Warm up from the inside out with a hot brew from Stanley’s Vacuum Coffee System. The bottle keeps my coffee hot for 24 hours and an integrated pot and press allow for riverside brewing. All the pieces, including two cups and a container for coffee grounds, nest into a compact unit.
$50-$60 | www.stanley-pmi.com
This gear review first appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Rapid magazine.
Adventurer Jim Baird shares his tips for running wilderness rivers in this skills video shot on a solo trip on the Kesgami River in Northeastern Ontario.
Should you shoot, line, wade or portage the next rapid? Jim offers advice on risk managment and desicion making.
With an insatiable love for the natural world Jim Baird spends his time in wild places all seasons of the year. He has paddled wilderness rivers in Ontario, Alaska, Quebec, Labrador, Northwest Territories and British Columbia. Discover more of his adventures at www.theadventurer.ca.
There is a recurring tailgate debate that flares up in the whitewater world questioning one of our long-standing rules: if you carry a rope, carry a knife.
When Mike Reisman died on the Ocoee River in 1997, some started questioning this logic. Reisman flipped, and possibly due to a blow to the head, was rendered unconscious, or at least helpless in rescuing himself. His paddling partners had difficulty rolling him up, and his pull-tab was tucked under so they couldn’t pop his skirt. One of his rescuers knifed the skirt to free him, inadvertently slicing Reisman’s leg and possibly severing his femoral artery. It was reported that Reisman died due to the loss of blood.
Rescue gear such as throw ropes and knives, argue the skeptics, can do more harm than good in untrained hands. It’s an appealing argument, but it’s hollow. Exactly what kind of training is required in knife use? Occurrences of injury by river knife are rare; most of the times our knives draw blood is when they are employed to shave outfitting foam or spread peanut butter.
Reisman’s would-be rescuer was actually a doctor, defying the skeptics’ logic of “wrong or untrained hands.” At issue here is the judgement of would-be rescuers, not the tools they carry in their boats.
Consider this: Ottawa River, late ‘90s, freestyle heyday. Right side Horseshoe Hole, a national team paddler flat pins his Wave Sport X to the bottom the river. He swims free but the boat stays put, just visible below the surface in the trough of the hole—a very strange scenario.
There were about two dozen people there that evening, all either elite paddlers or professional raft guides out to play. Not one throw rope was present. We looked at each other sheepishly, unable to do anything but shrug our shoulders in disbelief. It was painfully obvious what the repercussions would have been if the paddler had been in his boat rather than standing safely on shore.
To suggest that certain paddlers should not carry a rope or a knife is misdirected—no tools meant we had no options.
To urge caution and second thought in stressful and confusing situations, I wholeheartedly support. A rope and a knife provide the basic staples required to improvise a rescue and are not inherently harmful. Prudent judgement must employ them properly, and this judgement is hard earned. If you have never encountered a desperate situation on a river, it is hard to predict how you will react. The reaction of an experienced rescuer will change depending on whose life is at stake. Having tools at least ups the odds that someone will carefully consider how to use them.
Ropes and knives are different than pulleys, prusiks, paddle hooks and other technical rescue gear. These other gadgets are only useful with specific training and regular refresher courses. In a stressful situation there is too little time, let alone cognitive capacity, to add complexity to an already complex situation.
I stand behind our long-standing rules: If you bring a boat, bring a rope. If you carry a rope, carry a knife. At the very least, these rules reinforce the moral obligation we have to our fellow paddlers. At best, we have options to consider when things get weird. If not ourselves, perhaps someone else will know what to do with them when it really matters.
Jeff Jackson is the co-author of Managing Risk: Systems Planning for Outdoor Adventure Programs. Alchemy appears in each issue of Rapid magazine.
Throwing him a peanut butter sandwich is not an option. | Feature photo: Anze Osterman
On your next camping trip, banish the box and make your own pancakes from scratch by mixing the dry ingredients at home. Prep prior to your trip and you’ll be ready to just add water and heat up the frying pan at camp. Add your own dried fruit and berries and this classic camping pancake recipe is even tastier.
In a sealable plastic bag, combine flour, eggs, milk powder, sugar, baking powder and salt. Place blueberries in a separate bag. Seal both bags and store at room temperature for up to one month.
In a bowl, combine blueberries and water. Let stand for 15 minutes or until blueberries are softened. Stir in 1 tsp oil. Shake flour mixture in bag to mix and pour into blueberry mixture. Stir just until evenly moistened.
Heat a skillet over medium heat until warmed. Add a thin layer of oil. Pour in about 1/4 cup batter per pancake. Cook for two to three minutes or until bubbles break on the surface but don’t fill in and bottom is golden. Turn and cook for about two minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter, adding oil to the pan and adjusting heat as necessary.
Makes about four pancakes.
Campers carrying fresh eggs can omit the powdered eggs when prepping at home and decrease the water to 6 tbsp when cooking in camp. Instead, whisk in one fresh egg with the oil.
Courtesy of The Complete Trail Food Cookbook by Jennifer MacKenzie, Jay Nutt and Don Mercer © 2010 www.robertrose.ca
This article first appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Canoeroots and Family Camping magazine.
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Brian Pettinger from White Squall Paddling Centre shares his tips and techniques for making smooth and quick turns using this simple, stationary kayak stroke. Turning with a bow rudder is especially effective at speed, when you need to change course to avoid a collision. It can also be used to make subtle direction changes under motion. Try it now!
Stay tuned for more great paddling skill videos, including canoeing, kayaking and whitewater techniques, brought to you in partnership with Rapid Media and Ontario Tourism.
When a day of sloshing through thigh deep mud on portages ends miserably in a soggy sleeping bag we try to tell ourselves that a little bit of suffering builds character. Forget that. These expert-approved tricks will keep you happy even during days of nonstop rain.
