The Rebel Tuilik

How the Rebel Tuilik Came to Be

A few years ago, I tried ordering a few tuiliks from Brooks in Canada, the go-to brand for traditional paddling gear. I even had some friends ordering with me so there would be 5 tuiliks in the order. After months of radio silence and ghosted messages, I decided to take matters into my own hands. If I couldn’t buy one, I’d make one.

In some distant history in a previous life, I had some sewing experience, but mostly from tinkering with kayak jackets and gear. So I figured it couldn’t be that hard. Turns out, I was very wrong about that part. I bought an industrial blind-stitch sewing machine, because of course you do, and a pile of neoprene. Then I set off to learn as I went, because who needs instructions anyway?

Those first months were rough

Neoprene doesn’t behave like normal fabric, and blind-stitch machines are not known for their forgiveness. Especially if you put your fingers where they should not be. But after a lot of trial, mostly error, and late nights getting high on glue vapors, I started to get the hang of it.

The thing with vapors is mostly a joke but they really smell bad and the glue sticks to all fingers, tables, gear and clothes. At least if you are as clumsy as I am. You have to smear glue, probably a mixed 2-component glue with limited pot time, on both sides of the neoprene edges, which are thin in my case. Then you do the "Hail Mary" and squeeze them together, hoping for the best. From there you can't cmd+Z. Get that wrong and you're smoked, having to start all over with cutting that scarce and expensive neoprene again. As a privateer you can't buy large batches and it quickly becomes expensive. Oh well.

My first real success was a tuilik that eventually worked — made for my daughter. It fit, it sealed, and it didn’t feel like wearing a rubber tent. That was a win. Not that my daughter is overly critical, but she actually liked it a lot! I designed the neoprene print in a burst of creativity, which helped :)

Before getting there, I’d spent months making smaller items to hone the craft — pogies, mitts, hoods — anything to practice controlling that stubborn machine and sticky-icky contact glue. Each piece taught me something new and some of my experiments might turn into products sooner or later. Probably later. After all, I have a pair of sealskin mitts, sewn by an Inuit lady, as inspiration. I wonder what product you can make of that...?

Product meeting

By September 2024, things started to move. My pal and future project partner Stefan convinced me that serial production actually is a thing. So we travelled to Poland to meet Jacek and his family at Stormmride, a small but incredibly skilled company that specializes in neoprene. We instantly clicked. They understood the kind of gear we wanted to make — functional, clean, and built for real paddlers.

A few months later and an agonizing wait, the first professional prototypes arrived. We tested them hard through the winter — in pool sessions, out on the ice-edged dock, and whenever the weather gave us even a sliver of open water. They held up ok, but of course, we found ways to tweak and improve.

By spring, we had a refined version ready to go. In May 2025, we launched the Rebel Tuilik under our RUGD branding. What is RUGD, you ask? Just rugged kayaking gear and my building blog.

So what’s different about this tuilik?

The short answer: materials and fit. The neoprene we use is super stretchy and high-quality — it moves with you, not against you. Because of that flexibility, most people can actually go a size smaller than what they’d normally wear from other brands. The result is a lighter, better fitting tuilik that doesn’t feel bulky or restrictive. It keeps you warm just the same. The icing on the cake? It’s so flexible it fits most cockpits! Ocean and keyhole.

Feedback

We honestly didn’t expect the reaction we got. Our first few batches sold out almost immediately. We couldn’t even keep up with demand. Huge thanks to everyone who took a chance on us early on — your feedback and support have meant the world!

It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, though. There were hiccups: delayed shipments, surprise taxes (looking at you, Trump-era import nonsense), and the occasional night of sewing by hand just to get an order out the door. But hey, that’s part of the process!

Oh that lovely fate

A paddler named Marie, who is XS petite, had some opinions and suggestions about the sizing of the S tuilik in late June. It was way too big for her. She showed me and I took some photos.

By August, we managed to produce a batch of XS tuiliks — a size range that had pretty much been ignored in the market. They vanished in just a few weeks! Clearly, there’s a real need for properly fitted gear for smaller paddling nerds too. 

Come our Swedish Nationals in early September, we put up some prizes and Marie won an XS in the prize lottery! No setup, no cheating. Pretty convenient and she's well worth it :)

Rebel steps in

During the spring and summer of -25 Stefan had close contact with Johan Wirsén, the designer of Rebel Kayaks. Details of that work will be shared elsewhere on this site.  Because of the built up trust and friendship, Johan brought us to the Rebel Kayaks HQ and we agreed on a deal with Rebel branding on the tuiliks, which the good folks at Rebel were interested in. So there you have it, a Rebel Tuilik was born. We are proud to have gotten their attention and are currently expanding the cooperation into, for example, this website. By coincidence I am a web developer ;)

Stuff stuff stuff

Now, as we look ahead, we’ve got some exciting things in the pipeline: an Avataq, an Aquilisaq, new mitts, Pogies and a headband designed to protect your ears during cold sessions. I know, you shouldn't reveal your secrets and bla bla bla, but we're in this together!

Looking back

It’s wild to think this all started with one ghosted order and a stubborn idea: if no one else will make it, I will.

There are still details to iron out (literally and figuratively), but it feels like we’re onto something special — a blend of traditional paddling spirit, modern materials, and a whole lot of trial-and-error craftsmanship.

Thanks for being part of this ride — and for helping make the Rebel Tuilik a reality.

//Tibor