Paddling Education

If you’re making a list and checking it twice, we’re here to give you some holiday gift ideas. We have lots of friends in the paddle industry we’re happy to recommend, as well as some gear of our own that your family and friends will love.

The Explorer Plus wood canoe paddle is one of Bending Branches’ most popular paddles due to its reliability and ease of use in any flatwater paddling environment.

Paddle Planner is a unique online toolkit that makes planning your canoe and kayak trips easy and fun. “It’s Google directions for the Boundary Waters,” says founder Ben Strege.

Canoe camping trips on rivers are somewhat different than in flatwater environments like the Boundary Waters or Quetico. Bending Branches’ long-time President and owner, Ed Vater, takes us through his gear list for river canoe camping.

While canoeing in Minnesota and Maine are very similar in many ways—both have plenty of forests, lakes and rivers—the wilderness canoe cultures in these two US states are quite distinct from one another.

It’s important you learn how to transport a canoe properly to avoid damaging either your canoe or your vehicle…or risk damaging other vehicles while you’re on the road.

Starting a family doesn’t mean you have to stop canoe camping. And it doesn’t mean you can’t start canoe camping if you haven’t done it yet. But there are some different ways of thinking that will make canoe camping more successful with kids—especially very young kids.

Do you have a beloved canoe or kayak paddle that’s served its years faithfully, but you just can’t see it go? Repurpose it!

Whether your definition of a “long canoe trip” is a weekend, a week, a month or six months, you want to stay healthy throughout your trip. The longer the trip, the more important it is that you’re aware of and practice those things that will keep you healthy.

Your paddle won’t need any special care except to protect it from the elements between trips. If the finish of the paddle does become scratched or worn through, you can repair it. Here's how:

One of the best things about paddle sports like canoeing and kayaking is that they’re low-impact, healthy activities we can continue to do well into our older years. Here are a few gear ideas that will make canoeing and kayaking easier as you get older.

If you’re a new paddler, the short answer is: yes, canoeing is harder than kayaking. In no way does that mean you shouldn’t give canoeing a try, though…and learn to kayak, too! But if you must choose between the two, most beginners find kayaking easier to learn.

Here at Bending Branches, one of our main goals is to get more people out on the water in canoes and kayaks. That’s why we believe in adaptive kayak and canoe programs and equipment.

With another season of increased interest in canoe camping, Mikaela Ferguson shares the Golden Rules of Portage Etiquette to get through any portage without incident.

A few years ago my dad vocalized that he’d always wanted to paddle the Nahanni River. He’d done a little canoe tripping in his youth, but he always reminisced about 5-day canoe trip on the Moose River when he was a Boy Scout. At this point, it had been almost 40 years since he’d held a paddle. This is how my dad and I worked our way up to paddling the Nahanni River, plus advice on how to start canoeing!

Les Voyageurs is a Minnesota-based non-profit organization that provides the adventure of a lifetime for young people—a month-long canoe trip into remote areas of the US and Canada.

Ian Finch and Jamie Barnes, both UK natives, partnered with two others for a winter canoe trip in the wilds of Scotland’s lochs. As often happens, their trip didn’t go quite as planned, but the changes brought them to a magical “hidden glen” they wouldn’t have wanted to miss.

No matter how clear and clean backcountry water looks, there’s no guarantee it’s safe for people to drink. Microorganisms in wilderness waters can cause an array of nasty consequences, from mild to severe.

Backcountry canoe camping is a pretty amazing way to spend a few days. You always have a lakeside campsite. You can fish, swim, relax. You can paddle from site to site or stay in one spot.

Let’s look at some of the weather hazards canoeists and kayakers may encounter, especially if you’re in remote or wilderness areas with no chance of getting to shelter.

Let us introduce you to some of the women on Bending Branches’ ProStaff team, in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022.