not me ---
but I thought I'd look at it and post a link - couldn't find anything labeled "superior" -  were you just looking at the bolt on pads (2)? of the whole yoke ?  the two bolt on pads do look like they would set nicely on the shoulders



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wonder why its a discontinued item?  maybe google for reviews of .....

I used one like Mad_Mat referenced. It was ok but there is not much padding there. I used a set like solotrippers third reference not good but ok with a 25 lb boat. I am using some home made one like the second one solotripper referenced and they are the best I have tried. I also had a set of the aluminum frame hammock stile did not like them either.

Mad_Mat wrote on Mar 30^th, 2015 at 1:19pm:


Yeah Mad_Mat, this is the one. Only I was looking at just the foam portion, of which I would glue a piece of 1/4" cedar plywood to it and then bolt that to my yolk.  I took the "Superior" off a link on Amazon. Saw somebody over on BWCA Messageboard did this and really liked it.  I wonder if a guy could hot glue another 1" layer of closed cell foam under this contoured pad for added padding?

I worry about the 2 padded option being too much of a pressure point on my lean framed shoulders.... just not sure.  I have a buddy that thinks I should go with the Spring Creek one here:

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But I'm just not sure about it. I'm not sure I like the idea of that frame around my head on some of the difficult, uphill, rut-filled portages in the Quetico. I don't like the idea of my head in that cage if I were to slip.

About 20 years ago, I made my own without knowing what I was doing. I figured pads should run parallel to your shoulders, not perpendicular, so they could distribute the weight over a larger service area.

It was all made from scraps of stuff lying around the house. I started by putting some styrofoam on the thwart.  That was covered some bubble wrap, then with a layer of blue foam sleeping pad and that was covered with a couple of layers of carpet pad. The whole things was encased in MyGyver (duct) tape.  The space between the pads just had the carpet pad wrapped around the thwart to protect the neck.  The sytrofoam was cut at an angle so the pads match the slope of the shoulders.

I tried a few other pads on canoes I rented but nothing has been better than my homemade system.  What is truly amazing is that it has lasted over 20 years, with just some minor refreshing of the duct tape in places.

I've used the thick bolt-on pads and prefer them over any other kind.  The oval, curved pads are OK for boats up to 45 lbs or so; their great advantage is the curvature.  The wide sculpted pad (Harmony) is awful.  All the weight goes onto the neck because the ends don't angle down to fit the shoulders.