Like a gift from the Rain Shell Gods - REI Shuksan II

I have been obsessing over what to do about a rain shell. Several times I came close to just ordering an expensive Arc Teryx out of necessity. But I really didn't want one.  For me, there is really no more important piece of gear than a rain shell. I carry it all year, regardless of season or class I am teaching. And having one that wasn't really working was not only inconvenient but a little dangerous.  Just before ordering an expensive jacket I didn't really want, I took one last look at REI offerings. I looked at mens rain jackets, and then narrowed my search to something on the expensive size. As I was scrolling through the options, not really expecting something new, I saw this.

That's right, the Jacket the I loved, and that died, was the REI Shuksan. The Jacket on the bottom left? The Shuksan II. An update, and just in time. I know this jacket wasn't on REI's website a month ago. As a friend of mine said, procrastination pays off.

If you were watching my instagram, you know it arrived yesterday, and because it was an updated jacket I felt comfortable ordering one sight unseen.  I knew if I hated it I could return it to REI so I went ahead and pulled the trigger, and with the southern US on its fifth straight day of rain, and a tropical storm off the coast, it couldn't have come at a better time. I immediately noticed that the fabric was very different. It has a grid pattern to it now, and a different hand feel - though that could be compared to an old jacket which has softened up. According to REI.com it now uses a rip stop fabric - I have heard people complain that the older shuksan can tear when bushwacking, to which my response is don't bushwhack.

the new ripstop fabric.

I decided today to spend some time comparing the two jackets side by side. The first thing I look for in a jacket is the number of panels that make up the back, and then a total number. As a refresher, the number of panels means a better fit, but it also means more stitching and seam sealing which means more labor intensive and more expensive. The back of the the Shuksan has three panels, the back of the the Shuksan II has 1. The sides of the Shuksan has three panels. The sides of the Shuksan II has one. This tells me that REI decided to produce this jacket a bit less expensively than its predecessor.

The hood assembly is very similar, with a similar amount of panels, the drawcord assembly is almost identical. The front panel assembly is very similar between both jackets, and the new Shuksan II keeps the two napolean pockets, one on either side of the main zipper. The zippers on the first Shuksan, were waterproof, and on the new Shuksan II they are "highly Water resistant". I am okay with this, particularly as they are much easier to use.

Old on top, and new on bottom.

The sleeves are still on the longer side, and I am pleased to see they didn't change the cuff closures which are velcro and can be operated with gloves.

Under the sleeves I found a surprise, pit zips. The original Shuksan has no pit zips. The pit zips on the shuksan two are huge, which makes me concerned that the new ripstop Fabric isn't as breathable as the old fabric. Time and usage will tell.

My biggest complaint is that the front hand pockets have been lowered, and become useless as soon as you put a backpack with a waist belt on. That is a shame.

Notice the height difference of the pockets

In general what I am seeing is a jacket that was built for outdoor professionals, and the highly active converted to a jacket for everyone. This isn't surprising, as that is really who REI is targeting as their customer.

Despite these changes, I am excited to try out this jacket and see how it performs. I still like the cut, even though it isn't as many panels. I like the attention to detail in the hood, and that the jacket has water resistant zippers and zipper flaps. I am excited that the zipper garages stuck around for Shuksan II and that it is still a long cut jacket - meaning no cold back when you bend over. It still layers well, and feels good.

I will be spending a lot of time in this jacket, maybe even a lot of time in the next week. So expect updates on how it is performing. I am excited to get this wet!

When good gear goes bad - part II

In the previous post, When good gear goes bad, I talked about beloved gear that has arrived at the end of its life. One of those pieces is my beloved REI Shuksan jacket, which is an eVent rain shell. It  died shortly after my latest Alaska trip, and unfortunately it isn't made any longer, so its replacement will not be easy to find. I thought I would take give you some insight into what I look for in a rain shell, and when it is time to replace a shell jacket.

