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I almost always bring a cooler. I’d think twice if there was a long portage, but I haven’t done a lot of those trips lately. For short tips I bring a Polar Bear 24 soft side cooler – keeps things cold for a day or two, and cool for 3-4. Nice thing is that it fits perfectly behind the seat in my...

This was us running the "new" rapid. Amy (who is in the video) asked me about it, and I had no idea what she was talking about. Looks like it has been there forever.

That's true - I can tell you about the one that I have - Alps Mountaineering Lynx 1 https://alpsmountaineering.com/lynx-1-person-gray-navy-mesh-tent.html I hope to do some sea kayak camping sometime, and this tent packs up smaller than my usual canoe camping tent - an old Eureka Expedition. I...

Thanks Glenn - that works. The White is a classic New England river. Not wilderness and not remote, but very pretty running through the hills and farmland of central VT. At the right level there are miles of quickwater and easy rapids that are great for paddling or poling. This was not a club...

I don’t know if this post should go in the Poling section, the Solo section, or the Tandem section, so I’ll put it here. We had nine canoes (1 tandem, 3 solos and 5 polers) running the 11-mile section of the White River from Stockbridge to Bethel in VT. The river was a little low for the...

I spend two-weeks each summer down at the beach in Narragansett, RI, so I have done a fair amount of saltwater paddling in my Yellowstone Solo and Wildfire. It's a lot of fun. Unless the sea is really calm (and it happens on occasion in Narragansett Bay) I tend to stay in protected areas (salt...

The royalex looks like it is in nice shape - you are going to love the boat. I have a royalex Yellowstone Solo (green like yours) and a white gold Wildfire. I love them both, but for rocky rivers around here my go-to-boat is the Yellowstone Solo. Bell sold two sets of seat hangers - 4" for...

Yup - the “Three Types of Fun” definitely applies to paddling/tripping. My wife often asks me why I do these trips, and I’ve never really had a good answer other than its “fun”.

I can put 60" bags in my RX Yellowstone Solo that I occasionally take on easier whitewater - fills up most of the boat. A friend of mine does put small end bags in his tripping boat that still leaves room for gear. I always bought Mohawk float bags - too bad they don't sell them anymore...

I'm sure I would - especially on the Yellowstone Solo - but that's not the way they were designed to be paddled. I was talking about the subtle difference in rocker between the Wildfire and the RX Yellowstone Solo. With its symmetrical rocker, I'm not sure the Wildfire turns any easier or is any...

That was years of paddling in lots of different places - don't know why I didn't replace it sooner. You can always tell the dominate paddle side by the wear on the blade. I'm a lefty. Looks like recped is a righty - always looking for a good tandem partner. ;) Of your two boats I'd try the...

This is the video that Glenn referred to - forward and cross forward strokes in my Yellowstone Solo at a little play spot near my house. I don't paddle that fast - it was sped up by 50%, and my technique is far from perfect. For proper technique on a cross forward go to 24:21 on Tom Fosters'...

Depends where I'm paddling. If it is dead flat and I'm looking to cover ground I'm more likely to do a sit-and-switch, but changing hands, not with cross forward strokes. Uncorrected forward strokes are easily done with the spooned blade like the Bandit. Or I might do the usual J Stroke. In...

You are right - you'd never find a trolling motor or bilge pump in the canoe of a Native American or French-Canadian voyageur, but I'll bet they would have used them if they could. Park Rangers up in the Allagash do... For most of what I do a pump isn't needed - rapids aren't that big, swims...

Wow – that boat is in beautiful shape. I like the white – won’t show scratches. My royalex boat was outfitted by John Kaz, so I have exactly the same outfitting with the exception of the thwarts – mine are straight. Knee pads will keep your knees spread to the sides. I didn’t add toe blocks...

That's a good idea - it would be easy to stick it under the float bag in front. That's probably what I will do. But I do like the idea of flipping the switch and the boat emptying itself.

I was back with the kayakers yesterday to paddle a short, fun river in north central CT – the Scantic. The Scantic arises near Springfield, MA and flows southwest into CT to join the Connecticut River. We would be running the 5-mile section from Somers to Hazardville that is the site of the...

I use a Werner Bandit pretty much all the time. You can do a J stroke, or a C stroke, or a Canadian stroke or a goon stroke with it. About the only stroke you can’t do is an Indian stroke, or anything involving a palm roll due to the T grip and the spooned blade. The spooned blade also makes it...

I look at it a little different. Paddling isn’t a sacrifice that that takes me away from other things. It’s the part of having a balanced life that gets me outside to have fun, encourages me to stay physically fit, and allows me to spend some time with good friends. Of course, you need to keep...

Have fun breaking it in - every scratch tells a story! I have lots of stories on my boats.