Canoe Your Own Canoe

When apps show us a nonstop stream of adventure, such as sea kayaks in the surf, pristine wilderness canoeing, or winter whitewater, it can feel like that’s the norm. It isn’t. We define our own norm, and we don’t have to be influenced by the paddling clips that the algorithm shows us.

While slightly on a tangent, one of the topics that I teach in my photography workshops is style. I think that your style is photographing the subjects you like to photograph in the way you like to photograph them. It doesn’t have to be unique or original if it satisfies a few basic criteria. The reason that I bring my definition of style up is because I think it applies to canoeing and kayaking, too.

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We can have a canoeing or kayaking style to suits us if we forget the social media and advertising hype and just paddle the boats that we like in the way that we like to paddle. Our style doesn’t need to match what the algorithm shows us. It should reflect how and where we actually enjoy being on the water.

That also means that we don’t have to always jump on the new paddling trend or chase each new canoe or kayak design. Despite what the marketing tells you, there hasn’t been any real innovation in design in a long time. It’s just slight tweaks making the old better. We don’t need to overbuy a composite material when our paddling style doesn’t demand them, or outfit our boats for conditions we’ll never see.

This isn’t to say that we should ignore safety, because we shouldn’t. But, safety should be appropriate to the way and places we actually paddle, guided by enough judgment and experience to know to prepare for the worst likely situations. For example if you aren’t going to be paddling whitewater in your solo canoe, you probably don’t need to outfit it with float bags.

Paddling should be your choice and your choice should be defined by the boats you like to paddle in the way that you like to paddle them using the gear that you like to use.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, and in 2026 everyone should canoe their own canoe or kayak their own kayak.

If you want to read my photography essays, here’s one: Why Your Favorite Photos Matter More Than Your Best Ones