• A canoe seat with a yoke cutout of it.
    Articles,  Canoes

    Edscanoe Yoke Center Seat

    On day two of a recent solo trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, a south wind was funneling down Wanihigan Lake, a narrow north-south. The tops of the pines whipped back and forth in the wind. The low water from months without rain made entering my canoe at the normal put-in spot after the portage impossible. I balanced my Northstar Magic on the shoulders and stepped over a blowdown that reached up to my crouch. The wind caught the canoe and twisted it, but I managed to return it into the wind. The only way to launch was to set my canoe next to a floating log that…

  • A Garmin inReach sitting on a rock.
    Articles

    Saying Goodbye to Freedom: Garmin inReach Shifts Subscription Services

    Today Garmin inReach Freedom plan subscribers received notification from Garmin that it is discontinuing the Freedom plans. With Freedom plans users would pay an annual $34.95 at sign up and then once a year. They could turn off their service and start it up whenever they liked without having to pay an activation fee. They could choose from three different plans when they reactivated the service. Now, Freedom plans are discontinued. Current Freedom subscribers will be migrated over to the new plans starting December 2024. The New Enabled Feature – $7.99 a month Instead of being able to completely suspend your service, Garmin now offers a $7.99 per month enabled…

  • Articles,  Build It Yourself

    Caribe: a New Kayak Design

    Marcelo Rossi returns to the pages of PaddlingLight with a new kayak that he designed: A couple of years ago, a friend from the group of paddlers that we meet with on Saturdays told me that more and more new people are joining the group, so why don’t you design a kayak for beginners? It should have a wide and low rim so it’s easy to get in and out, and flat at the stern to make re-entry easier, as stable as possible, the length of an average car, for paddlers up to 85 kg (187 pounds), with hatches to carry water, food, a change of clothes, etc. I got…

  • Articles,  Tent Bound

    What to do with the canoe and kayak plans?

    Over the last couple of years, I’ve been punting on a decision about the canoe and kayak plans. I haven’t been able to decide whether or not to remove them from my website. I’ve made the decision. The sales of these plans is leaving PaddlingLight. What I haven’t decided is, do I continue to sell them at all? There are various reasons that I’m doing this, but the primary one is that I don’t want to have to handle all the payments, orders, problems, etc. of running an online store anymore. I’m just not interested in doing it, and the revenue has dropped significantly in the last couple of years.…

  • Articles,  Tent Bound

    Paddle On, Dan Cooke

    Dan Cooke, a beloved member of the Minnesota paddling community and creator of quality canoeing gear at Cooke Custom Sewing, passed away last night. His death is deeply mourned by friends and community members.

  • canoe at sunrise
    Articles,  Tent Bound

    Outdoor Sports Rescue Shaming

    The post discusses "rescue shaming" in outdoor sports and highlights several cognitive biases, like the Dunning-Kruger Effect and FACETS heuristics, which impact decision-making and can lead to dangerous situations. Emphasizing education and empathy is encouraged.

  • Articles

    Sea Gull Lake Trip Report

    Last weekend, we camped at the Trail’s End Campground at the end of the Gunflint Trail. It’s near several entry points into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. It’s also a great place to camp and photograph. If you’re into photography, check out my photography map for the campground area. It’s a popular campground due to its closeness to popular entry points and its remoteness, so you’ll likely need to reserve a spot if you plan on going. This trip, we stayed at campsite #25 and found that it was a lovely place to stay. #24 would have been slightly better, but we had great neighbors there and in #26…

  • Reviews,  Sleeping Bags

    Sea to Summit Spark 15°F Sleeping Bag First Look

    I’m excited that I get to test the Sea to Summit Spark 15°F (-9°C) sleeping bag this season. They sent it for review. If you haven’t heard of this bag, it’s an lightweight down sleeping bag made by Sea to Summit. It’s claimed weight is 1 pound 9.7 ounces (730g). At that weight, it is in the weight range of quilts. This is my initial impression after using it for two short trips. Later this year, I’ll post a final review after I get about 30 nights on it. Unboxing When I pulled this bag out of the shipping box, I got excited just from the storage bag. Usually, sleeping…