 PakCanoe Experiences
Tatshenshini/Alsek by PakCanoe
2004 The Tat is a very difficult river for canoeing, as the
consequences of a capsize are much more in that extremely swift and
glacial water. Not many people ever canoe this river for that reason,
but also because to fly their canoes out is way too expensive....more...
Cold Wind, Sucky Mud, and Big Fish
on the Nanook River 2003 Down near the foot of the canyon,
two hundred yards from a huge fall of water, where the char pause
in clear pools before starting the climb, we found the lichen-covered
rocks of tent rings and hearths, where the Inuit, unaware of any other
world, had camped to hunt and fish a thousand years ago.....more...
Up the Kazan without a Canoe, almost!
2004 Imagine yourself and a partner marooned on a tundra river,
no canoe, so late in the season that no paddlers will pass your way
until next year. more...
Usumacinta River on the Mexico-Guatemala
border, 2004 Our trip was to determine how the Maya navigated
the canyon-bound river in the Classic period 1000 years ago, and we
did......... Then there is the low point: being robbed by Mexican
banditos in the middle of the night. more...
Scandinavian paddling adventure
by Rolf and Debra Kraiker, 2004 I found my dream trip on the
other side of the Atlantic in a land steeped in the folklore of Vikings,
ruled by trolls and bathed in the midnight sun. more...
Paddling off Vancouver Island,
2003 We had fun running with tidal currents in places like
"hole in the Wall" and "Surge Narrows"... similar
to class II river rapids, but with boils, whirlpools and eddies instead
of Haystacks and pillows. more...
Dubawnt River, 2003 ...we
decided on the Dubawnt River. It is long and remote. It flows through
forest and tundra, and it has both whitewater and big lakes. And there
were rumors of fantastic fishing. more...
Snake River, Yukon 2003 (by Cliff
Jacobson) We literally trashed a Royalex Dagger Legend. The
bow split open in several places. One Royalex Dagger Venture showed
considerable abuse too-deep gouges and cuts.....more...
Fantastic wildlife on Banks Island
2002 Located in the north east corner of Banks Island and
predominately within Canada's Aulavik National Park, the Thomsen is
one of the world's most northerly navigable rivers. more...
Canoe & Kayak Magazine, August 2002.
"Packing for your next big adventure? Don't forget your boat." By
Alan Kesselheim But the boats proved themselves to be fast,
stable, capable of handling big loads, dry in waves, and remarkably
tough. more...
Soper River, Baffin Island. 2002
Pat and I and the two kids (4 and 6) spent 12 days paddling on
the Soper River on Baffin Island from Mt Joy to Kimmirut. more...
Hidden Lake, NWT 2002 On this
year's summer jaunt to the NWT we took along the new portage yoke
for our 170. Good thing. The various canoe routes of the Ingraham
Trail out of Yellowknife nearly all involve portages. more...
Backpacker Magazine, June 2002. Review
of some of the best gear for wilderness paddling. By Alan Kesselheim
This portable boat is great for folks drawn to blank
spaces on the map. more...
Ranguana Kay, Belize 2001 We
paddled out to the reefs surrounding the island (and often beyond),
using the Pakboat as a platform to snorkel, diving and climbing
in without difficulty. more...
Hood River, NWT, Canada 2001
At one point, at the end of a long rock garden, we decided to
boof through a hole that would have swamped the hard boats - and
didn't take on a teacup of water. more...
Solo paddling the Moisie River, Quebec,
Canada 2001 By Laurie Gullion The 2001 trip would represent
our most challenging conditions, because it rained for the first
14 days, and a river on the rise is always sobering. more...
Desolation Canyon and Gray Canyon,
Green River Utah 2001 By Ross McIntyre In addition to
four oar rafts, we had ten rubber duckies (inflatable kayaks),
a hard shell kayak, a solo whitewater Mohawk, and two 17 foot
Pakboats with spray covers. more...
"The Lost World" Rio Verde, Brazilian
Mato Grosso 2001 By Simon Chapman Four of us plus equipment
in one 17 ft canoe. I knew this would be overloading the boat
a little (certainly until we had eaten our way through some of
the food), but having used a 16.5 ft PakCanoe on two previous
expeditions in Bolivia, I foresaw no real problems… more...
Leaf River, Northern Quebec, Canada
2001 By Willem Lange If you are a logistician, you'll
be interested to know that eight guys and all their gear, a driver,
and four PakBoats will fit into a 15-passenger van - just barely!
more...
Boat Report from Alan Kesselheim
PakCanoes are great even for close-to-home journeys. Last summer
I took my oldest son (10) on a trip to Yellowstone Park…
more...
Wilderness Paddler's Handbook, Alan
Kesselheim (2001) One of the biggest hassles on longer
expeditions is transporting the silly canoe. Here's this 17-foot,
70-pound rigid monstrosity... more...
Bike and Paddle (2000) A few
times last summer I loaded the canoe into the bike trailer, pedaled
off to a nice local creek or river, set up the canoe, loaded the
bike into its case which fit beautifully into the bottom of the
canoe... more...
