Posts by mmcc
I've seen small radar reflectors for sale. Should I carry one when kayaking? What else can I do such that boats can use their radar to be aware of my location when they can't see me due to poor v...
Just wanted to add another in the category of a frame with wheels strapped to one part of the boat, and a hitch strapped to the bow. I strongly recommend wheelchair wheels, the axles of which fit ...
There’s apparently a version of single-oar sculling performed lying on one’s back in a low, flat boat custom built for the purpose of stealthily approaching waterfowl: https://www.liveoutdoors.com...
A quick note that if you ever hike in areas where you might wander into any place that may have been a bombing range, please familiarize yourself with the concept of unexploded ordinance: https://...
For USA: https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/ngp/tnm-delivery/topographic-maps Incredibly complete, and free. Maps are big PDFs (40mb or so). Not quicky navigated but well organized.
Great question I would think through in your specific case the following steps: store it (at home or at a public boat ramp if available) transport it (if it’s not already at the launch point)—-to...
Kayaks vary, and while you will be able to do the trip you describe in anything described as a “touring kayak”, the convenience and time required to pack will vary a lot depending on the exact mode...
At significant risk of tin foil hat jokes, I’ve read compelling evidence that a homemade hat incorporating angled and crumpled aluminum foil may slightly increase a kayaker’s visibility on radar — ...
This detailed paper https://www.aoa.org/Documents/CRG/Blue%20Light%20and%20Eye%20Damage.pdf from the American Optometric Association details the various types of short term (i.e. snow blindness) an...
Definitely do it, you can make enormous progress in 4 days! But take safety seriously in the ocean: Buy your own leash and carefully check that the connection to the rental surfboard is very sec...
What product or combination of products best protects your hands while kayaking in winter? I’m interested in a system which provides comfort for extended paddling but also the peripheral activitie...
A few drops of baby oil (light nontoxic mineral oil) to suffocate the cockroach, then blunt tweezers or alligator forceps to carefully remove it once dead and motionless, if it is visible and easil...
Sometimes there are sources of water which are slightly contaminated with salt, such as coastal wells or pools of rainwater in rocks near the coast, or water containers with pinhole leaks which hav...
Handheld desalinators operating on the principle of reverse osmosis are available for emergency use in lifeboats. Sometimes they appear for sale unused in their original packaging at a very steep ...
Yes if one of these tiny replaceable flints from a gas welding torch lighter lives on the chain of your nail clipper as well. The flints are so small this is reasonable. Apologies couldn’t find...
Unless it’s so asymmetrical that it’s noticably making you turn I’d strongly suggest not worrying about it. At recreational kayak speeds I doubt it’s adding measurable drag, especially with a rock...
This is a great application of my favorite engineering analysis tool which is the luggage scale / fish scale (the cheap handheld spring scale that tells you with surprising accuracy how much your...
A canoe is a boat designed to be best paddled with a canoe paddle, a kayak is a boat designed to be best paddled with a kayak paddle. You can propel a kayak with a canoe paddle, or vice versa, or ...
As well stated in another answer, whitecaps (the white tips of waves) are a visual indicator of local wind speed over the water. Just wanted to add emphasis that whitecaps, as an indicator of wind...
Working answer: In case of truly irritating particles (bad enough that the breath-moistened bandana ain’t cutting it): Poke many small holes in bottom half of a disposable water bottle. Pack bo...
When I first began kayaking I found a winter of swimming and rock climbing helped me get through the sore-arms stage, where I had felt stuck, to the plateau of leisurely paddling for hours at a lev...
Yes but try a traditional Greenland kayak paddle You absolutely can although as mentioned above you are sitting closer to the water and may therefore need a shorter paddle. That said, as your ...
This is on the eastern side of “western”, but Tully Lake in Royalston MA has tent-only camping (hike/paddle in, no vehicle access) and trails beside a small gem of a lake. http://www.thetrustees.o...
Never in place of sleeping bags and pads, or even extra dry clothes, but maybe as a backup. If it’s a weather situation where you need the heat to avoid hypothermia, reliability might be your crit...
Hi James in my experience the way to buy a cheap bike that isn’t a piece of junk is to buy an old bike, possibly a very old bike, put on new tires and tubes, grease anything squeaky (this may invol...
