Canoes Plus

Canoes Plus offers a wide selection of specialized gear and apparel designed specifically for kayaking and watersports, available in store in Melbourne, Victoria or online for shipment Australia-wide.

Gear & Accessories Tailored for Every Paddler

Gear up for your next adventure with our comprehensive range of equipment and apparel, designed specifically for kayaking and watersports. Whether you are a casual recreational paddler, an ocean tourer, or a whitewater enthusiast, we have the specialized gear you need to stay safe, dry, and performing at your best.

• Technical Watersports Apparel: Stay comfortable in any environment with our selection of thermal layers, wetshoes, dry suits, splash tops, and neoprene gloves engineered for wet conditions.
• Essential Safety Equipment: Prioritize safety on the water with kayak-specific personal flotation devices (PFDs) for adults, children, and pets, alongside high-impact water rescue helmets.
• Accessories & Customisation: Maximise your setup with specialised dry bags, paddle bags, secure gear hatches, and custom outfitting options or fishing kits tailored to your craft.
• Thermal and wet weather wear: Thermal layers, wetshoes, and paddling jackets.
• Specialized gear: Dry suits, splash tops, and neoprene gloves.

Safety Equipment

• On-water protection: Personal flotation devices (PFDs) for adults, children, and pets, alongside rescue helmets.

Accessories and Gear

• Storage and customization: Dry bags, paddle bags, hatches, outfitting options, and fishing kits.
• Thermal and wet weather wear: Thermal layers, wetshoes, and paddling jackets designed for the water.
• Technical gear: Dry suits, splash tops, and neoprene gloves built for high-exposure environments.
• On-water protection: Kayak-specific personal flotation devices (PFDs) for adults, children, and pets, alongside water rescue helmets.

Accessories and Customisation

• Storage and transport: Dry bags, paddle bags, and secure hatches.
• Performance outfitting: Watersports-specific outfitting options and specialised fishing kits.

Gear Up with Premium Watersports Brands

Equip your next adventure with our massive selection of kayak and watersports-specific gear, curated from the industry's most trusted manufacturers. Whether you are navigating intense whitewater rapids, touring the coast, or heading out for a day of fishing, we supply high-performance gear built for reliability and exposure.

We proudly stock top-tier brands engineering elite water gear:

• Liquidlife: Stay protected from the elements with industry-leading Liquidlife Dry Suits, precision-moulded DK paddles, high-buoyancy PFDs, and secure spraydecks.
• Peak & Sandiline: Discover specialized outerwear, thermal layers, and elite Peak spraydecks designed for a completely watertight seal.
• Jackson Kayak, EXO & SOUL Waterman: Complete your setup with cutting-edge hulls, outfitting accessories, and performance parts from the biggest names in whitewater and touring innovation.
• Werner & Aquaglide: Browse heavy-duty whitewater paddles and premium inflatable tech built to handle demanding river environments.

What makes watersports gear "technical"

What makes watersports gear "technical" isn't just a marketing buzzword—it means the gear has been specifically engineered to solve the exact physics, environmental challenges, and safety risks of being on the water. Unlike standard outdoor gear (like a casual rain jacket or cotton hiking socks), technical gear is designed to perform under immersion, friction, and extreme exposure.

1. Advanced Fabric Technology & Hydrodynamics

Technical gear uses advanced materials that manage water actively rather than just blocking it.

• Multi-Ply Laminates: Materials like Gore-Tex, EvoTX4, or G-tex feature microscopic pores that are too small for liquid water droplets to pass through, but large enough for sweat vapor to escape.
• DWR (Durable Water Repellent) Coatings: A chemical treatment on the outer fabric that forces water to bead up and roll off, preventing the fabric from getting heavy and "wetting out."
• Ergonomic "Paddler’s Cuts": Seamless underarm panels and pre-bent elbows prevent the jacket from riding up, bunching under a PFD, or causing friction burns after thousands of paddle strokes.

2. Micro-Climate Management (Wet vs. Dry)

Technical gear is rated for specific thermal and immersion boundaries:

• Latex and Neoprene Gaskets: Technical drywear features heavy-duty seals at the neck, wrists, and ankles to prevent a single drop of water from entering the suit during a swim or roll.
• Thermal Moisture Wicking: Fabrics like specialized grid fleece, polypropylene, or merino wool hydrophobic fibers trap air to insulate the body even when completely saturated, pulling moisture away from the skin to stop hypothermia.

3. Purpose-Built Safety & Utility Architecture

Every feature on technical gear serves a survival or performance function:

• Implosion Resistance: Technical spraydecks feature structural rands (thick rubber cords or ribbed Supratex borders) built to withstand the immense pressure of a collapsing wave or a whitewater drop without popping off the cockpit.
• High-Impact Protection: Materials like Kevlar or Cordura® are strategically layered on high-wear spots like knees, elbows, and seat panels to prevent tears from sharp river rocks or rough fiberglass hulls.
• Calculated Buoyancy Distribution: A technical PFD concentrates foam around the torso to allow free arm movement, uses stepped foam to fit the contours of a seated paddler, and includes integrated rescue harnesses designed to withstand tons of mechanical towing force.

4. Specialized Hardware

Standard zippers and plastic clips rust, seize, or jam when exposed to salt, sand, and grit. Technical gear utilizes:

• TIZIP® and YKK® AquaSeal Zippers: Heavy-duty, pressure-tested, airtight zippers that act as a solid wall against water pressure.
• Marine-Grade Plastics & Metals: Saltwater-treated, UV-stabilized acetal buckles and marine-grade stainless steel that will not degrade under sun and sea exposure.

All gear and apparel at Canoes Plus has been selected and tested for its ability to perform for both Canoeing/ Kayaking and Rafting. Its specifically designed apparel rather than generic sailing or Watersports gear, and has been rigorously tested to Australian Conditions.