I always enjoy looking through old canoeing and kayaking images. They remind me that people have been paddling for a long time–what we do isn’t new, because it’s been around for thousands of years. It reminds me that our recreational activity links us to all those back through time that have enjoyed it. They enjoyed adventure as much as we do. It also reminds me how much better we look doing it now; look at some of the goofy outfits worn by paddlers of the past.

My two favorite locations are on Flickr’s The Commons, which has a small but interesting collection, and Minnesota Historical Society’s Visual Resource Database. Every once in a while, a Google image search results in good finds. Below are a few interesting pictures from our paddling past.

Title: [Alton Smith and Al Zaebst loading a captured alligator into their canoe : Weeki Wachee River, Florida]
Date: Photographed on December 13, 1948.

Thousand Islands, ON, about 1915
Wm. Notman & Son
About 1915, 20th century

M2000.113.6.223
Mrs. Cotter kayaking on the North West River, Hamilton Inlet, Labrador, NL, 1909
Hugh A. Peck
1909, 20th century

Ojibwe women and children in a canoe.
Photographer: Charles Alfred Zimmerman (1844-1909)
Photograph Collection, Carte-de-visite ca. 1885

Crossing to St. Helen’s Island, near Montreal, QC, 1875
Alexander Henderson
1875, 19th century

A canoe, glass-calm water, and a sunset goes together like bananas, ice cream, and whipped cream. But unlike the quickly fading delight of savoring a banana split, capturing a sunset in a picture allows for sharing and enjoyment for years.

Sunset pictures are tricky. Typically, like in the pictures below, you can capture either the detail and color in the sky and have the canoe go dark and black or your can make the canoe light and visible, but lose the color in the sky. Using a Graduated Neutral Density filter, you can capture both a colorful sky and a detailed foreground and end up with a picture like the one to the right.

Required Gear

• Cokin H250A P-Series ND Grad Kit
• A camera, like the Nikon D700 Digital SLR(I used my Nikon D200 for this picture) or any camera that accepts filters.
• A wide-angle lens. On my D200, I use a Nikon 12-24mm f/4G ED IF.
• A Cokin P-Series Adapter Ring. Match the ring to your lens’s filter size.
• Tripod

ND Grad Filters

Once you have your Cokin P-Series filter kit, you need to modify the holder to work with a wide-angle lens, especially if your wide-angle requires filters bigger than 70mm. When you look at the filter holder, notice the multiple slots for filters. Cut off the extra slots to leave only one. Unless you plan on using the filter holder for some of Cokin’s other filters, you won’t miss the extra slots. If you leave the extra slots, you could end up with vignetting in your picture.

Canoe exposed right, but the sky is lost.

The sky looks good, but the canoe is too dark.

After you’ve modified your filter holder take time to sort through the ND Grads that came with the kit. Each of them looks like the picture to the right. To use them, you screw the holder onto your lens and slide the ND Grad into the slot. The clear side of the filter lets in all the light from the area that you’re placing it, and the dark side tones down the light coming into the picture. Because the sky is brighter than the ground, you place the dark part over the sky and the light part over the ground. The transitional area goes over a part of the frame that will disguise the change. In my picture, the disguise occurs along the tree line. Using an ND Grad in this way evens out the exposure across the frame allowing you to capture detail across the entire picture.

When you’re looking at the filters in your kit, notice that each filter is slightly darker in the gray area than the others. This determines how much light, the gray area allows through. For bright sunsets, use the darkest and for darker sunsets, you can use the lightest. One issue to watch when using the darkest ND Grad is that the reflection of the sky in the water doesn’t look too much lighter than the sky. I find that the middle darkness or a 2-stop ND Grad works best.

Composing Canoe and Sunset Pictures

These types of photos work best using two compositional techniques. The first uses the rule-of-thirds. For this rule, divide your viewfinder up into a tic-tac-toe board. On your board, imagine that parts of your image can only take up 1/3rd or 2/3rds of the frame. In my picture, the water and canoe takes up 2/3rds of the frame and the sky takes up 1/3rd of the sky. This moves the horizon out of the frame’s middle and makes for a more dynamic composition by making an asymmetrical image. The human mind wants everything to look symmetrical–because our faces and bodies are generally symmetrical our mind accepts that better. When an image is asymmetrical we tend to look at it longer trying to figure out why it isn’t symmetrical.

