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zeke said:
Killarney Outfitters specialty boat. There's no real option to use a canoe paddle in these. But they're pretty sweet:

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Well if you sit like in a kayak, then I guess you’d need to paddle that way. I was taught you never sit. You kneel. Butt can rest on packs etc or the “seat” but for stability etc you kneel.
 
Yeah, you can obviously use a canoe paddle in that, and would look more respectable. I’d personally be willing to be judged for the efficiency of two blades though. Won’t work in most canoes because you’ll be slamming your knuckles against the gunwhale on every stroke, but maybe this beautiful fake canoe solves that problem.
 
Wayward DP said:
do you have the Vibram 5-finger ones?

I'm definitely intrigued. I have amphibious shoes that I use on canoe trips but the straps on them constantly need to be tightened which is pretty annoying.
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I've tried so many different amphibious ones and they all ripped my feet apart on big trips. These vibrams are frricken great.

It can hurt when you step on a sharp rock or stick right in the middle of your foot but that's an easy price to pay for the overall comfort and zero blisters. Not to mention packing size (i bring two pairs and they take up zero space whatsoever).

Oh and because you have toes you can actually still stub your toe, which can be annoying.
 
blkngldbabe said:
Well if you sit like in a kayak, then I guess you’d need to paddle that way. I was taught you never sit. You kneel. Butt can rest on packs etc or the “seat” but for stability etc you kneel.
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Yeah my bro rented the canoes and i had never seen this kind before...but with this seat setup you need the kayak paddle.

And tbh it was pretty great. And while it was easier that just meant we could paddle much farther.

I have no problem with a regular solo canoe, but with a big pack and barrell in there it would have been pretty tough on the route we took.
 
manny said:
Yeah, you can obviously use a canoe paddle in that, and would look more respectable. I’d personally be willing to be judged for the efficiency of two blades though. Won’t work in most canoes because you’ll be slamming your knuckles against the gunwhale on every stroke, but maybe this beautiful fake canoe solves that problem.
Click to expand...

Well you could use a canoe paddle but you're on your ass on the bottom of the boat with legs extended forward so it would be pretty annoying....and really tough to get any power.
 
zeke said:
I've tried so many different amphibious ones and they all ripped my feet apart on big trips. These vibrams are frricken great.

It can hurt when you step on a sharp rock or stick right in the middle of your foot but that's an easy price to pay for the overall comfort and zero blisters. Not to mention packing size (i bring two pairs and they take up zero space whatsoever).

Oh and because you have toes you can actually still stub your toe, which can be annoying.
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Merrell vapor glove is the answer for me. Has a vibram sole.
 
manny said:
So you’re not hitting your knuckles on the side of the boat when you paddle?
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you can see in the vid there that the sides are tapered in. at first i still banged them a bit (i haven't used a kayak paddle since i was a kid), but yeah there's no banging when you figure it out. you also have to figure out where you want the foot pegs or else you can bang your knees.

there was one drawback i found, though that was probably because i wasn't used to the kayak paddle - on a long haul you can draw a lot of water into the boat as it drips down the paddle on every stroke, and the small boat's speed and agility can be affected pretty significantly by some water in the bottom of the boat.
 
zeke said:
you can see in the vid there that the sides are tapered in. at first i still banged them a bit (i haven't used a kayak paddle since i was a kid), but yeah there's no banging when you figure it out. you also have to figure out where you want the foot pegs or else you can bang your knees.

there was one drawback i found, though that was probably because i wasn't used to the kayak paddle - on a long haul you can draw a lot of water into the boat as it drips down the paddle on every stroke, and the small boat's speed and agility can be affected pretty significantly by some water in the bottom of the boat.
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Nice, thanks. I’m going to try it. Getting old and probably a bit rusty and anything that improves efficiency and makes longer trips easier is a yes.

As for the dripping, looks like your paddle might not have had drip rings for some reason. I find they take care of that issue.
 
manny said:
Merrell vapor glove is the answer for me. Has a vibram sole.
Click to expand...

those look very nice. i might try them. I'd still be a bit worried about blisters on my heels and toes there tho - though maybe not on the heel looking at the material there.

how's the grip on them? the vibram aqua soles are particularly good for canoe trips:

V-AQUA_18M7301_BLACK_02.jpg
 
blkngldbabe said:
Agreed. Like the use of my fingers but warmth from mittens is better. Still use gloves lol. Doesn’t hold true for my feet though. Hate flip flops. Slides are my jam or Birk’s.
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now that I think about it probably one of my favorite features about them is that the material in between the toes stops the toes from jamming up against the toe rubber and causing blisters.
 
zeke said:
those look very nice. i might try them. I'd still be a bit worried about blisters on my heels and toes there tho - though maybe not on the heel looking at the material there.

how's the grip on them? the vibram aqua soles are particularly good for canoe trips:

V-AQUA_18M7301_BLACK_02.jpg
Click to expand...
Grip is excellent. I also hike in them in pretty much all weather.

Only downside, like you said, is that you feel every sharp rock and stick because the sole is more about grip and feel than protecting your tender foots. But that’s a small price to pay for me. Also they take a beating.
 
manny said:
Nice, thanks. I’m going to try it. Getting old and probably a bit rusty and anything that improves efficiency and makes longer trips easier is a yes.

As for the dripping, looks like your paddle might not have had drip rings for some reason. I find they take care of that issue.
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they had the drip rings but they were moving all over the place so obviously not fixed properly. that's probably the reason.
 
zeke said:
3 people 3 bags 1 food barrel 2 canoes.
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On a trip with portages, there’s usually two main things I’m looking to avoid. One is having more than one bag hanging off me during the portage, and the other is having to do multiple trips to transport all my gear.

So there’s no communal food bag/barrel on our trips. Everyone will typically have all of their own food, clothes, gear, tent & sleeping bag packed down into a single dry bag backpack. And each canoe can figure out how its crew want to divvy up carrying it on the portages.

And I still end up with amazing meals, a good amount of snacks and with more alcohol than I can drink.
 
One thing I do definitely have to figure out is my portaging footwear. I like to do the portages with proper hiking boots, but it’s a pain in the ass repeatedly taking them on and off.

Toe shoes or water shoes most definitely don’t look like the answer for me.
 
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