Warning:

Okay here is your first warning I'm trying to teach myself HTML skills so reader beware this review maybe a little overboard on pictures , links and a little geekie.

Overview:

I had a WaveSport top that I still love , it is armored with cordora and it even had built in elbow pads, I sent it to Amigos to have a gasket repaired, and then Charlie called me and gave me the bad news, the seam tape was giving up and I had about 3 years left, so with that I wanted to sell it while it still had some value left in it, and they don't make it anyone, and it wasn't breathable. The material was really slick , so tape has a hard time bonding to it. So I started looking around. I have Lotus Designs Warm Weather Training Shell  I really like the top for cold water hot days in the summer, and Lotus Designs, has to me, always been a conservative, it's gonna work no frills, it cost more, because it's worth it type of product.

Here is a picture of the training shell.

I mean there sure are a lot to choose from. But when I got digging , sure brand X was cool and all, but none were  really functional, I need something tough, I usually tear my stuff up portaging or scouting, and I needed something a little less cute, and more up to my standards. Also I like a dry pants and dry top setup, for the very reason if I have a tear in the pants, while scooting over rocks, it won't be a show stopper. A torn dry suit could really ruin your day on a low volume creek. If I boated more in the NorthWest and had snowfall big water runs, I would want a dry suit and now have one.

So I went back to the Lotus Designs  site, and ut-oh, what's happened. It's now strictly Patagonia stuff. So if you try to look it up, you can't find it. BUT!!!!! there is always another way to do something. So in the keyword section: I typed in. ROYAL FLUSH, and it came up. Another trick, you need two sizes bigger when it comes to the old Lotus Design stuff, I think the Chinese have it in for us. So I ordered a XXL size and it fits perfect, it easy to get off and I feel sorry for someone who is an XXL , because in the real world it's a Large.

Real World:

Delivered as promised, it is cut really well for freedom , I even more happy now, the old top was non-breathable, this Royal Flush  top, helps keep me warmer by not trapping my sweat. While scouting I don't have to watch where I'm walking, I can bust thru brush, while the guys I'm paddling with gingerly watch where they go. On the water, it doesn't bother me to smack against a rock, or take a line by a jagged bluff, I hit and go on. But what I like most is the straight-forward conservative design, everthing on it works, nothing fancy or cutting edge about, just a high quality product.

Con:

And this is kinda Mickey Mouse of me, but I wish it came in different darker colors to help hide dirt, so climbing over rocks,  wouldn't show the grime. But I also know the two color option helps keep the top costs down, and to me that's what makes it a Patagonia (Lotus Designs) , no nonsense go out and there and use it design mentality and that makes me like the top even more .

Mark Cumnock