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Great Gift Ideas for Paddlers
The end of the year approaches and the holidays are almost upon us. This means it’s time to start thinking about holiday gift ideas for the canoeist and kayakers in the family. This year, I’ve used and fell in love with a bunch of gear. Some of the gear I’ve fallen in love with appears on this year’s list. I think most paddlers would enjoy seeing these items under their Christmas or holiday tree, and I expect they’d fall in love with the gifts too.
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IKEA Tote Bags for Kayakers
IKEA tote bags revolutionized (if revolution is simply change) the way I carry gear to and from my kayak. In the past, I’d grab a couple or three dry bags, carry them up the beach to the tent, drop, and repeat, but since my trip to Norway last year, where I discovered IKEA tote bags being used by the folks we kayaked with, I’ve been using these lightweight and compact bags to store my gear, carry my gear from the car to the beach, and to carry from the kayak to camp. At IKEA stores, they cost $0.59, but without a nearby IKEA, Amazon is the only option. About Ikea…
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5 Quick and Healthy Breakfasts For Canoeing and Kayaking
On my first paddling and camping trips, I often overlooked making a good breakfast for canoeing and kayak in favor of eating a few quick snacks, like Pop Tarts, and as I paddled I noticed my strength fading quickly. It took me a few trips to figure out my breakfast wasn’t working for me. Although breakfast snacks like instant pastries have over 400 calories per package, they lack any significant fat or protein. Essentially, they’re just empty carbs and eating them in the morning creates high blood-sugar levels, which will eventually crash throwing the body into a battle that’ll will last all day. That’s no way to start a hard…
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Throw Bags for Sea Kayaking
Most sea kayakers who’ve passed a safety and rescue class are aware of the importance of carrying a tow rope. A similar safety device that could be of equal importance and prove more handy in some rescue situations is a whitewater throw bag. These bags are inexpensive and lightweight, so there is no excuse not to carry one in some situations. Throw Bags Basics A whitewater throw bag is a rescue tool typically with 50 to 70 feet or floating rope loosely packed into a bag that pays out easily when thrown to a swimmer. It often has a rope handle on one end that allows it to be easily…
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Free Topo Maps for Your Garmin GPS
GPS units can be useful tools for some wilderness trips, and they become more useful when loaded with topo maps. If you own a Garmin GPS unit, high quality free topo maps may be available for the areas you travel. You’ll need a Garmin GPS capable of receiving user uploaded maps, software, and the free maps. Free Garmin GPS Maps I remember my first search for free Garmin GPS maps had me pulling my hair out after spending hours trying to download them and getting them to work on my GPS, which is the one I list below, but the good news is that getting the maps is the easy…
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Kayaking on Lake Nipigon
Lake Nipigon should be one of the premier kayaking destinations in North America. It’s remote, it’s wilderness, and it’s studded with 100s of islands to explore. It has big open water crossings, black sand beaches, towering palisades, and it can get rough and challenging. In 2008, Tim Russell and I took a week long trip to the lake. The following notes are from the research that we did (mainly Tim’s work). Originally, this research appeared on a wiki. It’s still there, but this will be a more permanent location. About Lake Nipigon From Wikipedia: Lake Nipigon (French : lac Nipigon) is the largest lake entirely within the boundaries of the…
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Three Easy Tarp Setups
An easy way to drop weight out of your boat is to switch from a tent to a tarp. Even using a tarp with a bug bivy will save over 2 pounds for the lightest tents and over 4 pounds for average weight tents. Besides saving weight, tarps provide more usable space, less parts to break, they’re easier to pack up, keep your sleeping area drier both in the morning when packing up and during the night with less condensation, and they take up considerably less space in your portage pack or hatches. With a little practice, tarps are easy and quick to set up, and depending on the setup,…
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A Visual View of Wave Height
