Buying Advice

Latest Buying Advice

Man and dog in inflatable kayak on river.

Best Inflatable Kayaks For 2026

When I was 16, I started my first season as a safety kayaker for whitewater rafting trips. Each trip I crammed myself into my...
Salus Bijoux life jacket

Best Toddler Life Jackets In 2026

For this guide, I collected a dozen toddler life jackets for testing. Then I asked myself, how many children under 30 pounds are actually...
Woman tosses a lightweight Wenonah canoe overhead.

Best Lightweight Canoes For 2026

Paddlers with enough miles under their yokes appreciate any means to shave a few pounds off their canoe. Lower weight isn’t just a nicety;...
man paddles a Dagger kayak

Ultimate Guide To Dagger Kayaks

Dagger is a well-respected American kayak brand that’s been making boats for decades. The history of Dagger kayaks begins with whitewater. The company got...
BOTE Zeppelin Aero Black Friday Kayak deal.

Best Black Friday Kayak & Paddling Deals

During the holiday season, some are gearing up for winter activities like skiing and skating, some are planning to mad dash across malls for...
santa kayaking ornament on a christmas tree with gifts underneath

Best Kayaking Gifts

The familiar adage, “You can never have too much gear,” is more like a commandment for most kayakers. While that simple fact should make...
a person lays in a cozy tent decorated with Christmas lights in winter

Best Camping Gifts

Whether you're shopping for a seasoned adventurer or someone just discovering the joys of the great outdoors, finding the best camping gifts can be...
people packraft on expansive waters surrounded by hills

Best Packrafts

The greatest innovation to paddlesports in the past two decades is perhaps the modern packraft. Sure, ultralight inflatable paddle craft have been around as...
Family paddling red canoe across a lake.

Everything To Know About Nova Craft Canoes

Nova Craft Canoe began producing fiberglass canoes in 1970 out of a garage in London, Ontario. More than 50 years later, they’re still making...

From the new issue

In May 2024, just a month after Pyranha dropped the much-hyped ReactR kayak, I found myself at an industry event chatting with Dave Fusilli, longtime Team Pyranha paddler and...

Kayaks

man paddles a Dagger kayak

Ultimate Guide To Dagger Kayaks

Dagger is a well-respected American kayak brand that’s been making boats for decades. The history of Dagger kayaks begins with whitewater. The company got...
man paddles the Dagger Indra whitewater kayak in a rapid

Whitewater Kayak Review: Dagger Indra

What do General Electric engineer James Wright, 3M Laboratories researcher Spencer Silver, and Dagger Kayaks designer Mark “Snowy” Robertson all have in common? Need...
people packraft on expansive waters surrounded by hills

Best Packrafts

The greatest innovation to paddlesports in the past two decades is perhaps the modern packraft. Sure, ultralight inflatable paddle craft have been around as...
man carries Current Designs Sisu kayak into the water on a beach

Best Current Designs Kayaks For 2026

Current Designs kayaks emerged from the wilderness of Vancouver Island in the late 1970s with stable, high-storage sea kayaks suited for multi-day coastal travel....
Jackson Launches Antix 3.0 whitewater kayak

Jackson Kayak Launches Antix 3.0 (Video)

On September 19, 2025 Jackson Kayak announced the shipping of the Antix 3.0, their latest whitewater kayak. The Antix 3.0 features upgrades designed by...
Man and dog in inflatable kayak on river.

The Inflatable Kayak With A Feature That Makes Flatwater A Breeze

There are certain things that are great about an inflatable kayak. They pack down relatively small, don't weigh much, and are super stable. But...
kayaker paddles past a grassy knoll

Skeg Vs Rudder: The Great Kayak Debate

For avid kayakers, few debates are as popular—or as polarizing—as the controversy over skeg versus rudder. Which system is easier to use, more effective,...
creek boater paddles down a narrow whitewater river surrounded by vibrant green trees

Everything You Need To Know About Buying A Creek Boat

Creek boats have come a long way since 1973, when Tom and Jamie McEwan attempted the first descent of North Carolina’s Linville Gorge in...