For me, the most important aspect of any rain shell, is the waterproof breathable fabric that the jacket is made out of. My last jacket was eVent, which is a waterproof membrane that allows vapor to flow from inside the jacket to outside without allowing water to move from the outside in. It is important to understand every rain shell is waterproof - a garbage bag is water proof - but what you are paying for is breathability. As you go up in price, you go up in breathability. It is the difference between a $99 jacket, and $399 jacket. Not the only difference, but a big one. So why eVent? because it is more breathable than gore-tex. Gore-tex revolutionized the outerwear industry. Away went rubber rain coats, and they were replaced with supple material that was both waterproof and breathable. Meaning you could work up a sweat and remain dry. I have owned many gore-tex jackets, and after using eVent I vowed I would never go back. It may be hard to keep that promise, but more on that later. Another thing to keep in mind is that many companies make their own version of gore-tex. Things like TNF's Hyvent, Marmot's Preccip, Patagonia's H2NO or REI's Elements are similar designs to gore-tex fabric. They tend to be less expensive which translates to not as breathable.

The second thing I look for is panels, and construction. When talking about panels, I am referring to how many pieces of fabric are connected together to make the jacket itself. The more panels that make up the jacket, the better fit you will have, but it also means you have more seams to seal. The more seams you have to seal the more the jacket costs, because it is more labor intensive to manufacture. To me it is an indicator that the designer and manufacturers "gave a shit" about making a highly functioning jacket. Then, once I see the number of panels I look at how the jacket is constructed, are the seams stitched and taped? or welded, which lasts longer, sits flatter against your body and of course costs more. Are the zippers waterproof? or do they have a flap behind them to keep water from hitting you after passing through the zipper. Is the hood adjustable? is it helmet compatible? Are the pockets at the same height as a backpacks waist belt (which makes them unusable when wearing a pack!) Interior pocket(s)? Napolean pocket? phone/ipod pocket? How do the wrist cuffs adjust? Can you operate them with a gloved hand? Is it cut longer in the back so I when I bend over to load a kayak or pick up a pack my lower back isn't exposed to cold and rain? Are the arms a little long, so when I reach over my head my wrists aren't exposed? How big are the pit zips? I think of pit zips as the jackets designer telling me how well it is going to breath. If it breathes really well it doesn't need pit zips, but if they run from the waist to your elbow you are in for a wet ride! My last eVent jacket had no pit zips, though you could make the argument that the pockets on the front would offer some venting because they were backed with mesh. If you are really fanatical, look at the way pocket zippers are finished, do they just stop, leaving a tiny hole - about the size of a pencil point - at the end? or does the zipper slider (which is the part that joins the two ends of the zipper into one) end in a zipper garage?  A little 'house' that ensures that the top of the zipper won't leak.

I also never buy a 3 in 1 style jacket. These are shell jackets that when you buy them they come with an insulation piece of some sort. A fleece, or  some other kind of interior jacket with the intention of insulation, that connects to the outer shell. Essentially making one jacket. So you get an outer shell (piece 1) an inner insulation piece (piece 2) and put them together and use them together (piece 3). Traditionally you can zip the pieces together by means of a second interior zipper - called a second track -  I don't like these because usually you will be stuck with one of the pieces being inferior. And while they do save you a little money, if you wouldn't use both pieces individually then it is actually costing you money in the long run. Finally, you never want the interior jacket connected to the outer jacket - if you are really active in the outdoors. There are two reasons, the first, it inhibits movement slightly. Skiers complain about this the most, as the direction of movement that is hindered is side to side. The bigger reason is that when active, you should always be adjusting layers. The rain stopped? take off the shell. It's raining but got warmer as I descended the ridge? Dump the liner, and keep the shell. Those adjustments are much harder to make with the two pieces zipped together.