Last month I described how to estimate wave height when in a canoe or kayak, but after listening to some descriptions of the “six” foot waves that some kayakers paddled through, I thought a visual aid would be helpful in understanding the height of waves. I’ve built a little diagram showing a 17-foot kayak, and a stick-kayaker in different size waves. The kayaker is 36 inches tall from the baseline of the kayak. The waterline is shown in red. The size of a wave when described in feet is the wave height. The lowest wave in this diagram is two feet. The next two waves are three and four feet.…
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Make your NDK/SKUK Romany or Explorer Seat Comfy
A common complaint about NDK/SKUK Romany and Explorers is an uncomfortable seat. If like me, you find the seat itself comfortable, but have problems with the backband pinching your arse between the seat and the band, try this easy fix before removing the glass seat. For this project, you need: You also need a comfy backband to replace the poor excuse of a backband supplied with the kayak. I heartily recommend this one: For this project, you’re going to lower the back of the seat using sandpaper and a rasp, install a new backband, and make everything look pretty. Steps: Notes: You could also try to wrap some thin minicell…
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Watch Free Classic Paddling Films Online
Injured? Is the water frozen? Or is there some reason that you can’t get out on the water? If you have a high speed Internet connection, there are dozens of online classic paddling film to help you pass the time. It isn’t a complete substitute for the joy of being on the water, but, at least, you get to watch something that you really enjoy. Bill Mason Films If you’ve never taken the time to watch one of the original paddling documentary film makers work, then it’s about time you did. You’ll be captivated by his love for the Great Lakes and northern woods. Watch online: Bill Mason’s Films at…
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Estimating Wave Height for Canoes and Kayaks
Grand Marais, MN straddles the boundary between two worlds. To the north, canoeists explore the many lakes and portages of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and to the south, kayakers navigate the big ocean-like water of Lake Superior. If one adventurer from each crowd paddled in the same water and waves, expect to hear different reports of how big the waves were later in the pub. In my experience, I’ve found most paddlers have no idea how to report the size of a wave, and this comes from a lack of education and a reference point. Measuring Wave Size The measurement of a wave is typically given in height…
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Print Your Own NOAA Charts
Note: Check out this updated article: Print NOAA Charts for Free. Printing your own NOAA Marine Charts is easy, produces a map exactly the size needed, and provides exactly the coverage needed. These are a few of the reasons to print your own, but equally compelling is that at 36″ to 60″, commercially produced NOAA Marine Charts are too big for practical use in a sea kayak, and buying them is expensive. If you were to buy an updated NOAA Marine Chart from the only approved print-on-demand on-line dealer, you’d spend $26 per chart plus shipping. The great news is that you can download NOAA Marine Charts for free and with…
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Public Radio Interview with Nessmuking Author Bryan Hansel
This interview appeared on WTIP and The Roadhouse with Buck Benson and Bob Carter. The interview is covering my (Bryan’s) Around the Great Lake Expedition 2009. Click Here to Listen: Around the Great Lakes on the Roadhouse with Buck and Bob [22mb, mp3] Learn more about the Around the Great Lake Expedition 2009.
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Kayaker Plans 5-month 3,800 Mile Circumnavigation of All Great Lakes
Grand Marais, MN – February 14, 2009 – On May 2, photographer, writer, guide Bryan Hansel will paddle out of the Grand Marais, MN harbor on a 5-month, 3,800-mile solo kayak circumnavigation of all the Great Lakes. During this expedition, Hansel will attempt to become the first person to complete this circumnavigation by kayak. His goals for the trip are to produce a book from photographs taken, to promote paddlesports participation and resource protection on the Great Lakes. “With this trip, I plan to call attention to the increasing pressure placed on this area and highlight the world-class paddling opportunities. I believe that by increasing paddlesport participation, we will advance…
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Canoecopia 2009: Canadian Style Canoeing with the Kraikers
Video I shot at Canoecopia 2009 at the impressive pool demonstration by the Kraikers. They were demonstrating the Canadian style to solo canoe, which as you’ll see is one of the best ways to paddle a double canoe solo. Canoecopia sale floor from above:
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