Paddling Education

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…

There are some pretty alarming statistics about the rise of mental and emotional health problems among teens and young people today, especially young women…One of the ways we can help these young women is to offer more positive influences in their lives—like outdoor adventure.

Here at Bending Branches we believe in crafting canoe paddles that will last for decades. Adding a fiberglass wrap to most of our wood paddles is one process we use to ensure you’ll get those years of great performance.

In July of this year (2021) Jeff Kalil will embark on his Catawba Chain of Lakes endurance fundraiser “Paddle for Progress” to raise an ambitious goal of $10,000 for brain tumor research.

Our friends at paddling.com recently published their list of Best Canoe Paddles of 2021. They sifted through thousands of their readers’ comments and reviews to narrow down their choices. 45% of the canoe paddles on the list are hand-crafted by Bending Branches! Let’s take a look…

To paddle a canoe successfully in high wind and waves is tricky business. Some skilled paddlers love the challenge and even look for waves and river rapids to run. But wind and waves can quickly turn a recreational canoe trip into anything but fun. Here are some tips to handle these conditions…

Sometimes our day on the water canoeing or kayak fishing doesn’t turn out like we expect. When we asked readers for their stories for our 2020 Story Contest, a couple brave souls entered tales of their misadventures.

Protect your canoe paddles with a paddle bag that protects them from scratches, dings and dust. They’re great for both storage and transporting. You can either buy a bag designed for canoe paddles, adapt a bag or make your own…

We’ve collected a few of the most common questions about canoe tripping in the Boundary Waters, along with some of the recommendations given by the others. We also added a few comments ourselves, as well as links you’ll find helpful…

Bending Branches’ Sunburst ST and Sunburst 11 canoe paddles combine the best of two worlds—wood and carbon—to form one state-of-the-art canoe paddle with the elite canoeist in mind.