Great Outdoor Blog

Stop by your local shop to see our great selection of canoes & kayaks. The paddling season is in full swing!

» Boat Pricelist

Check out how easy it is to load your kayak with the Thule Hullavator:

Stop by your local shop to see our great selection of car racks

Paddle season is here! Our expert staff can guide you to the right boat

http://greatoutdoorprovision.com/paddle/

Chuck takes us on another MULEteam Adventure to Umstead State Park. Check out the Reedy Creek Greenway Map (courtesy of News & Observer)

First of all, do not panic. Unless the rod is somehow holding the door closed on a burning car with a baby trapped inside, which is highly unlikely, time is on your side.

Do:

Get a helper: Four hands are better than two. Both of you clean your hands. Get rid of anything that would make your hands slippery like grease from your fried chicken lunch, Dapper Dan hair treatment, 10W40, etc. Also clean the rod. Use rubbing alcohol for this. Now get one guy on either side of the ferrule and pull. Make sure your hands are away from the guides and you are pulling straight!

Chill Out: Often the reason the rod is stuck is that it was put together when cool and now it’s warm. This tightens the connection. Lay the rod on a table and put a bag of ice on the ferrule for 20 minutes or so. Then follow the instructions above. In the field I’ve submerged rods in the river for a while to cool them off. I’ve never had this fail.

Do not:

Twist the rod. Use pliers, wire cutters, vice grips, bench vices or any other mechanical equipment to hold the rod. Use the guides to get a better grip on the rod. Heat the rod with a lighter, blow torch, candle, match, friendly dragon, or any other heat source (heat is really bad for epoxy.)

- Scott Wood, Fly Fishing Product Manager

» Joe Miller interviews Bittu Ali about the event

Join the Raleigh Parks and Recreation Adventure Program on January 19, 2008 for the annual Rollapoolooza from 6:00 to 10:00 pm. A pre-event gear swap starting at 4:00 PM and continues until 10:00pm. The Gear Swap is an opportunity to swap, buy or sell equipment.

This exciting evening is focused on the sport of whitewater kayaking and is held at Pullen Aquatic Center,, an Olympic-sized, indoor swimming pool. Event attendees can experience instruction through a variety of clinics, view or try out new product lines, and purchase paddling related products. Pro team members from Jackson Kayak, Pyranha, Dagger, Wavesport, AT Paddles, among others are coming to participate and support this event. Additionally, some key organizations that promote and support whitewater paddling, such as the Carolina Canoe Club.

Rollapoolooza is supported by Great Outdoor Provision Co. The local retailer will have demo boats available and staff members present to answer questions on all the latest gear. With so many participants attending, this is a great chance to see old paddling friends, make new ones, and rub elbows with some of the best pro-athletes in the industry. Clinics are available for all skill levels on a first-come, first-serve basis. Participants must have basic swimming ability and comfort under water. The minimum age to participate is 12, and ages 12-15 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Participants younger than 12 may attend with appropriate equipment, parental supervision, and prior approval from the Adventure Program Managers.

Entry fee: $15. Directions to Pullen Aquatic Center: 410 Ashe Ave, Raleigh, NC 27606 - 919-831-6197

Instructional Clinics:

Clinics are 45 minutes long and are organized in Novice, Intermediate, and Advanced Classes. Clinics in the past included Basic Boat Orientation, Kayak Rescue, Performance Strokes, Kayak Roll, Hand Roll, Squirts, Bow/Stern Stalls, and Cartwheels. Clinics will begin at 6:45pm, 7:45pm, and 8:45pm. Clinics are taught by either professionally certified Adventure Program Paddling Staff or one of the many experienced and well travelled Pro-Team Paddlers. Student/instructor ratios for the clinics are typically 4:1. With limited class space and equipment, it is advised to arrive at the start of the event as these are handled on a first come first serve basis.

