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I'd like to think that my fears are better called "a healthy respect for." Those would include waves/wind on open crossings, getting pinned on a rock or strainer, and bear and/or critter derived food loss. A fourth, more recent concern is a falling tree. In the spring of 2021, my brother and...

I would argue that after water and extra layers, a headlamp is the single most important item to carry when in the outdoors. You can use the position of the Sun to crudely navigate or follow a stream downhill to a road, but a headlamp can keep you on the trail and extend your day so you don't...

A pee bottle is definitely nice, even if you don't have prostate issues. As are a chair and whiskey. I would argue that a headlamp falls into the strictly essential category, but just in case, I'll mention it. Dry Bag: I use the 65 liter NRS Bill's Bag, which has carried well on long portages...

Paddling trips: Pur/Katadyn pump filter for drinking water, boiling when meal calls for boiling water, and occasionally untreated. (Hiking: AquaMira (chlorine dioxide) or untreated.)

While we didn't see the theesome in a canoe and kayak after leaving Holeb Stream, a couple camped at site at the start of the portage and on Thursday, August 11, they were just about to put in as we departed. The look back up at the outrun of Holeb Falls. While the water had dropped over a...

Jim, yes, the ice was frozen and kept with other perishables in an Ice Mule Pro XL cooler backpack, which my brother got specifically for canoe tripping. I'm not sure about the first night's meat, but unless it is cured, all meat for after the first night is frozen. My brother likes to cook, so...

We awoke to Wednesday morning to a calm Holeb Pond and to find that the water had risen at least a foot, if not more, and my boat, while not moved, was now in the water. As my brother and I took our time eating and packing up, the father and son team hit the water, and we saw them no more...

As kids, my twin brother and I had done trips on the Saco, the Androscoggin, and the West Branch of the Penobscot twice. While we both do local day trips with our respective families, our haitus from tripping lasted decades. When an injury prevented me from hiking in the summer of 2019, I...

It's oiled.

A new premium, handmade paddle arrived yesterday and it has a small knot in the blade, about 2 mm across and a cavity about 0.5 mm deep. Should this be considered a defect and be returned or is it an acceptable variation?

I have a paddle sizing question. I am ordering a Fishell Ray's Special, and am not sure whether I should order a 61" or a 64". My torso—top-of-seat to bottom-of-chin—is 27". My current quiver of paddles are a 60" Fishell Modified Ottertail, both a Breaking Branches 54" Expedition Plus and 57"...

Speaking from my experience with my Royalex OT Penobscot, a safety glass scraper, with its somewhat flexible single-edge razor blade, works well for hardened sap. Denatured alcohol has a tough time when it's hardened and will remove paint.