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On the way home from Seneca, SC on Sunday we were on I40 along the Pigeon River in NC. I knew Helene was a disaster, but it's amazing how much of I40 was swept away. And the Pigeon is at the bottom of a deep canyon well below the road.

I'm not sure what switching sides has to do with symmetric vs asymmetric grips, at least it doesn't matter for me. Are some people rotating the paddle 180 when they switch sides? I've never done that. For me the very minor annoyance is that I have a 50/50 chance of picking it up wrong when...

I prefer a symmetrical grip but it's not a deal breaker. I have a cheap Bending Branches Loon that I've used and abused on shallow rocky rivers for the past few seasons and it has an asymmetric grip. It's not a big deal. But if I had the choice between two otherwise identical paddles I'd pick...

I don't have an opinion of Pelican itself, but Wilderness Systems and Dagger are good brands. I know kayaks are verboten here but I own two Wilderness Systems rec kayaks and a Dagger whitewater kayak and they are tops in their niche. I hate to see any outdoor supplier struggle.

My wife and I have paddled 89 miles so far this year. We're hoping to get one more paddle in down here in Florida so we can top 100. I enjoy paddling the mangrove mazes, tidal creeks, and springs but I'm looking forward to heading back to the Midwest next week to resume paddling the swifter...

Quick followup. I emailed Northstar and they said put a coat of 303 on it and don't worry. The UV degradation they've seen is from years of storage outside in the sun and that a couple months shouldn't hurt anything. I'm glad to hear it because I didn't want to deal with the additional hassle...

Count me in as another person who thinks the Swift weave patterns are gorgeous. Maybe they don't come across well in pictures but I love what I've seen in person.

Those videos seem to pre-date whenever rolling became a thing. These days you see people rolling canoes and I'm always impressed. I'd love to give it a try.

I've found the rules of thumb get me close, but nothing beats testing on the water with your actual boat. I kneel, so that changes the ideal shaft length vs sitting. I also found that about a 2" shorter shaft fits me better in my new Phoenix vs. my previous couple boats. But at the end of the...

Now you've got me all paranoid! I have a 2 month trip across the southern US planned for this summer and will be taking my IXP Northstar. UV damage hadn't occured to me but now I'm wondering if I should. We're in month 3 of camping in Florida with a couple of HDPE rec kayaks on the car and I...

"Themes of wellness and relaxation continue with guided movement exercises on the beach, yoga, breathwork, a sound-healing experience and forest bathing." 🤣

The level of protection is probably less important for poling than whitewater, but here is some good information on watersports helmet testing.

We all have different thresholds. I wear a PFD on lakes and swift/deep rivers but rarely on slow, shallow ones. Sometimes I'll only bring two beers along when three would have been a lifesaver.

Those are some crazy graphics. I'd love to see the process for how they do that.

I want a less expensive option with NO features. I don't want pockets, rescue straps, or anything else. I carry small stuff like car keys, phone, etc in a small waterproof box. My main criteria for a PFD is that it be unobtrusive otherwise I'm less likely to wear it.

Eons ago I took a PADI course back when I was 6' tall and a buck fifty after a stout meal. The first thing we had to do was demonstrate that we could swim unaided for 10 minutes. One of the other students was an older guy who had a good deal of extra insulation. He not only passed that test...

I don't think type V necessarily means more floatation than type III. I think it has something to do with intended usage. I just looked at a couple WW jackets I'm interested in and they offer the same thing in a regular and one with Swift water rescue features. For example, the NRS Ninja vs...

I think what a lot of people think of as a whitewater canoe these days are what are shown in this video. They look like someone took a Dollar Store kiddy wading pool and folded it like a taco. Not aesthetically pleasing, but undeniably capable. *Note to self: attend ALF this year. It looks...

Depending on how they're implemented tariffs could effect domestic canoe manufacturers due to taxes on raw materials. I believe (but could be wrong) that most resins and epoxies are US manufactured but I don't know if that's true for the chemicals that make up the resin/epoxy. Maybe there's a...