submitted by Todd Wells.

Photos by: Jason Cohen, Link Jackson, and Brendan Wells.

Yet again Astral has designed and developed a steezy limited edition Greenjacket: the Samurai LE3. Here are some photos of the LE3 being put to use on Idaho’s North Fork Payette and South Fork Clearwater with the World Class Kayak Academy.

Idaho Whitewater Samurai

Seth Stoenner leading WCKA down the NF Payette

Eric Parker gettin after it!!

The Idaho Posse

For the full story on these rivers check out http://toddwellswhitewater.blogspot.com/2010/05/wcka-idaho.html

Astral Homegrown from 7 Finger media on Vimeo.

video courtesy of Gareth Tate, 7 Finger Media:

PADDLERS;
Bryan Owen, Keith Sprinkle, Gareth Tate, Adriene Levknecht, Chris Baer, Dustin Marquart, Evan Garcia, Adam Bixby, Steven Hughes, Gabriel Latini, Arlyn Agababian, Nik Hasse, Lee Timmons, Keith Sprinkle, Yonton Mehler, Drew Duval, Bishop, Billy Jones.

VIDEO CONTRIBUTORS;
Adam Bixby, Jacub Nemec, Evan Garcia, Gareth Tate, Laura Farrall, Nik Hasse, Taylor Fearrington, Bob Bailey.

*all footage shot within 60 miles of Asheville, NC.

MUSIC;
Glitch Mob - “Starve The Ego, Feed The Soul”

-2010 7 Finger media-

Hot off the production line this week was the first LE3, or as we’ve been calling it, the Samurai.

Each LE design has unique embroidery. The Samurai features a throwing star safety cross, ninja icon, and the month of manufacture on the back:

Part of the inspiration for the Samurai dates back to a batch of  jackets that we made specifically for the US Freestyle Kayak Team.  In many ways they were the first Limited Edition jackets.  Built on our ultra comfortable Willis platform, these jackets saw their debut in Thun, Switzerland and have been proudly worn by US Team athletes on rivers across the world ever since. This one was an extra and was signed by the Team, its now part of Philip’s collection here at the Astral mothership:

A lot of folks have been asking us, “How can I get an LE?”

Well, the vast majority of the LE designs are presold to our dealers across the US and a few in Canada.  The best way to find an LE is to go down to your local paddleshop and see if they have any in stock. Otherwise you can check with some of the online paddlesports retailers that carry Astral products.  We also offer a few online through our Shopatron store, but they usually go really fast as these jackets are Limited Edition and sold while supplies last.

To get the jump on the next LE release subscribe to this blog’s RSS Feed or fan us on Facebook

…and feel free to Contact Us and we can try to help find an LE near you.

Thanks for your support!

The Astral Team

After many hours in the design lab we are glad to announce the creation of the Greenjacket LE3, the Samurai!

With the LE3 you will be prepared to roundhouse big drops like Chuck Norris and karate chop boulder gardens like Bruce Lee.

Here’s a sneak peek:

This is a Limited Edition product. While supplies last.

The LE3 is no longer available.

MSRP $240

This has been another exciting week at ASTRAL, in particular because we have started construction of the Greenjacket LE#2.

Here’s some photos of this beauty:

The LE2 was inspired by our affinity for Astrology and features the Big Dipper and the North Star on the Front.  On the back we wanted the LE2 to have some extra planetary appeal so you will notice some  stars, maybe some rings like you would find on Saturn, and yeah…you guessed it, an Alien being.

Now this Alien is not your ordinary extraterrestrial.  Sure he has a ray gun and comes in peace, but did you notice his Evil Space Boots?

Here’s a closer look:

The LE 2 is no longer available (while supplies last)

This week we also had a visit from our buddy Jakub Kaefer who is a professional photographer from Germany.

Here are some fine images he shot of the ASTRAL mothership in Asheville. Check out these dog beds that just came off the production line.

…and here’s one that shows the skilled and steady hands of our sewing staff:

…another look at the Alien with Evil Space Boots… (wait for the file!)

Our embroidery machine has been staying really busy hammering out the LE2:

…and here’s Yonton and Bryan working on some inventory projections for next spring:

Hope you enjoyed this little tour of Astral!

This has been a fun and busy week for the ASTRAL crew. The factory has been finishing up the first of the new Greenjacket LE1’s as well making some dog beds from our scrap raw materials.  Meanwhile, the office team has been working on the design of LE#2. Here’s a sneak peek at what we have been up to this week:

The embroidery machine is one of the most interesting tools here at the factory, it gets a lot of use especially when we make Limited Edition Greenjackets.

Here’s Theresa constructing the front panel on the LE1 with a smile.

Below Tirza works on some LE1 shoulder straps. She is one of our veteran sewing staff and a highly skilled seamstress.

Jesus is filling some dog bed inserts with recycled lifejacket foam.  These dog beds are an alternative to the landfill and give your hound a comfy pad after a long day on the water.

Check out the finished dog beds. We also use scrap fabric for the shell material so no two are exactly the same (kinda like snowflakes… and dogs).

…and last but not least, here is a preview of the Greenjacket LE2 which is due out sometime in January.

The first Greenjacket LE sample came off the production line today kicking and screaming.

Check out this photo of the first batch that we will be building with a little space rasta theme.

Stay tuned for more info including the announcement of next month’s design.

MSRP $240

available December 2009

The LE1 is no longer available (while supplies last)

Astral LE is “Limited Edition” products made in our mothership factory in Asheville, NC. The purpose of this program is two-fold. One reason is to offer our customers the choice to purchase a domestically made , highest end PFD. The other reason is to allow us to have more fun with design, to express ourselves according to seasonal creative influences.

The LEs are built with the same meticulous details and supreme materials as our regular GreenJackets , but they are made in small batches, each having a unique artistic style. When you purchase one, not only are you going to look damn smart, but your money is helping to keep fellow Americans at work.

THE GREENJACKET LE1

It took us a long time to filter through the wide range of artistic concepts we could use on the 1st batch of LEs. When the familiar red, gold, and green color scheme finally showed up, we knew we had the 1st batch of limited edition Safety vests.

…and of course we had to add a little USA-ness to it. Browse the pictures below and if you feel the vibe, reserve yours here.

MSRP $240

available December 2009

The LE1 is no longer available (while supplies last).