Kayak towing is the process of pulling another kayak (with or without a paddler) to safety using a rope, belt, or direct contact method. It involves attaching a tow line between vessels, maintaining proper spacing, and using controlled paddling to assist exhausted, injured, or equipment-compromised paddlers. Mastering this essential kayak rescue technique transforms any paddler […]

What kills no-see-ums instantly? The fastest elimination methods are DEET-based repellents (20-30% concentration), picaridin sprays, and permethrin-treated clothing. For immediate kill on contact, alcohol-based sprays work, but prevention through chemical barriers proves more effective than reactive killing. Standing at the edge of a Florida mangrove channel last spring, I watched what looked like a thin […]

Portaging a kayak means carrying your boat and gear over land between two bodies of water, typically around obstacles like dams, rapids, or shallow sections where paddling becomes impossible. Last weekend at Devil's River, I watched a guy drag his $2,000 composite kayak over rocks for 200 yards. The sound of fiberglass grinding against limestone […]

Last summer, I watched a fellow camper deflate what looked like a full-size touring kayak and stuff it into a backpack no larger than a sleeping bag. Thirty minutes later, he was hiking up a steep trail to the next alpine lake while I was still wrestling my hardshell onto roof racks. That moment crystallized […]

Last Saturday morning on Lake Travis, I watched a guy in a $3,000 carbon fiber kayak struggle to load his boat onto his SUV while I stuffed my inflatable into a backpack. He looked at me like I was crazy - until I beat him to the water by 20 minutes. After testing over 30 […]

Last Saturday on Lake Travis, I watched a guy lose his brand-new fish finder and the monster bass that just hit his line. The culprit? A poorly mounted accessory that couldn't handle the sudden movement when he set the hook. That expensive electronics package went straight to the bottom, followed by some choice words I […]

Standing knee-deep in the Colorado River last spring, I watched a fellow paddler struggle with a 3-year-old inflatable that had developed more patches than a denim quilt. He'd paid $800 for what he thought was a quality kayak, yet here he was, watching seams separate like pulled thread. The question on his lips - and […]

Last spring, I watched a guy on Lake Roosevelt spend more time wrestling his inflatable pontoon back into position than actually fishing. The wind kept shoving him off his spot, and every time he tried to cast, those high-profile tubes acted like sails. Meanwhile, I was covering twice the water in my fishing kayak, actually […]

The morning mist was still clinging to the Rio Grande when I pushed off from the Orilla Verde launch last May. My buddy Jake had been pestering me for months about paddling New Mexico, swearing the Land of Enchantment had some of the best-kept kayaking secrets west of the Mississippi. Turns out, he was dead […]

The morning air was crisp as I pulled into the East Fork Lake boat ramp last April, kayak strapped to the roof, coffee in hand. Within minutes, an ODNR officer was checking registrations. The paddler next to me - a friendly guy with a brand new inflatable - got hit with a $150 fine because […]