The second technique is using leading lines. Leading lines take elements your picture and set them diagonally to the horizontal and vertical edges of your picture’s frame. The canoe acts as a leading line in my picture. It captures the viewer’s attention at the bow and funnels their eyes into the picture to the background and upper left. English speakers start viewing pictures in the upper left of a print, because we’re trained to start reading there. By funneling the view to the upper left, I create a circular effect for the viewer’s eyes. They start viewing in the upper left, work their way down to the lower right and then the leading line takes them back to the top of the image.  The leading line creates depth and makes the picture dynamic because it is working against the vertical and horizontal lines in your image.

The clouds have changed so much, it's hard to tell that this was taken during the same sunset.

Using ND Grads and Composition for a Great Photo

To pull all this info together, get a campsite with a sunset view. Find an interesting place to take a picture from. For mine, I found a shallow rock bed. Set your camera up on a tripod. Maneuver the canoe around until it becomes a leading line. Put your ND Grad on your camera and line it up so that the transition disappears into the trees. Take a picture. Make sure that your exposure looks good with a properly exposed sky and detail in the foreground. If it doesn’t look good, adjust exposure compensation until you have detail in the sky and foreground. If you still can’t bring everything into an even exposure, use the next darker ND Grad.

Notes:

• Even on a calm day, if your boat is floating, it’ll drift around. Setting the canoe over a rock bed allowed me to build a small island to set the bow on. Towards the stern of the canoe, I also built a rock island that stopped the canoe from drifting to the right. The slight wind was pushing the canoe that direction.
• Compose your shot to include the entire reflection of the canoe for more impact.
• Wait around even after the sun sets completely, because you may get better color in the sky then. During this sunset, the clouds changed shape and color considerably. I have pictures from the sunset that look so different, you’d hardly be able to tell they’re from the same sunset.
• Take a bunch of different pictures from different angles using both horizontal and vertical framing.
• You can do this technique digitally by capturing a properly exposed sky in one picture and foreground in another and then combine them with a gradient mask in Photoshop.

A couple of years ago, I watched a friend of mine carrying his wife’s boat down to the shore. A new kayaker taking a lesson from us carried the bow. Unfortunately, the worn-out rope attaching the kayak’s end toggle to the boat broke sending the bow of the $3200 fiberglass Valley Pintail to the asphalt. It hit with a crunch. He’s divorced now. I don’t know if it had anything to do with the kayak. Kayakers use end toggles (handles) for lots of things, but, arguably, the most important function is as a handle that allows the boat to spin freely if you have to swim your boat through the surf or in rough water. However you use your kayak’s handle replace the rope when it shows fraying and signs of wear. It’s a quick and painless repair you can do at home.

Step One:

Cut the old rope off and use it to measure the approximate size for your new rope. I typically leave the rope slightly longer than I know I’ll need, because it’s easier to tie the knot and you can always make it shorter. When replacing ropes, I like to replace them with reflective rope, which shines brightly at night when a light shines on it.

Step Two:

Slide the rope through one of the holes in your end toggle’s center. Make sure the rope comes out of the corresponding side of the toggle. Tie an overhand knot in the end. You don’t need to use a fancy knot here, because in the tight space inside your toggle it’s unlikely that the knot will come undone. Once tied, cut the excess off leaving between 1/4 and 1/2 inch of rope past the knot. Use a lighter and burn the end, so that the rope doesn’t fray.

Step Three:

Run the rope through the hole in your kayak and get ready to make a choice. If you’re using your toggle to hang onto your kayak during a swim, there’s a chance that if you run the cord back into the toggle making a loop your finger could get caught in the loop. As the boat spins, the loop could constrict on your finger and break it or worse. If you tie your finishing knot on the kayak instead of back into the toggle, you remove this possibility. The downside for cartoppers, is it takes away an easy place to hook your bow and stern tie-downs. If you want the extra protection while swimming tie a knot against the kayak, cut, and burn (see picture).

Step Four:

For those that need or want a loop, run the line through the boat and then into the open hole on the toggle. Pull the line out of the corresponding side, tie an overhand knot, cut and burn.

Step Five:

Pull the rope tight, which will compress the knots making then less likely to slip. After a week of use, check the knots by looking into the toggle. Make sure they’re still tight.

Spare Parts

• End Toggles
• BlueWater Niteline Accessory Cord – 4 mm

Image Creative Common Attribution by ELENA LAGARIA

gCaptian published two articles that every paddler should read: Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning and The Truth About Cold Water. Below is an excerpt from the Drowning article.

