastic as always!