Best Boats for Multi-Day Paddling Trips

This past summer, I did a 5-day river trip in Algonquin Park. While the Petawawa River is recognized as one of the best multi-day canoe tripping rivers in Eastern North America, we used different boats than most people. So with that in mind, I decided to make a video that talks about the pros and cons of using sit on top kayaks, sit inside kayaks, canoes, and rafts for multi day paddling river trips.
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Other paddling gear I use and recommend:
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PADDLES
Aqua Bound Manta Ray Carbon Paddle:
Aqua Bound Tango Fibreglass Paddle: bit.ly/3iaGleJ
Aqua Bound Whiskey Carbon Bent Shaft Paddle: bit.ly/3z1kiOH
FOOTWEAR
NRS Kicker Remix Shoe: bit.ly/36F1B6Y
NRS Boundary Boot: bit.ly/2TaCMgl
PADDLING SHIRTS / TOPS
NRS Guide Long Sleeve Shirt: bit.ly/3yVID8j
NRS Guide Short Sleeve Shirt: bit.ly/3dkDYaD
NRS H2Core Silkweight Shirt: bit.ly/3xF43pX
NRS H2Core Silkweight Long Sleeve Shirt: bit.ly/3yZGbO2
NRS Hydroskin Short Sleeve Shirt: bit.ly/3wCvoI3
NRS Riptide Splash Jacket: bit.ly/3BbAZZJ
NRS Flux Dry Top: bit.ly/2U3Pvlw
PFD’S
NRS Odyssey PFD: bit.ly/3ibIk2n
NRS Zen PFD: bit.ly/2VCfrF3
NRS Chinook PFD: bit.ly/2TaEAG9
OTHER PADDLING GEAR
Zoleo Communicator: bit.ly/3zw7gw1
NRS Drylander Sprayskirt: bit.ly/36z5BG6
WRSI Current Helmet: bit.ly/2Te6KA6
PADDLING SHORTS/BOTTOMS
NRS Benny Board Short: bit.ly/2VIbK0L
NRS Hydroskin Shorts: bit.ly/3hCXPl2
SUNGLASSES
WileyX: bit.ly/3NtJQKR
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Blog: in4adventure.com
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#Paddling #Kayaking #Canoeing

[@kayasper6081]

Like always, the quality of your video is impressive. Very clear sound, beautiful images, a lot of different shots and a load of profesionally done editing work hidden in it. And of course an interestingly and well told story. Thanks for ALL your lessons!

[@PaddleTV]

Thanks for the kind words! It's great to know people are enjoying the videos as much as I'm enjoying doing them!

[@JonPaddles]

My trick for portaging kayak and gear on a trip is also carry a portage pack to put the smaller bags into. It adds a few minutes at the beginning and end of portage but saves time over all by allowing fewer trips. I've even managed a single carry trip with gear and food for a weekend. If I'm solo tripping I'm likely to kayak. Group I like canoe.

[@PaddleTV]

Definitely a good strategy. Sure beats dragging a loaded sea kayak down the trail! Yes... I learned that lesson the hard way. :)

[@JonPaddles]

@@PaddleTV I think we all learn that one the hard way.👍

[@Chrismzeller]

Nice discussion Ken and as you well know there is no one ultimate boat. That’s why I have a garage full of them lol. But if you pressed me to only one boat it would be a ducky. Gear hauling for multi day trips, east paddling, good whitewater handling like a raft but floats in lower volume rivers, better in wind or flatwater than a raft and can be portaged much easier.

[@PaddleTV]

So true. Ducky's really are the 4x4's of the paddling world. I've actually got plans in motion to test out a bunch of different ducky's this spring/summer, which I'll do a video about.

[@letmypeoplegosurfing]

Great information!

[@RodPriester]

Enjoyed the video...great info. Thanks. For me, it helped to not have as much room on the kayak....kept me being more thoughtful about what gear I needed. I’m afraid if I had more room, I’d have more stuff...but that is the same problem I have on a car trip too😂

[@PaddleTV]

I couldn't agree more... the more room you have, the more stuff you bring... That being said, I've come to accept the fact that I'm not an ultralight camper. I like to bring a few extras, even if it means a bit more work on the way downstream. :)

[@RodPriester]

@@PaddleTV true....and it’s good to have a couple of “comfort items”

[@Adventure-MTB]

Hey Ken Love watching your videos , my question i can tell someone all they need to know about kayaks , but i dont know much about canoes and i am looking for my young family something one person can carry and mostly paddle , i have a 5year old and 1 year old and wife will be caring for and little one , i guess being stable is most important . thank you for all you do for water sports !!!

[@PaddleTV]

Thanks Robert! You've identified one of the toughest boats to shop for. A boat that's big enough for two people, but easy enough for one to get around. While in theory, you can carry any canoe solo, unless you're willing to fork out $3000 for a carbon/kevlar canoe, it's going to be heavy, and not a great option for everyone to carry solo. Do you want the canoe so that you can carry gear for multi-day trips? Because of that's not the case, you might want to reconsider a kayak. For one thing... a tandem kayak is much easier to paddle solo. A tandem kayak is usually more stable. The other cool thing about sit-on-top tandem kayaks is that the kid(s) can jump off and swim, and then climb back on. It's like a floating dock. When my daughter was younger, I primarily took her paddling in a Malibu 2 by Ocean Kayak (flatwater), a Dynamic Duo by Jackson Kayak (whitewater) and a tandem inflatable (multi-water). When I canoe'd with her, I would take a typical canoe and bring a long kayak paddle so that it was easier to paddle by myself. Not sure if this was helpful... :)

[@atanusett1099]

hi Ken! I love your videos and i was wondering what raft are you using? my family is thinking about rafting and i would like a raft that's safe for children.