The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) – of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning – Dr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine, described the instinctive drowning response like this:

1. Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. Th e respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.
2. Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
3. Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
4. Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
5. From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

(Source: On Scene Magazine: Fall 2006)

Paddler: Why? I don’t know why; I don’t know. Never been in a kayak. You?
Narrator: No, but that’s a good thing.
Paddler: No, it is not. How much can you know about yourself, you’ve never been in a kayak? I don’t wanna die without any swims.

The eight rules of paddle club¹:

1. You do not talk about Paddle Club.
2. You do not talk about Paddle Club.
3. When someone falls over, or goes limp, even if he’s just faking it, then the rescues begin.
4. Only one paddler to a kayak.
5. One stroke at a time.
6. They paddle with pfds and dress for immersion.
7. The paddles go on as long as they have to.
8. If this is your first night at paddle club, you have to roll.

This spring our local paddle club debated rules, insurance and liability. In the end, we decided that we’re just a group of friends who paddle together and that each paddler is responsible for himself. We also decided that we’d only paddle with people who know how to perform self and assisted reentries. And paddlers must have the right gear for the conditions. Rules? Not really. It’s just how we select the people we’d paddle with.

I’m curious what other small clubs do. Does your club use insurance, have rules, worry about liability?

Fight Club Music Video

¹Watch Fight Club if you don’t know where the rules come from.

This second review of components in the GearPods Wilderness system looks at the included GearPods Health kit. GearPods offer “modular, lightweight adventure and survival gear to help the outdoor enthusiast to prepare for the unexpected.” In all their systems, they combine interconnecting, “waterproof” containers with survival kits. Because the system is modular, I’m reviewing each component separately. I’ll wrap-up the reviews in a final overview and opinion of the products with a separate post.

Because a first aid kit is only used when an injury occurs, I’m looking at the parts of this kit without having to use them. The kit is contained in a small nylon pouch inside of a GearPods Medium container (3.25” diameter, 3.25” height). It includes:

• Ibuprofen – 200mg (2)
• Aspirin – 325mg (2)
• Burn Cream with Aloe Vera
• Cleansing Wipes (2)
• Insect Protection Cream
• Sunscreen Lotion – SPF 30+
• Insect Sting Relief Towelette
• Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Cleanser
• Lip Ointment
• Hydrocortisone – 1%
• Iodine Wipes (2)
• Antibiotic Ointment
• Moleskin – 2″x2″ (2)
• Cotton Swabs (5)
• Medical Tape (0.5”x2.5yds)
• Tweezers
• Alcohol Prep Pads (2)
• Butterfly Closures (3)
• Knuckle Band Aid (2)
• Small Bandages (5)
• Large Bandages (5)
• Gauze Pads (2)
• Stuff sac with drawcard and fastener
• Contents Sheet

Because I’m a Wilderness First Responder, I like to customize my kits to suit the situations that I anticipate encountering. My personal lightweight first aid kit weighs 8.3 ounces and is designed for 2 to 4 people on a 10 day trip. I typically beef up the medication on longer trips based on the people coming along. The GearPod kit weighs only 4.8 ounces including the container. If I were to use this first aid kit on a trip, to make it acceptable, I’d add to it. Most importantly:

• Latex or Nitrile gloves
• More medicine, including Acetaminophen (Tylenol 500mg), Antihistamine (Diphenhydramine 25mg), and Diamode (Loperamide HCI 2mg)
• More and larger gauze pads
• Co-hesive, Elastic Vet Wrap, 2″
• Triangular Bandage
• Syringe with 18 Gauge Tip, 10cc

A few items, I’d remove. Most of the following, I’d be carrying as duplicate items elsewhere in my kit.

• Insect Protection Cream
• Sunscreen Lotion – SPF 30+
• Insect Sting Relief Towelette
• Poison Ivy/Oak/Sumac Cleanser (I don’t run into these too often and train those I’m with to look out for it. Only on one trip did someone I was with get Poison Ivy. She wiped with a leaf.)
• Lip Ointment

It’s hard to find a commercially available first aid kit that’s perfect, so I end up building my own. In the case of the GearPods Health kit, I’d have to restructure it significantly to take it to my standards. For about the same price both of Adventure Medical Kits’ UltraLight / Watertight .7 First-Aid Kit and their UltraLight / Watertight .9 First-Aid Kit offer a more complete kit that is just as watertight. As a separate component, I give the GearPods Health kit a pass. Included in the Wilderness system, it’d have to be beefed up to make it worth carrying.