Finally, when looking for a new shell, I think about sizing. It has to fit big enough to fit an insulation layer underneath it, like a fleece or a primaloft jacket. I will use this jacket all year, from rain protection in the dead of summer, to wind, snow and ice protection in the dead of winter. I need to be able to adjust accordingly with layers from super thin weight for wicking, to super thick for insulation. Always try a jacket on with different layer types underneath it.

So how do I know when my jacket is at the end of it's life? First, you need a benchmark. When you buy a new jacket, splash some water on it so you can see how actively water beads up on the surface. This happens because the jacket is coated with a Durable Water Repellent finish or DWR. DWR helps keep the pours of the jacket open, so it can breath. When the jacket gets dirty, it slows or stops breathability, and can become a conduit for moisture to move inside the jacket, particularly with eVent who states that you should wash their jackets frequently.Of course the more you wash a jacket, the more the originally DWR coating wears off. Also, the more you ball a jacket up and stuff it in your bag, the faster that DWR finish is removed.  When the jacket stops beading up water it is time to reapply the DWR finish with a product like Nikwax TX Direct. This is available in both a spray, and a wash in, I prefer the wash in as it gets very even coverage. But before you re-apply the DWR your jacket needs to be cleaned, and regular laundry soap isn't going to cut it. First you need to wash it with another Nikwax product, Techwash. I have used products other than Nikwax and in my opinion they don't work as well. This will clean it thoroughly, and prepare the surface for the coming DWR - which won't adhere if the jacket is dirty or is washed first in regular laundry soap - regular laundry soap leaves a microscopic film on the jacket that keeps the new DWR finish from adhering. So if your jacket stops beading water, it doesn't mean it is time for a new jacket, it just means you need to reapply the DWR, which costs about $20 for both the cleaner and the finish. (I have been told that ironing your jacket can revitalize the DWR, and ironing right after applying your new DWR finish helps it adhere to the jacket better - thereby lasting longer. I haven't had the guts to take an iron to my jacket, but I do put my jacket in the dryer on low heat which helps it adhere as well. ) As always check labels and follow the manufacturers instructions.

So when is it time for a new jacket? When it does what mine did, which is this. After a lot of use, the tape that covers the seams started to come off. So I washed the jacket in preparation to send the jacket to the west coast to have the damaged sections re-taped. When it came out of the wash, all the taped seams had come off, and the seal that contained the waist drawcord had come open too. It would have cost as much to have the jacket re-taped, as to buy a new jacket. You may also see the interior coating on the jacket start to flake off. It will leave little pieces of white fluff everywhere you go, this is the jacket delaminating - the waterproof membrane is literally separating into its components and falling apart. This is another sign that the jacket is dead.

So what am I going to get to replace my beloved jacket? Very few companies work with eVent, because to do so means that you can't also work with Gore-tex, and even though eVent is a better product, everyone active in the outdoors knows Gore-tex. The few companies that do make eVent only offer jackets outside of my price range, or don't offer some of the features listed above. Currently, in my opinion, the best jackets on the market today are made by Arc Teryx. They meet all of my requirements except they use Goretex instead of eVent. But that isn't the reason I hesitate. I hesitate because they have a reputation to be worn by people who want to look like the play or work in the outdoors more then they actually do work or play in the outdoors. Kind of like driving a BMW, I don't want people to notice the brand of jacket I wear before they even start a class with me. With that said, I know a number of instructors who swear by them, and it will probably be what I end up going with.

1000 hours

In what I like to refer to as "the year in hell" - I loved the job, but it was very hard physically and hard on my family - I did very little paddling, but I did do a lot of yoga.

I came to realize that a lot of the connections that I made in Enlightened Kayaking between paddling and martial arts and Buddhism exist into yoga as well. I am working on a yoga for paddling post because of how strong the connection is.

