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Good on you for reclaiming a bit of ground from the knotweed invasion. Go Canada!

It's described as "The Overhead Carry" in Lou Glaros & Charlie Wilson's book "Freestyle Canoeing - Contemporary Paddling Technique". I use a modified technique, which uses different hand holds and is more comfortable to carry in my opinion. I call it the shoulder carry. And I don't carry our...

And you can store the pad right behind you on a seat rail or a thwart. I typically kneel in my solo canoes with bench seats so don't knock the pad off while sitting, but using a thwart works good too.

Nope, it's for short carries on moderately level ground, no steep hills. If the wind is really blowing I drape the canoe on my shoulder. On longer carries I use a removable yoke, the one Northstar sells. It's fairly lightweight and works well with wood gunwales.

So here's how the modifications work with a solo carry... With the pad in place it's fairly easy to hoist the canoe up on my shoulder and grab a thwart or the gunnel: Here you can see how I cut the thicker section of the pad so it fits up against the hull in the tumblehome and the strip I...

I'll have my partner take a picture of me with the canoe on my shoulder. It'll make more sense.

I tried using the pad the way it was intended, with the canoe draped over my shoulder, but like you I found that the lower gunnel bumped into my leg. That's why I modified the pad so I can use it to carry the canoe with the lower gunnel now resting on my shoulder. One arm wraps around the hull...

I have two of them, purchased from a local Northstar dealer and they work OK for short carries. I used to just set my solo canoes up on my shoulder sideways but because the Northstar Firebird has wide outer gunwales it digs into my neck/shoulder. The pad works pretty well but I did have to...

I was up in Canton mid-May to test paddle a Classic and ordered one from Gene and John. Max happened to be there and I got to meet him. While John worked up the paperwork I got to talk canoes with the three of them. What a story the Newman's have to tell. They mentioned the change in ownership...

Gumpus provides good advice. I've shortened the shaft and replaced the grip twice now with BB Sunburst paddles, once with a new grip and once with a re-used grip. I think you're better off cutting the shaft at the bottom of the grip plug and living with a paddle that's 2.5" shorter rather than...

I drove up to Grasse River Boatworks today and paddled a 15' 8" Classic on a stretch of the Grasse River, about 4 miles up and back (round trip). I liked the canoe enough to put a down payment on one. :) What convinced me to buy one? Flies along and tracks well; six to eight strokes per side...

Unfortunately my favorite tent, a North Face Westwind, is no longer with me. The poles were mistakenly brought on my daughter's sixth grade camping trip and never made it home. North Face no longer carried replacement poles so the tent wasn't of much use to me any more so I gave it to a friend...

Not canoe related and not all that old but I still use my Filson short field jacket. I've had it since 1995 when I bought it as a complement to my double logger jacket. The double jacket was great but the double layers were bulky and too warm for summer work. It was great for winter work and the...

I'm with you on that aspect, those smaller canoes can be a lot of fun to paddle. Sometimes I think I should set up a temporary shelter/cover for canoes I'd like to try but not necessarily keep for any length of time. Maybe use for a season and then sell them. Even if sold at a loss, the "lease...

Turning campground parks into group rental areas is common in some places, Vermont's been doing that for a while. Helps pay the bills and it's enforceable. I guess it's good for groups and organizations but it's one less place for everybody else.

Not surprised, it's too close to town and doesn't have full-time caretakers. Jerks are everywhere unfortunately.

Can you be more specific? I've paddled quite a few sections of rivers in eastern Washington and am curious if this is a camp site I've used before.

I used to do day trips up and back on the Columbia River and there's a lot more current than you'd think on those reservoirs.

If it works out maybe some of us could do a quick canoe right out of Paul Smiths. And locally there's Black Pond, Osgood Pond, Barnum Pond... I'll have my 13.5' sport canoe so will be more interested in meandering than maximizing miles. =-)

That's excellent information for someone like me, who uses a smart phone out of modern day "necessity" but has many of the features turned off with minimal apps installed or enabled. I do appreciate the features and capabilities that are useful, rather than merely convenient, especially while...