On a side note not specific to the Health kit, I’ve found that the containers leak slightly. I let a container float in a sink full of water. After four hours, I wiped off the outside of the container to make sure no water splashed in and opened both ends. Inside each end, water beads were creeping up the threads and into the container. Not a ton of water, but a bit. Looks like my tests are concurring with Derrik’s tests.

My Other Reviews of the GearPods Kits

• GearPods Shelter Kit Review
• GearPods Health Kit Review

Back in April, Kayalu sent me a Kayacam camera mount to test out on my kayak. I decided to give it a go on a calm day (check out the video below). The Kayacam mount attaches to your kayak or canoe by hooking into an existing deck fitting with a stainless steel clip. The stainless clip is attached to a bungee cord, which you tighten until the mount is secure. Kayalu recommends that you use cameras weighing 7 ounces or less when used on a kayak, canoe or other boat subject to rocking.

You can use to link to Kayalu’s website to see the specifics of the camera mount. I’ll say that I found every component of the mount high quality. The only problem I had was I wanted to mount the camera in the center of my kayak, which has a ridge. Because the surface wasn’t completely flat, it made the mount slightly wobbly. I managed to fix the problem by carving out a flat foam platform for the mount to sit on. A friend of mine, who is just about to finish paddling up the Inside Passage, has been using one on the trip to shoot video. It’ll be interesting to see what he comes back with.

If you’re looking for a way to mount a camera onto your kayak, the Kayacam or Kayalu’s RAM Locking Suction Camera Mount with Toughbar are two great and inexpensive ways to do it.

GearPods, a company based out of Polson, Montana, manufactures “modular, lightweight adventure and survival gear to help the outdoor enthusiast to prepare for the unexpected.” Their gear systems combine interconnecting, waterproof containers with pre-built survival kits. Users combine any number of containers and gear to arrive at a customized kit, something like my emergency ditch kit. I’m currently testing out GearPods Wilderness system, which includes first-aid, survival gear, a lightweight stove, and the GearPods Shelter. Because the system is modular, I’m reviewing each component separately. I’ll wrap-up the reviews in a final overview and opinion of the products with a separate post. Because, I travel in lightweight style, I prefer gear that functions double-duty. I much prefer gear that functions in normal camp as well as in an emergency.  With that in mind, I set out to test GearPods Shelter system.

The GearPods Shelter system includes a one-person ripstop nylon tarp, 25 feet of nylon cord, 6 Line-Lok® Line Tensioners, and a hypothermia/thermal space blanket. The tarp is double coated with silicon for maximum water protection and features 9 fabric tie loops including a reinforced center loop. A large container (3.25” diameter, 4.75” height) holds the kit. The tarp itself is bright orange. The orange is a great color for emergencies, but for blending into the woods, it’s not that great. Considering that this is sold as an emergency tarp, it’s hard to fault the orange.

Includes:

• GearPods Adventure Tarp: Ultralight one-person silicon-coated ripstop nylon tarp (4.5′ x 6.5′)
• Thermal blanket
• 1.4 mm Nylon Cord – 70lbs breaking strength (25ft)
• Six (6) line tensioners (1-2mm)
• Printed instructions (PDF)
• GearPods Large Container (3.25” diameter, 4.75” height) with sticker on outside designating the contents
• Stuff sack

Weights:

• Tarp w/cord and tensioners – 5.7 ounces
• Stuff sack – 0.3 ounces
• Space blanket – 1.8 ounces
• Large Container – 3.3 ounces
• Total: 11.1 ounces
• Extras (not included): Four stakes – 1.9 ounces

Set-Up on the GearPods Shelter

To prepare the GearPods Shelter for use, you must decide how to cut-up the supplied cord. I’m a big fan of using tarps to camp under, and my typical system is to use two 10-foot lengths for the ridge line, four 5-foot lengths for the corners, and 3.5-foot lengths everywhere else. With only 25 feet of cord to work with and such a small tarp (4.5′ x 6.5′), I decided to cut the cord into four equal lengths and using bowlines tie a length to each corner. This set-up allows me to pitch the front with my kayak paddle (shown in the picture), and I can vary the height of the shelter’s back to gain more usable space in light rain. If GearPods included 40 feet of cord, I think the tarp would be more versatile. Luckily, it’s easy to buy more cord, and if you’re so inclined, GearPods sells a 40-foot length of paracord. Because the tarp doesn’t come with stakes, I threw four into my boat for testing (1.9 ounces). I recommend preparing the tarp before using it in the field, because during an emergency, the quicker you can complete chores, the more you can take advantage of adrenaline. Fiddly knot tying on small diameter cord slows work down.