Expedition Canoeing, Cliff Jacobson
(2000) "In retrospect, we wish we had our folding PakCanoe
rather than our Old town Tripper, especially since we had such
long portages. more...
Essequibo Headwaters Expedition, Guyana,
South America (2000) I gazed across the narrow channel,
now at flood stage, and ochre colored from the oxidized iron of
the tropical soils. It was a feeling of both relief and foreboding.
more...
PakCanoe as Travel Companion, From
the Northwest Territories to Belize (2000) Our Pakboat
is still a delight for us. It has taken us down the Mara and Burnside
Rivers in the NWT, through the drowned canyons of Lake Powell,
... more...
Upper John River, Alaska (2000)
Pretty much everybody told us that the first 20 miles are not
canoeable, but we wanted to find out for ourselves. more...
Australia. If anyone needs
information on canoeing in Australia or New Zealand, please feel
free to give them my personal e-mail address. more...
Killik River, Alaska (2000)
On short notice, my partner Linda and I were invited on a trip
to boat the Killik river... more...
Canoeing and Camping Beyond the Basics,
Cliff Jacobson (2000) Mention folding canoes and rapids
in the same breath and you're apt to make experienced canoeists
shudder. Too bad, because these canoes are quite amazing. more...
Noatak River, Alaska (1999)
Our trip started in Bettles, Alaska; a spectacular bushplane ride
over the Brooks Range brought us to a plateau where the headwaters
of the river are located. more...
Kuujjua River, Victoria Island, NWT
(1999) For several years, the Kuujjua has gleamed in my
imagination like a jewel at the end of a long string of Arctic
rivers. Located in remote western Victoria Island and 225 miles
long, it represented a tough logistical and physical challenge.
more...
Yukon River, Alaska (1999) We
spent a total of 20 days on the river. Paddled and floated a distance
of 420 miles. Traveled through two national preserves (Yukon-Charlie
and Yukon Flats). more...
Leaf River, Northern Quebec (1998)
We saw hundreds of caribou as well as several bears, seals, otters,
musk oxen and even a beluga whale. more...
Kuujjua River, Victoria Island NWT (1998)
..it is Joel's favorite tundra river because of all the wildlife
(muskox, caribou, hawks, cranes and swans), magnificent scenery
(reminicent of the buttes of south west United States), minimal
evidence of modern man, good fishing, good hiking, lots of whitewater
and extreme remoteness. more...
Horton River, NWT (1998) All
the gear we took on this trip had to be reliable because we were
carrying a very precious cargo, our two sons aged 11 and 9. more...
Antarctica (1998) 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. more...
Canoeing one man's Backyard, Paddler
Magazine, April 1998 by Laurie Gullion (Paddling the Reisa
River, North Norway) Established as a national park only a decade
ago, the Reisa river valley offers wild, Class III paddling in
its canyons, which were among the most beautiful I have ever traveled.
more...
Travels with a PakCanoe, Alaska/Florida
(1996 - 98) Our folding canoe has greatly added to our
experiences. We can now go and paddle anywhere planes fly. more...
Canoe in a Duffel. Sports Afield, February
1997 by Ted Kerasote Not only have these craft saved wear
and tear on my back, they've also saved me thousands of dollars
in backcountry air shuttles. more...
Nahanni River, NWT (1997) ..
we hit a major flood at the 200 mile mark and had to contend with
water in the last canyon that still sends shivers down my spine.
more...
Thomsen River, Banks Island NWT (1997)
.. the highlight of the trip was the unbelievable wildlife ...
We once had foxes in our camp about 2 feet away for about 15 minutes.
more...
Soper River, Baffin Island, NWT (1997)
The Upper Soper was running at a low level, and the first half-mile
included a good amount of dragging loaded boats over rocks covered
by only a few inches of water. more...
Wildlife Viewing, Louisiana (1997)
Another big advantage is that it is so quiet. We recently approached
an alligator sunning himself on a log. more...
Colorado River, GrandCanyon (1997)
The tumblehome and lightness of craft kept me upright as I threw
myself on a brace, broadside through 8 ft standing waves. more...
Hondo and Eslabon Rivers, Bolivia (1997)
The area is uninhabited and mostly unexplored and we wanted
to check out rumors of a giant spider monkey - the 'Mono Rey'
that was said to live up there. more...
Sand River, Northern Ontario (1996)
It ran much drier than our other (non-collapsible) canoe, even
on small waterfalls. more...
Editor's Choice Award, Backpacker Magazine
(1996) All winners excelled in field tests and come recommended
by no fewer than three editors. more...
Lapland area of Norway and Finland
(1996) - boat performance report, Laurie Gullion These
rivers offered the gamut of technical paddling - from rock dodging
in shallow Class I rapids to hole-busting maneuvers in Class III
drops. more...
Patuca River, Honduras (1995)
Two days hiking through the jungle and five days on a river involving
fast water, slack water, creeks, snags, shoals and windswept lakes...
more...
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