• Happy National Wildlife Day! 🦬🐟🦅

Search results

  1. tketcham

    Packing up a tent: Close zippers or leave them open?

    I always close zippers up, regardless of what the item is. I've had zippers get damaged from being pulled apart if partially zipped or exposed teeth damaged from being pinched or caught on something, especially plastic teeth. With metal teeth the problem tends to be damage to the tape. YMMV
  2. tketcham

    Does flatwater need classifications similar to whitewater?

    I guess it would have to be based on the potential risks and categorized by waterbody or stream size. Probably end up with a matrix of some sort, with factors like max/avg fetch and wind speed, stream volume and current speed, shoreline roughness, etc. It could get complicated, though there...
  3. tketcham

    Does flatwater need classifications similar to whitewater?

    There's an interesting discussion regarding the definition of flatwater over at Paddling.com that raises the question: Does flatwater need a sanctioned classification system similar to the ratings for whitewater? The International Scale of River Difficulty (ISRD) for whitewater uses...
  4. tketcham

    "Brain eating amoeba" found in Yellowstone waters and Lake Mead

    The warm water factor is probably something to pay more attention to these days. Back around 1981 I was with two friends aiming to climb Glacier Peak in Washington state but the weather turned and we opted to wait until the following day to climb. So two of us decided to hang out in Kennedy Hot...
  5. tketcham

    Freestyle Canoeing Mockumentary Film: "Canoe Dig It?"

    Vermonters claim it as their own, but who really knows. I still hear (and use) it now and then. Do a web search for ideas... :)
  6. tketcham

    The first canoe you ever PADDLED and the circumstances

    First tandem canoe that I paddled was a 16' Grumman. My girlfriend and I were visiting friends in Missouri and canoeist friends of theirs arranged a day of canoeing on the Huzzah River. Well, there were bow and center seats to put non-paddlers in but they needed someone to paddle stern in one of...
  7. tketcham

    Freestyle Canoeing Mockumentary Film: "Canoe Dig It?"

    Really enjoyed it! Some funny stuff, especially if you're familiar with Mainer/New England idioms. I mean, how often do you hear "Jeezum Crow" used in a film? Gonna hafta watch it again some time because I know there's a lot I missed.
  8. tketcham

    Curtis Northstar

    Good to hear you found a home for the Northstar. I have a similar situation, a Kevlar 1986 Curtis Northstar that I'll be selling soon. I'm thinking that the big demand for canoes (any canoe) that we saw from 2020 - 2022 (which is when I purchased my Northstar) is pretty much over so I'm not...
  9. tketcham

    2026 Western Pennsylvania Solo Canoe Rendezvous

    Change of plans and instead of the Prospector 13 I'll bring the GRB Newman Classic 15'-8" along with the Firebird.
  10. tketcham

    Freestyle Canoeing Mockumentary Film: "Canoe Dig It?"

    We're going to see "Canoe Dig It" this Saturday, in large part because of the glowing endorsement by the stunt doubles. ;)
  11. tketcham

    Paddler Magazine: Functional vs. Interpretive Freestyle Canoeing

    I like the juxtaposition of the Dragonfly 15 and June Bug, largest and smallest of the canoes that day. The difference really stands out in the first photo.
  12. tketcham

    Skin-protective, fast-drying, warm weather paddling gloves

    For that the OR ActiveIce Chroma gloves work fine. The Ironsite "tactical" gloves look promising, though the cuff doesn't cover as well.
  13. tketcham

    Skin-protective, fast-drying, warm weather paddling gloves

    As long as you use the black sections of the glove to touch the screen it works. Now, I don't type fast on a smart phone so my deliberate, single-digit touches on the screen work fine, but if you like to type fast using both finger and thumb it might be (annoyingly) slower. Perhaps a skilled...
  14. tketcham

    Skin-protective, fast-drying, warm weather paddling gloves

    I've been using these Outdoor Research gloves for paddling for years and they work well. They're great for sun protection and blister prevention because they don't get hot, and they dry quickly. They pack up small so I keep them in a side pocket of my PFD, ready when I need them. The thin...
  15. tketcham

    Paddler Magazine: Functional vs. Interpretive Freestyle Canoeing

    Good point, Marc, and one I was going to add to my previous post after thinking about it some more. Naming ends up being a matter of semantics: FreeStyle or Sport, they both conjure up images of something other than everyday canoeing. I think the unfortunate aspect of promoting advanced...
  16. tketcham

    Paddler Magazine: Functional vs. Interpretive Freestyle Canoeing

    Preface: Please read my reply to Marc Orstein's post below and note the Added section to this post. After recently spending several days paddling on small twisty streams around, over, and sometimes through numerous obstacles of all sorts, I'm convinced that FreeStyle isn't really about advanced...
  17. tketcham

    2026 Western Pennsylvania Solo Canoe Rendezvous

    We'll be there. Bringing a Swift Prospector 13 and a Northstar Firebird if anyone's interested in trying them out. I'd like to give an Illusion a spin again after paddling the Firebird for three years. I rented Marc's Illusion when I attended my first Adirondack Freestyle Canoe Symposium in 2019...
  18. tketcham

    Canoe cover for epoxy canoe with no gelcoat?

    Didn't seem to stop this guy... 😄
  19. tketcham

    Canoe cover for epoxy canoe with no gelcoat?

    That's my point, a Phillips head is easy to come by or overcome, thus, a crime of opportunity. Locks really only keep mostly honest people mostly honest.
  20. tketcham

    Canoe cover for epoxy canoe with no gelcoat?

    Unless the boat has integrated thwarts and the lock is attached to a roof rail, that will only stop an opportunistic thief. For many vehicles and canoes there really isn't a good way to lock it to a roof rack. Many racks are easy to remove by force (or an Allen wrench) and thwarts, yokes, and...
Back
Top Bottom