Adaptive Gear

Adaptive Gear: How the Gear We Use Facilitates More Adventure!

The gear we use plays a crucial role in facilitating adventures. From kayaking to climbing, a lot of what we do requires us to use the specialized gear. Unfortunately in a lot of cases, that gear is not suited to the needs of our participants. Over the years, we’ve discovered adaptable solutions, specialized equipment, and even ways to make homemade modifications to allow even more people to get out on trips and enjoy the outdoors. Take a look below at some of the adaptive gear that we use to make sure adventure is for everyone.

Adaptive Kayaks

First up are the adaptive kayaks that we co-own with our friends at Sportable. These kayaks are outfitted with stabilizing outriggers and custom seating systems. The seating system is built to allow for a custom fit for the kayak user, making it easy for wheelchair users to sit comfortably in the kayak. It’s the fully adjustable meaning we can customize it to offer support where needed.

When combined with the stabilizing outriggers, the kayak becomes virtually flip-proof. This is great for individuals with limited mobility, motor skills, and balance. By adding the outriggers, our participants are able to comfortably and independently kayak without worrying about flipping the kayak.

Fishing Alarms

Of course, fishing is one of our favorite types of adventure. However, in some cases, our participants may not be able to see a bobber go under the water, which is an important part of setting the hook and getting a fish in the net. By using bells and fishing alarms, we’re able to create systems that let our vision or sensory-impaired participants catch fish independently.

Climbing Gear

We believe that anyone should be able to hit the top of the climbing wall if they try hard enough! By using gear like the Misty Mountain Easy Seat, we’re able to create avenues for mobility-impaired participants to get up the wall. These climbing seats use a combination of chest harnesses and a traditional seat harness to offer a ton of support and help individuals that can’t use a regular climbing harness still enjoy a climbing adventure.

“The adaptive gear we use for trips is the reason that we can do trips. Without the misty seat, we would be unable to belay wheelchair users. These adaptive pieces are a game changer for our programs,” says Katie, Program Director.

Without this incredible and innovative adaptable outdoor gear, we wouldn’t be able to offer as many trips to as many participants. Thanks to the support of our generous sponsors and donors, along with partners like Sportable, we’re now starting to build our own adaptive gear collection. If you’re interested in helping us add to our collection, you can donate now with this link.