I got see many new paddling students this past year, and I saw that the problem that a lot of them had was a lack of twisting ability. They literally lacked the ability to rotate at their core, which is a small problem for the forward stroke, but a huge problem for the sweep stroke. I realized that this could be remedied with a simple yoga practice - I have started telling people that everything we do in the outdoors is made easier if you do yoga!



sweep from Paddling Otaku on Vimeo.

I would like to find yoga positions that replicate the movements of paddling, I think that could help a lot of people with things like the sweep. In particular, I think that everyone can benefit from a simple yoga practice. And like most things, it is best to get that instruction from a qualified instructor.

I started to talk to my yoga instructor about the training process. Not because I am interested in becoming a yoga instructor - believe me I have enough on my plate - but because I am becoming ever depressed with the quality of kayak instructors that I see.

I think what is contributing to the low quality of instructors that I see - and I should stress, I am not talking about any of the instructors I work with, this is when I observe instruction while I am paddling on my own. I always watch other outdoor educators when I have the opportunity.

Here is what I think may contribute to the problem. You can take a week long class to become an ACA certified instructor, and go and teach students. ACA will teach you the format and the skills to teach. But there are no - that I can find - prerequisites for paddling history. Meaning, if you can master the skills in the class you can be an instructor, regardless of real world experience.

But if you want to be a yoga instructor, you have to do 200 hours of training, which my research says seems to take about 10 months. That ends up being 10 months of real world experience.

When I became a Paramedic, I did hundreds of precepted practical hours. In ambulances, in Emergency Departments, as well as pediatrics, nicu, etc. etc. It forced me to spend time doing what I was learning, and gaining real world experience.

All too often I see outdoor educators who did what I like to call "certification hunting". They find the certifications that people want to see, and they take the courses to obtain them, acquiring many along the way. ACA Level 1, 2 or 3 for coastal or whitewater kayaking. Wilderness First Aid, or Wilderness First Responder. Leave No Trace Master Educator. Swiftwater Rescue. High Angle Rescue, AMGA rock climbing. These are just a handful, but you can spend so much time doing it, you don't have time   to practice using these skills.

After getting my Paramedic, which is essentially a pile of certifications - Pre-hospital Advanced Life support(PHTLS), Pediatric Advanced Life Support(PALS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) I promised myself I wouldn't go certification hunting again. With the caveat that as soon as I didn't get a job because I lacked a particular certification, I would obtain that one. It has been close to twenty years and I still haven't had that happen.

Now, I don't mean to knock certifications. If you are a paddler, and want to work on your skills, by all means take a course. But I think instructors should be held to a higher standard. I would like to see instructors have to log their personal trips and their teaching time. It would be great if kayaking instructors had to have 200, or 400 or even 1000 hours of paddling time - maybe broken up between teaching time, and journeying time. I think it would give us instructors with way more depth, and experience to draw on.

I did some quick checking, and in the past year, I have taught around 350 hours. That doesn't count time prepping for classes, or reviewing classes and their outcomes. It also doesn't include personal trips. There is no substitute for teaching time - just like when I was a paramedic, there is nothing better than patient contact time! There is nothing better than doing the thing you are teaching people to do.

When I became a NOLS sea kayak instructor, my instructor training was 35 days in British Columbia. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done (Becoming a WMI instructor was harder!) Having the time to do that much paddling with so many wonderful paddlers was the best learning experience of my life. When I looked around the room on day 1, I literally thought "what am I doing here with these people, I am not in the same class as them." I walked away realizing I was an okay paddler, but a pretty good teacher (Today I think I am a pretty good paddler, and a great teacher, it only took me a decade to get to this point!) 35 days gave me so much experience to draw on when teaching today, it is a tremendous benefit.

I am frequently asked by younger instructors what their next step should be for both experience and advancement. I have a couple of pieces of standard advice that makes instructors stand out to potential employers, but the biggest thing I tell people is to do a NOLS Outdoor Educator course. Yes, they are expensive, but you will pick up so much skill, in both the venue (kayaking, climbing, etc) but you will walk away a far better instructor.