Don’t stay home because the forecast calls for torrential downpours. Some of the most memorable trips take place in wet, stormy and crazy (read: unforgettable) conditions. Here’s the truth: If you camp in the rain, there are times you will be wet. Accept it. You are entirely capable of dealing with a bit of dampness.
Don’t be a sourpuss and confine yourself to the shelter of a dreary tent. Get out there. A good rain jacket, rain pants and waterproofed hat with a brim will slow the rain’s clammy creep. Some trippers swear by ponchos—they’re less optimal in windy conditions—while others have favour Gore-Tex or no name rain gear. Whatever your choice, test it before it counts.
Always keep one dry, warm set of clothes for sleeping in. Life is pretty grand if you can look forward to curling up into your dry and warm gear at night. It usually means getting back into wet, muddy gear the next morning. Admittedly, this is not fun. But follow this golden rule, and you can be warm, safe, dry and happy every night on your route.
Clever engineering in camp can mean the difference between a dreamy tarp Taj Mahal and a soggy trench warfare re-enactment. Practice your tarpology skills until you can set up taut tarps in all conditions with ingenuity and speed using trees, paddles, canoes, carefully applied trucker’s hitches and sleek taut-line hitches.
Take the time to peg out your tent carefully and tighten tarp guy lines—water will run smoothly off a well-constructed shelter. Don’t dig a trench around your tent like some Hardy Boys scout; rather choose your tent site wisely. That nice soft mossy patch might look more tempting than an elevated granite slab, but where will the rain pool during a downpour? Not under your tent if you plan ahead.
Don’t despair! Some of the most memorable trips take place in wet and stormy conditions. | Feature photo: Peter Mather
Seal yourself into Bomber Gear’s new Palguin Dry Suit to fend off the chill that comes with being wet. The NeoShell fabric feels noticeably softer and lighter than most dry wear, and it keeps me comfortable and moving freely even with multiple layers underneath. With this new suit, Bomber Gear introduces NeoShell to the watersports world—the fabric’s waterproof breathability has been proven through use in rain and ski wear.
The unique entry system—up one leg and down the other—makes it easy to pull on and off, reduces the bulk of excess fabric and zippers around the torso and doubles as a relief zip for men and women.
$999.99 | www.bombergear.com
This gear review first appeared in the Spring 2015 issue of Rapid magazine.
The Contact Tow is an easy and fast way to move a paddler a short distance. In this episode, presented by Adventure Kayak magazine, Shawna Franklin and Leon Sommé of Body Boat Blade demonstrate the tow with and without a Contact Towline.
The kayak-to-kayak method—no ropes necessary—is the simplest way for the tower to push or pull a paddler to safety, positioning the kayaks side-by-side and making sure the boats are offset to allow for easy paddling.
Adding the Contact Towline allows the tower to ensure that the kayak being towed stays close by, and also helps prevent re-capsizing during the tow.
Watch it, then try it!
Stay tuned for more skills videos with Body Boat Blade International in this series, presented by Adventure Kayak, and watch more techniques on our YouTube channel.
Does it get more Canadian than this? Check out the special, limited edition canoe that Langford Canoe is releasing to celebrate its 75th year and have co-branded with the Hudson’s Bay company.
Rapid Media publisher Scott MacGregor catches up with Brent Statten in the Langford booth to uncover some of the history of this heritage brand and its canoes.
Whether or not you whitewater kayak seasonally or all year round, having the skills to stay safe will ensure you and your paddling buddies are still smiling at the end of the day. For months we have been looking forward to the spring melt bringing our favorite rivers back to life. For those of us that don’t spend the year traveling the world to paddle, it’s unfortunate that some of the best paddling of the year happens when our skills are rusty after a winter of playing in the snow.
It always takes a few runs for me to shake the cobwebs out, and in the spring some of the more fun and more difficult whitewater I paddle all year is running, so I need to be on top of my rescue game; I’ve used rescue skills more during spring than any other time year. Here are a couple ways to tune up your rescue skills so you’re ready for the start of the season:
Take some time to go through your gear to make sure the equipment you had in your PFD last fall is still there and in good shape.
The start of a season is a great time to reassess what you need to carry in order to handle any rescue situation. To keep things simple and avoid overloading my pockets with equipment, I follow the 4-3-2-1 Rule: To perform virtually every rescue that you learn in rescue courses, you only need 4 carabiners, 3 pulleys, 2 prusiks, and 1 five-meter piece of webbing. The webbing can be worn as a flip line to be easily accessible, and the rest will fit into your PFD without making it cumbersome for paddling.
Add to that a throwbag with good quality low stretch rope and you are ready to enjoy your day on the river.
These simple pieces of equipment are compact, relatively inexpensive and have countless uses other than building a mechanical advantage system, which is generally the first thing that comes to mind when we see this list. Other uses for these items include:
At the start of the season, spend some time doing the techniques you have learned before you need to use them: toss your throwbag, size up your flip line, double check that you know where your equipment is and set up a few mechanical advantage systems.
Although nothing can replace quality hands-on instruction, NRS has a great video series to help you remember your skills and techniques, including how to make a flip line, how to quickly coil a throw rope and how to equip your PFD for rescue.
There are many different rescue techniques, and one thing that’s true of all of them is that they’re easier and more effective with practice. If you need a refresher, sign up for an early season course to learn, refresh and practice rescue skills.
Dan Kirvan is an Instructor with Raven Rescue and has been teaching Swiftwater Rescue for 15 years with Rescue3 International. He has been guiding both expeditions and day trips for longer than his parents care to admit.
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This article was first published in the 2015 Paddling Buyer’s Guide. 