Interested in being a participating group? Email kathy.capps@ci.raleigh.nc.us or seth.yearout@ci.raleigh.nc.us

When: Feb 5 & 19, Mar 4 & 18, Apr 8 & 22

7:30pm until 9pm

Where: Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center (MCAC)

Cost: $5 pool fee, payable to MCAC

Sign-up in the Charlotte Shop. Limit 10 per session. Call ahead if you’d like to demo a boat at the session. Children under 18 will need a parent/guardian to sign the release form.

CHARLOTTE SHOP 7-8pm

Led by Doug Gray. Imagine mountain biking, trail running, climbing, or paddling wth 2-4 friends through any terrain, any climate, anywhere in the world… Come learn some skills and review an outline that will help you be well prepared for any local event.

Also, check out the 4 hour or 7 hour adventure race at the US National Whitewater Center on Sat, Oct 13 http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1469423 or the Uwarrie Gold Nugget on Saturday, Oct 6 http://www.gobushwhack.com

See you on the trails…

Greetings,

I am searching for a lightweight solo canoe for use on large rivers (wind /
waves), lakes, estuaries, smaller rivers, creeks, marshes.  Tidal rivers; no
whitewater … perhaps to be used on long distance marathon paddles /
perhaps with portages.

I prefer using a kayak paddle, but do not particularly care for the low seat
placement as I like extended paddles and prefer the ability to adjust feet,
knees, etc.

I am 6′, 240; may do some camping.

What do you suggest?

—————————————-

Both the Magic and the Merlin II are excellent flatwater canoes. If you are
planning to spend most of your time on bigger lakes or intend to push the
canoe to it’s upper hull speed often (racing, for example), the Magic is the
better choice. When paddled aggressively, the Magic will be quicker.

The Merlin II is probably the more versatile of the two for Southeast use,
as it is easier to turn and will be a better choice on creeks and smaller
rivers (commonplace in our area). You won’t notice much of a speed
difference between the two when cruising at a normal, relaxed cadence.

At 240 lbs, you would be fine for camping, provided you have a background in backpacking and keep you gear to about 40-50 lbs. This applies to both the Magic and the Merlin II.

If you want more capacity, consider the Wenonah Encounter. This canoe is
specifically designed with a high volume hull and suits larger paddlers very
well. At 17′0″ and very little rocker, the boat requires some skill to
maneuver in tight creeks; however on the flat stretches the Encounter is
very efficient.

FYI, all the above canoes are considered very specialized for our market.
Consequently, we do not stock these as part of our regular inventory.
Special orders typically run 6-8 weeks on these models (either
manufacturer).

I think you are on the right track and are looking at very good designs. Any
of these will be very enjoyable for you to paddle on 90% of your intended
use. The remaining 10% of your use will need to be considered carefully to
explore all the nuances and complete your selection. I’ve tried to focus on
the key differences, even though there are more similarities than
differences across these models.

Thanks for your inquiry.
Take care,

Bittu Ali
Great Outdoor Provision Co.

Adventure racing is the latest fad in competitive outdoor sports. It borrows a bit of its popularity from the recent surge in endurance events, but offers more opportunities for novice outdoor folks to get involved in competition. The great thing about adventure races is that you get the comradery of competition while still being able to choose your level of commitment: team or solo events, short or long races, and training only as intense as you make it. Plus multisport events are a bit more forgiving to those of us who are Jacks-of-all-trades, masters of none. You can afford to be weak in a few disciplines and make up for lost time with your strengths. And if you need any more motivation to get outside and enjoy the outdoors, an impending race is great incentive.

(more…)

I have been hiking since my family’s trips out west when I was still counting my age on two hands and I started backpacking about as soon as I was big enough to carry all the gear for a night out. Being a particularly observant outdoorsman (when it comes to gear), I quickly came to associate trekking poles with older hikers. Mind you, the word “older” here is used in the loosest sense of the term since pretty much everyone looks old to a particularly scrawny 12 year old. I took my share of tumbles, but continued to rock hop across streams, bomb downhills, and sprint uphills. All of this energetic frolicking, of course, had no aching repercussions the next day.

(more…)