My advice to you as a new paddler? Yes, your instructor should have some sort of certification, but ask them about their paddling history? If you want to get into touring, what kind of touring have they done? If you want to do whitewater, what big rivers have they paddled? Get a feel for them as outdoorsmen, not just instructors.

Needs

I will continue on my ongoing minimalist theme, with something I have been seeing frequently.

People claiming they "need" something, not just want it. I'll give you an example. 

If you read this blog then you know I am a big fan of Adam Savage, of myth busters fame. We have a number of things in our personal histories in common. I absolutely love his ability to build things, a skill I do not have, and he is fascinated by a number of things that I too am fascinated by. One of them is old adventure vehicles. He has a fully restored Toyota FJ-40. If I had the means I would own one of these vehicles in a heartbeat - honestly I would rather a Landrover Series IIa from the year I was born, but I digress. Recently he posted a picture of a Lego FJ-40 that matched his actual truck identically, and he said something along the lines of "I love this because it matches my FJ, I don't want this, I need it!" With all do respect Mr. Savage - and I really do have a lot or respect for you - you don't need it. 

Today I came across this photo of a home craft project utilizing a tire, some wood, and a rope. Please read the caption. 

Let me say for the record, No one needs this. I don't even think most people want this. 

I completely understand what both of the people in these examples are trying to say. They are saying this is something really special that speaks to me on a higher level, and I would like to acquire it. That having this particular thing will make me extremely happy. The problem is, they are wrong. 

I don't know Adam Savage - but if he is ever in town, I would love to buy him a drink - but I think he seems like a genuinely happy person. I don't think having that lego truck is really going to make him any happier. I also don't think that a used tire covered with rope is going to make anyones life better. 

I think that sayings like this elevate the concept of needs to a place that they shouldn't be. People need food. People need water. Those are needs. I am serious, right now there are people in the world who need food and water.

recently I was watching the latest Apple media event. a week or so ago I sold my aging laptop, and a monitor that connects to it. My wife and I share an iMac, which I am typing on now. My only other "computer" is an iPad mini. My plan was to sell the laptop, use the money to buy a new iPad mini, and then sell my older iPad mini. But during the Apple presentation I saw the new iPad Pro. I was really impressed. To have that much power in the form of a tablet? That high res of a screen? I was really impressed with the apple pencil too! I could see using the pencil to annotate maps, or some such. I was stumped, I wasn't sure which to get. I decided to think about it for a few days. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that while having an iPad that could do all that would be amazing, I didn't really need it. I need to be able to travel with my iPad easily, It needs to go everywhere with me. The Pro was just too big. I love the stylus, but I don't really need it. I wanted the iPad pro, but I don't need it. If I could get an iPad mini pro, they might have something.

I don't mean to be a buzz kill or a fun sponge, I understand what everyone means, but I think we should keep things in perspective. There is a difference between needing and wanting. What do we actually need? If you think about it, most of you probably have what you need. A lot of things fall into the want category. Just don't think that having those things will actually make you any happier.

Come on, is Spock ever wrong? 

The Gear Monolith

I have a lot of gear. Despite being a pretty strict minimalist I still have a lot of gear. Part of the reason is that I teach multiple disciplines. I of course have my paddling gear, but I also teach various land based courses. Photography. Cooking. Map and Compass/GPS. I teach GoPro Classes and of course Wilderness First Aid. Each these topics have their own little (and in some cases not so little) gear sets. Add to that large pile the gear I need to do the things I do for fun. Like Mountain biking, and camping.

My current - largest in terms of time - employer gives me the ability to purchase gear at a pretty good discount, some of you may be aware of the term prodeal, I have that ability. It only gets better if I pick up a sponsor or two. So acquiring gear is not a real problem, but after a time you come to realize you don't really need anything - unfortunately I am at a point after two major expeditions where I have a lot of gear that needs to be replaced, but that is another story! Yes, every now and then I see something that is super cool, but I generally don't buy it unless I need it. But that still leaves me with a large amount of gear, and after moving to our current house last July fourth, I had gear in several places. It made it particularly difficult to find that particular thing I needed.

