thank you very much for that, it has been useful, and encouraged me to look a bit harder (kayaking retailers are hard to find in Aus) I have added the palm Sidewinder and the Level six duke and to my list of possibility's. I'm not sure if i can get the level six in Australia though.
My need for a top quality jacket it not that great, my current one is from the mid 90's, and the only thing it does effectively is stop people from worrying about me. my local run is relatively warm, once i forgot my cag and ran it with nothing but a thermal without any problems.
The reason that I want a new one is that I am getting to the point where I am paddling bigger rivers than my dad, which means I need other people to take me paddling, and they are more likely to do that if I have the proper gear.