gear
Wenonah Canak – Packing Light
10.04.2011 // 0 Comments
As the name would suggest, Wenonah’s new Canak isn’t really a canoe or a kayak; it’s a blend of both.
Old Town Pack Canoe – Packing Light
10.04.2011 // 0 Comments
An extremely practical little boat, the Old Town Pack is built for abuse, if not speed.
Hornbeck Blackjack – Packing Light
10.04.2011 // 2 Comments
Constructed entirely of carbon fiber, including the thwarts and backrest, and made in Peter Hornbeck’s pine shed just a short drive from our put-in at Follensby Pond, the Blackjack is simply the lightest pack canoe you’ll find anywhere.
Swift Pack 13.6 Carbon Fusion – Packing Light
10.04.2011 // 0 Comments
If you want an open-deck canoe that feels like a kayak, consider the Swift Pack 13.6, a pint-sized lightweight carbon/Kevlar trimmed solo canoe that paddles exactly like Swift’s popular Adirondack Kayak.
Placid Boatworks Spitfire – Packing Light
10.04.2011 // 0 Comments
Touted by this Adirondack boat-crafter as “the most sophisticated pack canoe ever designed,” the handmade SpitFire is a modern remake of the classic Adirondack pack canoe—only longer, faster, and more stable than Rushton’s original.
Tunnel Vision
09.02.2011 // 0 Comments
Something bad happened to North American tent design shortly after the first freestanding dome tents became popular in the 1980s. With the exception of those who clung to tired yet trusty A-frames, the camping masses shunned non-freestanding tents as being old and dated.
Creek Streak
08.19.2011 // 1 Comment
Squatting in the rain on the banks of Washington’s East Fork of the Lewis, MacGyvering a drain-plug from a rotten stick and duct tape, it hit me; creekboating is an odd human behavior. The practice pushes the limits of what’s possible in a small, plastic boat, and challenges manufacturers to make reliable kayaks that paddlers can trust.
Big Dog Drop Zone – Creek Streak
08.19.2011 // 0 Comments
This new dog knows all the old tricks, and does them well. Britain’s fastest-growing kayak manufacturer designed this high-volume displacement hull beast with a long waterline for speed and highly controlled, confident paddling. “It’s perfect for tight lines in big, pushy water,” one tester said. “It would be great on the North Fork Payette-anything large and continuous.”
Fluid Detox – Creek Streak
08.19.2011 // 0 Comments
Like to bomb the big stuff and play along the way? Imagine a creekboat with a playboat hull: That’s the Detox. Aptly suited for tearing up big green waves and dropping waterfalls, the Detox is the missing link between Fluid’s playful river-running Spice and its creek-specific Solo.
Jackson Super Hero Elite – Creek Streak
08.19.2011 // 0 Comments
You don’t necessarily need to be a hero to paddle Jackson’s revamped 2011 Hero line. Faster, lighter, and easier to control than its predecessor, the new Super Hero’s wide, flat-as-possible hull means stability. Lots of it.
Prijon Pure XL – Creek Streak
08.19.2011 // 0 Comments
Bombproof. The blow-molded, high-molecular-weight plastic in this new, plus-size downriver tank could likely survive a direct hit from a howitzer. We didn’t actually put a bomb in the German-designed creeker, but our testers did slam it into a rock or two.
Pyranha Burn – Creek Streak
08.19.2011 // 0 Comments
After setting the creekboat design bar high in 2006 with the release of the lightning-fast original Burn, Pyranha has managed to make it better. Raised front rocker makes for easier boof strokes without sacrificing speed, and the redesigned Burn’s slightly raised carving rails still provide precise maneuvering for quick eddy turns without getting hung-up on low-volume slides or while skittering over rocks.
Big Apple Splash ‘n’ Dash
07.21.2011 // 0 Comments
Running a kayak touring business in Manhattan is like driving a yellow cab in Boothbay, Maine. You get fares, but making a living is not easy. For the past 16 years, Eric Stiller, the founder of Manhattan Kayak Company has sold kayaking in the city that never sleeps and rarely paddles.
Current Designs Freedom – Fast and Fit Boats
07.20.2011 // 0 Comments
Here’s a boat that increases both your heart rate and fun rate. Long, fast, and exceedingly light, the smooth-lined Freedom is also surprisingly stable for those craving a specialty fitness boat, making it a great fit for any traditional sea kayaker looking to move faster while sacrificing only a wee bit of stability.
Cobra Eliminator – Fast and Fit Boats
07.20.2011 // 1 Comment
Made from super-linear polyethylene, the Eliminator is hit-me-with-your-best-shot durable. But at 42 pounds, it’s a handful to carry alone. It has the sleek racing design of an Olympic K-1—narrow bow, relatively high bucket seat and adjustable foot pedals to control the over-stern rudder…
Kayakpro Namu – Fast and Fit Boats
07.20.2011 // 0 Comments
Take a short, sluggish sea kayak—a standard beginner’s boat—hand it to a world-class sprinter, and viola! You get an efficient, fitness-oriented kayak.
Pyranha Speeder – Fast and Fit Boats
07.20.2011 // 0 Comments
From its source in Lake Tear of the Clouds on Mt. Marcy, the highest peak in New York, the Hudson rushes through the Adirondacks, ambles past the state capitol in Albany and, 315 miles later, meets the Atlantic at New York Harbor.
C&K Guides