All that has changed. I now have all my gear in one location, sorted by usage. It makes it super easy to pull gear for either a trip or a class. It looks like this.

Sorry I couldn't get a better picture of this monstrosity, but I couldn't get far enough away from it with my iPhone to get it all in  frame. 

So here is how I use it. Yesterday I taught a paddling class. I grabbed my primary paddling duffel and paddles. I then grabbed the cooler for lunch and drinks, and my rain shell. From the Electronics shelf I grabbed the pelican case for my iPhone. When I came home I reversed the order. I didn't have to look for where anything was, and I didn't forget anything. 

In all it took me about 4 hours to build, and about $200 in lumber. Well worth the time and investment, after years of trying to remember where a particular piece of gear is. Admittedly, it is big. 8 feet wide, by six feet high. It still needs some organizing and fine tuning. But so far I am extremely happy with it. How do you store all your gear? Post a link in comments, I truly want to see it. 

My little Neck of the Woods

Every year Outside magazine publishes an Article with a title like, where to live now, or Best towns, or Best outdoor towns. I find these articles really interesting. If truth be know, I would really love to live in a place like Port Angelas, Washington. Or Portland, or someplace that is both outdoorsy, and cool. I'll tell you a quick story from when I worked in Photography.

I travelled a lot, which was good because I was newly divorced and didn't have much going on outside of work. I went to Seattle a bunch of times for work, essentially shooting the city and the Olympic Peninsula. I was a photo assistant at this point in my life, and myself and the photographer got up early to shoot sunrise, and I got out of the car to get us both coffee. I was wearing a red Patagonia Retro X fleece - which is talked about in this post - it was for a while THE fleece to wear if you were outdoorsy, and as I was waiting for my coffee, the woman behind the counter said "Nice Fleece". She actually had to say it twice before I heard her. There are two reasons for this, the first, I was a little jet lagged from the flight in. But more importantly, I didn't hear here because I am from New York. New York City actually, and in NYC, people don't talk to you. People don't make polite conversation. I heard her the second time, and after getting over my shock that someone was talking to me, I said thank you, and then looked around. What I saw amazed me. I was in a city of people like me. People who loved the outdoors. In NYC, I never really fit in. I have loved Seattle since.

So I have longed to get back to a city like that, where I feel I fit in, and the city is cool. I want to live in a city that makes a list like Outside Magazines Best places to live. Every year that list comes out, and not only doesn't my city make the list, it isn't even in the running!

So I thought I would point out a few features of my city that I think make it "list worthy". Maybe your city is list worthy too! Maybe Outside magazine doesn't know what they are talking about.

My favorite part of where I am living now is the weather. Yes it gets pretty hot in June and July, but winter is like 6 months of Northeast Fall. Which is the best of all worlds if you are into the outdoors. I paddle all year long (a couple of times the local lakes have frozen over). It never gets really cold. We get the occasional dusting of snow.

But being into outdoor activities there are too many options for things to do. I have access to over 30 miles of greenways within the city limits. For those of you not aware, a greenway is a paved path for walking/running/cycling that generally follows, lakes, streams, or roads, but sometimes takes the place of abandoned railroad lines. Sometimes, they have cool bridges that cross lakes.

I also have the ability to ride almost 40 miles of single track mountain biking trails in the city limits. Some really wonderful mountain biking. Not into mountain biking? Prefer the road? We have a huge cycling community, supporting 9 full service bike shops (one of which has beer on tap!) It is easy to find a group ride on weekends.

We have 42 miles of hiking trails. All within the city limits. Most of the trails are along our watershed lakes which offer kayak and SUP rentals. All of my sites kayaking instruction videos were shot on my local lakes. If you are lucky, you will see one of the bald eagles that reside on the lake I paddle at most frequently.

