Paddling Education

Martin Trahan has canoed across vast portions of North America, both in his native Canada and in the US. We’re honored to have him share his story with the Bending Branches community.

Here at Bending Branches we were already 20 years into our history when we switched from our previous “build to inventory” manufacturing process to our current “build to order” process.

“Water is the most inclusive medium” says One-Arm Freedom canoe paddle inventor, Cindy Dillenschneider. A long-time believer in making the outdoors accessible to everyone, Cindy committed herself to developing an adaptive canoe paddle for those with upper limb impairments.

Here are 15 gift ideas for your paddling kids that won’t just fill up the toy box. These are gifts they’ll love to use on the water every time they’re out.

As my recent trips have shown me, there is a ton to be learned when you switch up your usual spot in either the bow or the stern. Next time you’re paddling with your usual partner, I encourage you to ask yourselves why you’re sitting where you are sitting.

Want to go on a wilderness canoe trip but don’t want to sacrifice your good coffee each morning? You can learn how to make perfect canoe trip coffee for all your expeditions—the old-fashioned way.

Paddle Like a Girl is a woman-owned business that teaches women the skills they need to plan a backcountry canoe trip.

Paddling safety includes what you wear. The paddling rule of thumb is: dress for immersion, or: dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. Why? Because there’s always a chance of capsize when you’re on the water.

A canoe trip on your wedding day? Why not! Bailey and Eric saw no reason why paddling a canoe to their wedding wasn’t the perfect mode of transportation.

After seeing an outdoor show about Quetico, this wonderfully wild spot, I did some research to try to put a trip together for the summer. This was the early eighties so I picked up my landline and started calling a few Canadian outfitters to get more details. 

“The novelty of paddling within an active volcano on a high elevation lake made my trip into Shoshone a unique paddling experience.” ~ Jim Gallagher, wilderness canoeist

Every canoe and kayak paddle we build is made to last. But durability isn’t our only concern. Bending Branches paddles are also beautiful, comfortable and efficient.

If you want to buy a new paddle every year or two, that's fine. But if you want to get more bang for your buck and hold a paddle that you can trust for the long haul- your paddle needs to have Rockgard!

Next to your canoe, your paddles are the most important gear for any canoe trip. But with so many to choose from, how do you know which one to use?

In September 2020, the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA) announced its newest International Dark Sky Sanctuary: the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).

Many canoeists enjoy the solitude and challenge of solo canoeing. If that’s you, and you want to know how to size a solo canoe paddle, you’re in the right place.

Should you use a straight or a bent shaft canoe paddle? Paddle Tale’s Ken Whiting takes on this question in this video...

Paul Villecourt and Christian Barbier took a month for their le voyage en canoë + vélo—their canoe and bike trip—in May, 2021 in their native France. They dubbed their trip their Canovélo Tour.

Ken Whiting of Paddle Tales takes us along with him and his buddy on a 5-day canoe trip deep into Canada’s gorgeous Killarney Provincial Park.

If you’re new to canoe tripping in the Boundary Waters, here’s an overview of some important keys you need to know as you plan your trip.

Many of the Story Contest submissions we received from our readers were sharing their paddling adventures. Here are a couple of them…