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I recently did a flatwater paddle on the Green River, Utah, in a North Wind solo. Thought the experience might be relevant to your decision making. I paddled it as a pack canoe, just so you know. The North Wind worked very well, except for one issue. If I'd stop paddling, to take a photo or...

Wow! That looks like a solid seat. It should hold a ton, not that you weigh that much. I would think getting the webbing through the holes would be a pain. I've heard some people complain that contoured seats don't allow for shifting your weight, if needed. I kind of like tractor seats myself...

Boy, that really is starting from scratch. I built a boat once, to prove a point. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't. In my view there are only two good reasons to build a boat. One- you want something that you can't buy. Two- the satisfaction of paddling (or rowing, or whatever) a boat that...

To be honest, I don't remember, for sure, what packs I used. Most likely a very large dry bag, like a 115 and a smaller bag, plus a 7 gallon jug. I'd drop it in sideways and then rotate it. I do remember one thing. On one trip, I brought along a ridiculously bulky sleeping pad, meant for car...

I've had several solo canoes. The first one I owned was a Wenonah Encounter in Tough Weave. https://wenonah.com/Canoes.aspx?id=129 Not very light, and doesn't turn very well, but otherwise I really liked that boat. Super stable, reasonably fast, tracks well, holds a ton of gear, sliding tractor...

I have a North Wind solo in Blacklite. It is perfect for stuff like Upper Missouri, Labyrinth Canyon, Stillwater Canyon, Meander Canyon. Last time I did Loma to Westwater, which has some easy rapids, there was some guy launching a North Wind in Blacklite with the expensive carbon rails. He has...

These aren't purification tablets. They are packets of powder. They settle the silt like magic.

P&G sells purification packets. You can buy them on Amazon. They work like magic. My understanding is you don't need to filter the water after using them, the water is safe to drink as is.

I'm headed there myself, but doing a shorter trip. I'm with you on boat size. I don't know how people do dessert trips in 16' boats. Two people, a minimum of a gallon a day for 10 days. That's a lot of weight. There is a way around that, P&G water purification packets, but I'd still go with...

I have two Esquif touring canoes. This one looks like a fishing boat or a good boat for taking your lab out for a paddle. Not something I'd buy.

I try to look at several attributes and not focus on one thing, like speed. I've paddled semi-whitewater boats on class I rivers and it's pretty frustrating. If you stop paddling, they come to a stop pretty quickly. Very little glide. Less glide means more work. Load capacity is a big factor...

What ever one is on sale as long as it is comfortable, has decent floatation, a tab for attaching a knife, a good place to attach a whistle, and the zipper is easy to use and straps are easy for me to reach. I've bought most of my lifejackets on line. I don't really recommend that. You need to...

I've never been a fan of group meals. What you like to eat might not be what I like to eat. What you consider enough food might not be what I consider enough food. It could force me to bring a cooler that I wouldn't have brought if we weren't doing group meals. I do as little cooking as...

In 2018 I had my aortic valve replaced. I'm on Metoprolol, which slows the heart and Eliquis, which is a blood thinner. Last year I ended up in the hospital from something unrelated and caught pneumonia and now have reduced lung function. Luckily, paddling down a river isn't very aerobic...

Well, the obvious answer it the bow paddler needs leg room. There is probably an advantage to moving the weight aft, for trim, especially if it's an asymmetrical hull. Having the stern paddler well aft opens up the main cargo area. Let's you bring that 50 quart cooler.

I've thought about getting a newfoundland because I can't swim very well. A dog that would rescue me would be great.

I don't know if this is anything you'd consider, but any solo with lowish sides can be converted to a pack style canoe. I'm currently converting my North Wind solo. You can order all the parts necessary from Northstar. One of the advantages to doing it yourself is you can adjust the seat height...

A while back I entered 'best Boundary Waters routes', or something like that, into my search engine and found a list on some outfitter's website. I'd have to try and find it again, but it seemed like a really good list. My hips are pretty shot, so I've just about given up on ever doing another...

The only two negative things I'd say about the North Wind are: If you are used to a real speed demon, like the Advantage or, even, a Peregrine, the NW solo is going to seem sluggish. If you like to paddle sit n switch, the NW isn't the best boat. It turns too easily. I found that I could get...

If I had more room and money, I'd get an Advantage. Kind of looked at it before buying the North Wind. Still want one. If I lived in Ely, I would have bought something like the Advantage or Peregrine or, maybe, something even racier. When I bought the North Wind, I was remembering my first day...