Paddling Education

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.

So you’re shopping for a canoe and you know most of your paddling will be solo. Should you buy a solo or tandem canoe? That’s a good question!

“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

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?

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.

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.

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…

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…

Jason Eke of Trailguide Pictures spent several days on a solo canoe trip in Kawartha Highlands, a provincial park just north of Toronto, Canada.

Let’s take a look at what might make the difference for you in choosing a wood canoe paddle or a carbon canoe paddle.

Usually when we think of paddling a canoe we think of using a canoe paddle. But if you’re a canoeist who loves to head out alone, you may consider using a double-bladed paddle instead…

Bending Branches’ BB Special bent shaft paddle—our best selling wood canoe paddle—is designed for flatwater cruising. It provides great quality at a great value.

Here at Bending Branches we take great pride in designing and crafting our wooden canoe and kayak paddles. Our passion and attention to detail result in paddles we believe lead the industry in both beauty and performance.

With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, we wanted to give you 14 of our top gift picks for all the paddlers on your list! Whether your friends and loved ones canoe, kayak or stand-up paddle board, you’ll find some great ideas here…

The most important skill any solo canoeist needs is to be able to control the canoe in all types of weather and water conditions.

Alabama's diverse paddling trails range from dark, alligator-infested bayous to raging whitewater rivers.