PaddlingLight

Herein lies the saga of obtaining a Cumulus X-LITE 200 Sleeping Bag. It is a long and tangled tail of international commerce, and the saga will enthrall you with wonder. Back in days of yore, when scribed my 2025 paddling gear update, I penned that I wasn’t going to buy any new gear this year, but I was on the lookout for a 30°F sleeping bag without a hood. I kept my eyes open for a bag that would meet my criteria, and decided that at 30°F, I’d likely just bring my Sea to Summit 15°F Spark. That meant I was looking for a bag for the summer. Читать дальше...

I think I may have found my new favorite shorts for canoeing, and they are the KÜHL Silencr Kargo Shorts. Earlier this year, KÜHL sent over a pair for review, and I’ve been using them often since then. If you are looking for the gist of this review, it’s I like them and recommend them. I’m going to dive in below for more details. The Silencr Kargo Shorts are cargo short from KÜHL’s men’s shorts category. They offer a slim fit with low-profile pockets that appear hidden but extend across the entire front of the pants. Читать дальше...

The Twin Lakes Canoe Route in northern Minnesota offers a short canoe route outside of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that provides a wilderness-like experience. No permit is required. The route features four portages, five campsites, and no permit is required.

Earlier this year, Wild Rye sent over a few pieces from their new "When Wet" Collection for review. The pieces included the Parker Action Dress, Sawyer Sunshirt, and a Camp Towel. While I'm writing this review, it was my wife that tested out the gear. The impressions section will be her thoughts.

I don’t typically write about press releases that I receive, but I feel like this one is important. I recently wrote about what journalists get wrong when reporting on paddling fatalities, but I seldom write about the people who risk their lives to rescue paddlers that get into trouble. Recently Joe Friedrichs, a friend of mine, wrote about paddling accidents, emergencies, and tragedies in the Boundary Waters in his book Last Entry Point: Stories of Danger and Death in the Boundary Waters. In that book... Читать дальше...

In 1996, Dagger introduced their first composite sea kayak using techniques they had developed to build whitewater slalom kayaks. It was one of the first British-style kayaks made commercially in the US for the US market and that placed it squarely in competition with the NDK Romany, which would have been one of the most popular British-made boats sold in North America at the time. It had a big target, and I think it succeeded. The Dagger Meridian is still one of the best designed British-style kayaks of all time... Читать дальше...

One of my favorite day trips outside of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota is the Crescent Lake Canoe Route. The Crescent Lake Canoe Route is referenced on the US Forest Service’s website, but there are no maps currently offered. I’m adding maps in this post. I remember when you could pick up a paper map of the route at the Gunflint office in Grand Marais, but that isn’t available anymore. USFS Map of the Route About 10 years ago, I tried to get a copy of the old map and route guide from the USFS... Читать дальше...

With the paddling season just around the corner, I’m starting to look at what paddling gear I’ll be using for canoe trips this year. I have a couple of goals: As always, I like to travel with as light and as little of gear as I feel makes sense. I do carry camera gear, which won’t be included in my totals. While everything is dialed in, I may be testing a few new pieces of gear to review here. So far, I’ve accepted one piece that was offered (and testing is done), and I’ve requested an item that is brand new this year and looks great. Читать дальше...

On Saturday, Chris Knopf, Executive Director of the Friends of the Boundary Waters, spoke at the Hands Off Rally in St. Paul, Minnesota to deliver an urgent message about the current attack on the Boundary Waters. I’ve written about this before and you can read my brief article about the Threats to the Boundary Waters. The Boundary Waters is one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the world. The water is so clean that many people will dip a cup into the center of a lake and drink directly from it. Читать дальше...

As we move out of winter and into the early paddling season, we’re bound to see reports of deaths of paddlers due to cold water and not wearing life vests. This happens every year. Journalists will often write, “He was an strong, experienced paddler by all accounts,” but if they researched their actual experience they would often find that they weren’t. Instead they would find that they were considered to be experienced by their friends and family, but by any objective measurement they wouldn’t be consider that. Читать дальше...