Canoes

Wenonah canoe sitting on a lakeshore

Best Wenonah Canoes For 2026

Wenonah canoes have maintained a presence in the Midwest for more than 50 years. Owner and founder Mike Cichanowski first fell in love with...
Grumman canoe sits on lake

Everything You Need To Know About Buying A Grumman Canoe

If you began paddling before the rise of plastics, chances are you’ve sat in an aluminum Grumman canoe. These iconic canoes have led many...
Two people paddling inflatable canoe towards the setting sun on a lake

Best Inflatable Canoes For 2026

Space is at a premium in so many aspects of modern life. Garages fill to the point that vehicles are relegated to the driveway....
Two people paddling dark green canoe

Read This Before Purchasing A Mad River Canoe

Mad River has been building canoes for almost 50 years. The company was born shortly after the founder, Jim Henry, won the 1971 U.S....
Two canoes being paddled along river

Everything You Need To Know About Old Town Canoes

Old Town is one of America’s original canoe manufacturers. Their Maine factory has shipped tens of thousands of boats out of its doors. The...
Two red plastic canoes

Best Coleman Canoes For 2026

A 1982 article in the Washington Post describes Coleman canoes as “good starter boats.” Thanks to their durability, it’s a description that still rings true...
Elements Adventure Company guide and instructor Emily Cole doing what the Ocoee does best—precision paddling

Whitewater Canoe Review: Esquif Ocoee

Today is February 2nd. Actually. I’m basically Bill, a bitter weatherman forced to cover the same breaking news in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, again and again,...
aluminum canoes sit on a calm lake

Best Aluminum Canoes For 2026

Aluminum canoes were once ubiquitous in campgrounds and parks across the continent. Thanks to their durability, many of those canoes may still be on...

Paddleboards

two people paddling on hard paddleboards at dawn

How To Buy The Best Hard Paddleboard For You

Inflatable paddleboards are everywhere you look these days, and it’s understandable why. These boards have opened the world of SUP ownership to condo dwellers...
woman stands beside paddleboard silhouetted in the sunset

How To Pick The Perfect Women’s Paddleboard

The selection of women’s standup paddleboards seems to grow by the day, and with so many choices on the market, this article will help...
Niphean inflatable paddleboard being used on lake.

Hit The Water This Summer With This Budget-Friendly Inflatable Paddleboard

When late-spring days with clear skies and rising temps start to take over the weekly weather forecast, I peer out my office window, and...
kid paddles on a standup paddleboard

Best Kids Paddleboards For 2026

Paddleboarding is a great way to get the whole family on the water. For smaller children, having a properly sized paddleboard that they can...
Two women paddling paddleboards on a lake

The Ultimate Guide To Buying A Used Paddleboard

Buying a used paddleboard can save you a bundle of cash on retail markup and taxes. For the price of a new, entry-level plastic...
man stands and paddles a beginner paddleboard

Best Beginner Paddleboards For 2026

The best paddleboard for beginners depends a lot on personal preferences and what you hope to do with your paddleboard. Are you looking for...
hala whitewater paddleboard

Enter for a Chance to Win a Standup Paddleboard from Hala

Please note: To enter the contest, fill out the form above and click “Enter”. Commenting on this post does not provide the commenter with...
overhead photo of a person paddling an electric sup through blue water past a rocky shelf

Everything You Wanted To Know About Electric SUPs

Ten years ago, electric bikes were still considered quirky, and the people who pedalled them lesser cyclists—at least by their more purist peers. Today,...

Gear & Apparel

Best Kayak Seats For 2026

The well-worn saying, “It’s like riding a bike,” has a second meaning when it comes to kayaking. Like the saddle of our two-wheeled counterpart,...
preson paddles the ISLE Explorer Pro hybrid SUP-kayak

Best Paddleboard Seats For 2026

Standup paddleboards continue to be one of the fastest-growing activities on the water, and for good reason. They’re easy to transport, they’re not particularly...
Holding phone up with raft and river gorge in the background.

Best Waterproof Phone Pouches For 2025

Nothing brings the outdoor vibes to a screeching halt like an unforeseeable phone malfunction due to too much adventure. Hard-hitting splashes, dropping in deep...
The Patagonia Guidewater waterproof hip pack sitting on rocks near the edge of a river with a raft in the background.

Best Waterproof Fanny Packs For 2026

Whether you’re Inflatable paddleboarding, canoeing, kayaking, rafting or drift fishing, you need a place to keep some gear close and dry. It’s critical that,...
Paddling Magazine editor-in-chief Kaydi Pyette holds a canoe paddle while wearing and surrounded by a selection of her picks for best life jackets

Best Life Jackets For 2025

Personal flotation devices are the most crucial safety gear on the water. Each year, close to 200 paddlers die in the United States, and...
a group of children and youth jump in the air beside a river while wearing a selection of life jackets

Best Child And Youth Life Jackets For 2026

For this guide, I collected a dozen life jackets for children and youth between 30 and 90 pounds. This range can encompass kids anywhere...
Salus Bijoux life jacket

Best Toddler Life Jackets In 2026

For this guide, I collected a dozen toddler life jackets for testing. Then I asked myself, how many children under 30 pounds are actually...

Best Dry Bags For 2026

Whether you’re a canoeist, kayaker or paddleboarder, headed out for a multi-day trip or an afternoon jaunt, keeping your belongings dry is of the...