Skwoosh Seat Pads

A Seat-of-the-Pants Assessment

Written by Christopher Cunningham

From Issue February 2016

The Row Pad is sized to fit racing shell seats and has a non-slip bottom to keep it in place.

One of the things I learned from my long paddling and rowing trips was that the body adapts to the demands put upon it. Muscles get stronger, hands develop callouses, and heart and lungs get more efficient. The one thing that didn’t adapt was my butt. The farther I got into a 4 1/2-month paddle down the East Coast, the more padding I needed. I kept an eye out for new home construction along the Intracoastal Waterway and when I found job sites I went dumpster diving for scraps of foam carpet pad.Skwoosh is a company dedicated to eliminating pains in the butt, and to that end developed TekPad gel. The gel contains tiny air-filled balloons and is sealed into flexible packs in a wide variety of seat pads including the AGP Row Pad and the Kayak Pad.

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Comments (3)

Walter Baron says:

February 2, 2016 at 1:01 am

I have been using the Thermarest Trail Seat, an inflatable cushion designed for a variety of uses. A lot of kayakers use them, and I find it very comfortable rowing, used on a regular thwart. I usually row about 3 miles; it’s very good for this distance.
Wade Tarzia says:

February 2, 2016 at 2:10 pm

Oh, wow, I’m getting one of those. After spending 27 hours straight sitting in one spot during an Everglades Challenge (EC) and 5 days on a dinghy side-deck in the Texas 200—both times using a disagreeable seat—so I consider myself an expert in this matter. During the EC I sat on a throwable flotation cushion and discovered that while it worked for a 4-hour cruise at home,it becomes agony after a bit more than that. You never consider how hard a “soft” flotation cushion can get. My Texas 200 began on the hard side-deck of a tiny boat, “cushioned” by a scrap of sleeping bag pad which permanently flattened to 1/8″ thickness in half a day. The next day I inflated an air-cushion (from REI) which was very comfy but rolled under my butt (like a bulldozer tread) and always threatened to roll me into the sea if I wasn’t careful. Stay focused while sailing small boats and take care of your butt! It’s right up there with avoiding heatstroke and hypothermia!
Josh Withe says:

April 3, 2016 at 11:33 pm

I found the Oniva seat works great for a kayak seat. I’ve haven’t yet used it for more than two hours, but it is the first seat in any kayak that did not leave me numb and aching. It also has an adjustable back rest built in.