Dagger

Nomad 8.5 Kayak

Mirrors belong in the bathroom, and not on the surface of big water. Seeing your own reflection is a nightmare, but not because of your bed-head and sleep-crusted eyes. You have the Dagger Nomad 8.5 Kayak and all you want is white froth and steep chutes. This hard-charging boat balances technical aggression with forgiving lines when you're pushing to expand the limits of your paddling powers. Whether you're an intermediate boofer or an expert in eddies, the Nomad lets you roam both within and improve your aquatic abilities.

At 8 feet 5 inches long, this boat isn't just for the big and tall crowd. For expert paddlers who demand nothing but high-caliber performance from their creekers, this bigger Nomad offers speed and vigor on big water and hairy chutes. In addition, 78 gallons of volume give you the ability to pack for a few days on the river. Its cousin, the Mamba 8.6 offers more storage space for longer trips, but that means forgoing the Nomad's displacement hull and tight-lined tracking for the extra cargo room.

The displacement hull is what sets the Nomad apart from its easy-going cousin. The rounded bottom tracks like a bloodhound and boofs brilliantly, whether it's a 10-foot or 100-foot drop. The bow rocker and peak design help you clear water-based hurdles and keep the nose of the boat riding high. Evenly distributed volume from stern to bow lets this boat stay on the water's surface. Six attachment points mean six different spots to grab if you need help or are using a zip line to ease the pain of a portage. The step-out pillar directly attached to the hull dramatically increases bow rigidity, reducing the chances of the boat crumpling and pinning you between a rock and a wet place.