We also offer easy access to more remote hiking, an hour and half away is the largest canyon east of the Mississippi. The Appalachian trail goes through the western half of the state - close to Asheville, which DOES occasionally make the Outside Magazine list, bastards - and there are numerous National and state parks out that way. Head the other direction and you have hundreds of miles of protected seashore. with camping, kayaking and fishing access.

What's that? You like a good meal after your ride/hike/paddle? How about a burger? TripAdvisor just decided we have the best Burger Joint in America.... and it isn't my favorite burger joint in town! We have a great Brick oven pizza place that is all organic and local. There are any number of great places for a cold beer, or hell, just head to a brewery! Want something a little more upscale? we have that too.

Need someplace to stay? How about the nations fist "Leed Platinum" Hotel? It is super swanky too.

Outside, I really think you need to check us out. Or on second thought, stay away, it'll keep the riff raft out.

Why Should I bother wearing a PFD

I hear it all the time. Why should I bother wearing a PFD or Lifejacket? I don't perceive the danger. I am a good swimmer. I am going to be close to shore. They are uncomfortable. They don't look cool. There are a thousand reasons to not wear a PFD and they are all lousy. Here are a couple of reasons TO wear a PFD.

32 year old Ian Jones, boyfriend of Annie Lennox's daughter. Died on the hudson river when his tandem kayak overturned. She lived, he died. She was wearing PFD, he wasn't.

69 year old man. Paddled frequently. Sometimes he didn't wear a PFD, sometimes he did. This time he didn't and it cost him his life.

Two dead, after kayak flips in a river. PFD's were found, but they don't know if they were being worn at the time of the incident (if they were wearing them, they either weren't adjusted correctly, or not zipped/buckled.) 

You want a reason to wear your PFD? How about this. Two kayakers rescued in Oregon. They spent nine hours in the water, when the Coast Guard got them. The only reason they are alive is that they were wearing PFD's. None of the four fatalities that I listed above were even in the ocean, they were either lakes or rivers. 

I am the first one to admit, that our current society is very much  a "culture of fear". Where everyone is telling you, you can't do this, or you can't do that because it is unsafe. But this is a situation that I really think is an easy decision. You don't wear your seatbelt because you are a bad driver. You wear it because you are surrounded by bad drivers who do stupid things. In a kayak it is exactly the same. It isn't the threats you perceive, it is the things you can't imagine happening. That is why you should wear one. Wear one so you don't become a statistic. Wear your PFD.

Beginners Class

One of the things I don't like about this blogging platform is that it is hard to find a nice progression of posts to learn the basic skills. So here, all in one place are a number of posts to get you started.

You first have to get into the boat, and sit comfortably, with a firm connection to the kayak. Then it is on to the forward stroke.

Some notes on the forward stroke lesson. I hate it. Okay, I don't hate it but it isn't my best work. It is evidence of the fact that after 20 years in a kayak and thousands of miles paddled I am still refining my forward stroke. I much prefer the video the accompanies the book Forward - available for iPad, iPhone and your mac from the iBook store for free. I even prefer this little video which isn't part of a lesson - though my rotation could be a little better, and my hands are dipping a little too much. We actually shot this right after shooting the videos for forward.



When I teach an absolute beginner, I always cover the forward stroke, as well as the sweep, and the various draw strokes. Depending on their skill I may discuss and demonstrate the Low and High Brace. 

In first lessons I talk about - but generally don't let students try - edging. That is more of a second lesson skill. Edging is the primary skill that moves you from novice to intermediate. It gives you a far better understanding of your boat and how it behaves in the water.

Finally, A discussion of the Ten Essentials for Sea kayaking, and leave no trace in a water environment.

These are the basics of what I cover in a beginners class. Be safe on the water and have fun.