Testing the Tarp

After preparing the tarp, it’s easy to set-up. Stake the rear corners out taut at 45 degree angles to the tarp, wrap each front line around the paddles shaft, and stake out the front two lines. Then adjust the line tensioners to make the tarp taut. The tarp itself is small. At only 4.5′ x 6.5′ it’s a tight squeeze to fit completely under while lying on the ground. With any rain splash, to stay dry, you must use the included space blanket to cover up with. In a survival situation, you’re going to remain in one location until rescue. While waiting for rescue, you’ll be able to shore-up the sides with sticks, etc. to help prevent rain from coming in. For day-to-day use, I’d much prefer a slightly larger tarp. A 5′ x 8′ tarp doesn’t seem that much bigger on paper, but in use the extra length allows for different and drier set-ups. I’d like to see another option from GearPods that provides a larger tarp with their kits.

If I’m going to carry a piece of gear, I want it to perform double duty and this tarp does do that. Using a slightly higher set-up raising both the front and back provides just enough room for two people to comfortably cook. If I’m using a tent for sleeping, I’d be tempted to bring along this tarp just to use as a cooking shelter. On several trips, I’ve been windbound under tarps for days at a time. With just two people, this one would probably work as a place to get out of the wind.

On the medical and first responder front, the tarp is just big enough to package a hypothermic victim. Combining it with the space blanket and any insulation you have on hand could make a nice response kit.

Repacking the Shelter System

The hardest part about using the GearPods systems in general is repacking the contents after use. They’re stuffed into the containers tightly. I’ve found that practicing replacing the items at home significantly increases the speed of repacking in the field. The Shelter System is no different. The space blanket works best if wrapped around the outside of the container (if you use the blanket, all bets are off, because they are near impossible to fold back into to small package). I found that folding the tarp and then rolling it so it’s the same height as the container works best for stuffing it into the sack. Once it’s into the sack, getting it into the container takes some force.

Additional Comments

Space blankets have their uses, but for a slight price upgrade, GearPods offers the Shelter Pro. It includes Adventure Medical Kit’s Heatsheets Emergency Bivy. If you’re expecting to spend the night out with just a GearPods kits, the bivy upgrade is worthwhile. Plus, the Sherlter Pro includes a poncho.

Overall

Although I’d prefer a slightly larger tarp and more cord to rig the set-up, the GearPods Shelter system packs a lot into a small container. Considering that this is included with the much larger GearPods Wilderness system, I’d say that it provides the necessary function. As a piece of emergency gear, you’d be hard pressed to find anything as functional in a package the same size and weight. For adventurers looking for a small kitchen tarp, the price seems right. For guides looking for an emergency shelter to hold an injured person before evac, it’s about the right size. If you’re looking for a small tarp, check this one out before you buy; for the price, it’s a good deal.

My Other Reviews of the GearPods Kits

• GearPods Shelter Kit Review
• GearPods Health Kit Review

Get GearPods Now:

• GearPods Wilderness at Amazon.com.

There’s a new player in town for Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness maps, and it’s National Geographic’s excellent Trails Illustrated Maps. The current players in the BWCA map field include McKenzie Maps, Fisher Maps, and Voyageur Maps. Each of the current vendors follows the philosophy that more detail is better. To cover the entire BWCA, they require 25, 32, or 10 maps, respectively. Trails Illustrated does it with 2!

Trails Illustrated Boundary Waters maps are printed on double-sided waterproof and tear resistant 27″ x 39″ paper. When folded, the maps reduce down in size to approximately 4 1/4″ x 9 1/4″. They weigh 3.3 ounces each. The scale of 1:70,000 (1” = 1.10 miles) provides more than enough detail to navigate and plan trips. Contour intervals equal 50 feet, so elevation is easy to discern. The colors are high contrast and easy to read. Campsites, portages, and portage lengths are shown. Like Voyageur Maps they include information that includes contact info for local regulator agencies, permit info, and BWCA regulations. They also include info on Leave No Trace outdoor ethics, Tread Lightly! info, watercraft horsepower restrictions for the few remaining lakes that motors are allowed on, and a nice conversion chart for rods. Missing are contour lines for lakes.

