Assembly Instructions

Flying with Folding Boats

Mapping Out Your Next Trip

Packing & Securing Gear in a PakCanoe

Repair & Maintenance of Pakboats

Skin on Frame Boats

Surviving Mosquitoes & Black Flies

Antarctica

December 28, 1997 

Dear Alv,

I received the canoe for my Antarctica trip and just tried it on the Illinois River in front of my house. Let me tell you, that 14-footer of yours handles like a dream. I'd love to take it down some good whitewater, but I don't think Antarctica has any runnable rivers. Oh, well, maybe another time. 

Again, I'm impressed how much better this boat is than my original PakCanoe. Not that the original wasn't (and still is) a darn fine boat, but all your improvements add up. The boat goes together so much easier, stays together solidly, and the side sponsons are a heck of a security buffer, as well as a stiffener. Not to be forgotten, the seat improvements are major. I remember my old seats snapping loose on several occasions, and they aren't nearly as comfortable as these. It just dawned on me that I'm writing a boat review here, which is not my intention, but I do want to congratulate you again on what a bang-up good job you've done. Every serious traveling paddler should have one of these among their fleet....

Larry Rice

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February 20, 1998

Hi again Alv, 

On my trip to the Antarctic, space was at a premium aboard the converted Russian-built research ship. I was glad I decided to take the Pakboats' Escape 14 for my paddle forays into these frequently ice-choked sup-polar seas. The Escape 14 has long been known to be a top performing wilderness river and lake boat, but in Antarctica it proved to be a suitable ocean-going companion as well. Paddling solo using a double-bladed kayak paddle, my sleek, feather-light craft was nimble and buoyant as a storm petrel, and nearly as fast as the flocks of penguins that streaked underwater by my side. My sea kayaking buddies, initially skeptical to have a canoe in their midst,were impressed with the Escape's performance. I know I was.

But the Escape's real forte is on rivers and inland lakes. From Bolivia's Lake Titicaca to whitewater runs in Lapland, along with many a watery destination closer to home, the Escape has served as my magic carpet, taking me into some awesome backcountry that I might not have seen otherwise.

Paddling solo, with or without a couple of week's worth of gear, or paddling tandem on day- or weekend trips with a friend, the Escape 14 is a boat for all conditions and continents. Pretty good, when you consider the whole thing rolls up into a small black bag. 

Larry

Larry Rice is a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to publications such as Canoe & Kayak, Paddler, Outside, Backpacker, and Adventure Journal. When he is not on a trip, Larry is the site superintendent at the Marshall State Fish & Wildlife Area in Illinois.