During a quick comparison between the Trails Illustrated maps, McKenzie and Voyageur Maps, I’ve noticed differences in portage lengths–almost no portage is listed as the same length, but the variation seems minor with most in the under 10 rods difference. Some are alarmingly different. For example, Voyageur Map 6 and McKenzie Maps #6 show the portage from Sea Gull Lake into J.A. Paulson Lake (JAP Lake) as 515 rods. On Trails Illustrated, it’s shown as 410 rods. A 105 rod difference equals just under 6 football fields. That’d be a huge surprise for unaware canoeists. An other example is the portage from Missing Link Lake to Tuscarora. Voyageur Maps shows it as 428 rods, McKenzie shows it as 366 rods, and Trails Illustrated shows it as 363 rods. For both portages, I have GPS data. The Sea Gull Lake to JAP comes in at 422 rods on the GPS, and for the Missing Link Lake to Tuscarora, my data comes in at 362 rods. You can find the data I have here: BWCA GPS Portages and Campsites. Your call on accuracy of the various maps. All the maps show campsites in similar locations–close enough to find them without issues.

What I like about the Trail Illustrated maps is the compact form and lightweight. On my longer trips into the BWCA, I’ve ended up carrying a ton of maps. Each night I like to look at the next day’s travels when using McKenzie Maps, I’ll often have to lay out multiple maps to see where I’m going the next day. Voyageur Maps ease the concern somewhat, and Trails Illustrated practically eliminates it. As an example, on one extended trip into the BWCA, I carried 16 different McKenzie Maps. For that trip, I would have carried 6 Voyageur Maps, and only 2 Trails Illustrated Maps. Looking at weights, a McKenzie weighs 2.6 ounces each. Voyageur Maps weigh 3.6 ounces each. Trails Illustrated weigh 3.3 ounces each. For that trip, in maps I carried 2.6 pounds of maps. With Voyageur Maps, I would have carried 1.35 pounds of maps. With Trails Illustrated Maps, I would have only carried 0.4 pounds of maps. The difference in weight alone is a significant Thermarest upgrade.

Then there’s the cost. A complete set of McKenzie Maps costs $165. A complete set of Voyageur Maps costs $99.50. In contrast, you’ll only pay $23.90 for Trails Illustrated Maps. The coverage is the same.

Over the years, I’ve asked via email the various Boundary Waters map makers to come up with a two map set that covers the BWCA entirely. It’s something that I’ve dreamt about for over 10 years. It’s nice to see that a company is willing to try it. I only wish it would have been one of the Minnesota companies that had tackled the project. From now on, when you see me in the Boundary Waters, you’ll see me using National Geographic’s Trails Illustrated BWCA maps.

Get yours here:

• Trails Illustrated (National Geographic) Map Of The BWCA – Eastern Half
• Trails Illustrated (National Geographic) Map Of The BWCA – Western Half

When wearing paddling gloves, it seems like I always have to suffer a trade-off: warmth vs. good grip. On those cold and wavy days when Lake Superior’s 40°F water threatens to turn my hands into a solid popsicles, the lake leaves me no choice except to don the gloves. Just the other day when wearing glove–I forgot my secret formula from making a paddle shaft grippy–I almost missed a brace when my glove slipped right off the paddle shaft. To compensate for the lack of grip, I notice I tend to tighten my hold onto the paddle’s shaft, which locks my wrist into an angle that flares up my tendonitis. I’ve even tried pogies, but gave them up, because I feel to confined to one place on my paddle’s shaft. I almost consigned myself to having a grip that slipped until I discovered Mr. Zogs Paddle Wax.

According to Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax website, Fredrick Herzog III (Mr Zog) and Nate Skinner developed the wax as a high performance surf wax to keep surfers feet attached to their boards. It worked, and within a few months, it was being sold across the world. Since then, it’s been used in other sports, like hockey, skateboarding and paddling.

For kayaking, you rub the shaft of your paddle generously with a coat of sex wax and it becomes grippy. I’ve tried it with several styles of gloves, including NRS’s ridiculously warm but slippery Reactor Gloves. Every style of glove sticks to the shaft just like a bare hand and maybe better.

If you paddle cold water in cold weather and want to keep your hands warm without giving up grip, then pick up a bar of Mr. Zogs Paddle Wax. And remember that even though people use it as chewing gum, it’s not recommended.