My 4-Piece Kayak Paddle is My New Favorite Travel Buddy
4-minute read
Aqua Bound Ambassador Charles Bauer loves to kayak in new places both in the US and abroad. He’s found his Tango 4-piece paddle to be his favorite traveling companion…
by Charles Bauer
Over the past few years I have traveled up and down the east coast of the United States, from Maine to Florida.
Some of these trips were solo and some were with family or to visit family. My goal is to kayak in as many states and countries as possible.
Sometimes I’ll take one or both of my own kayaks. Other times I’ll rent and go out on my own, or one will be provided for me when I’m part of a tour or participating in a symposium.
For kayaking, much like other sports, equipment matters!
Preparing for Travel
When traveling with my own kayak, it’s so easy to pack up all of my gear into my SUV including both of my Aqua Bound paddles, load my kayak and off I go.
However, it's not so easy when I am flying to Florida, Nevada, California, Washington, Mexico or Greece.
So, last year I ordered Aqua Bound’s Tango Fiberglass 4-Piece Straight Shaft Kayak Paddle (in Northern Lights). It has a carbon shaft, fiberglass blade and the Posi-Lok™ adjustable ferrule.
It’s 240 cm long and weighs only 28 oz. This paddle comes in four pieces and weighs so little that it easily fits inside my suitcase. I bring a large dry bag with shoulder straps to make it easy to carry to my kayaking destinations.
The 4-piece Tango kayak paddle inside a carry-on bag
Spreading the Word
I’m ecstatic that I can now travel and bring my own paddle on my expeditions.
Recently, while in Santorini, Greece, I spoke to the owner/tour guide about my paddle. He was very interested in the performance of my Tango 4-piece paddle, so I swapped paddles with him (using his much heavier paddle, which I hated!).
He commented how ultra-light it was and that it allowed for a very smooth and efficient forward stroke. I mentioned it minimizes fatigue on longer paddles as well.
I told him the Tango Fiberglass 4-piece paddle is my favorite traveling companion, after my family of course. I won't travel without it even if I don't have a kayaking trip planned. I always bring it…just in case.
Sea Kayaking in Santorini, Greece
I thought I’d include this “sidebar” section, just case you’re planning a trip to Santorini. If you are, you’ll definitely want to see the southwest coast of this beautiful island by sea kayak.
There’s no better kayak tour company on Santorini to book with than Santorini Sea Kayak, located at Akrotiri Beach. Our guide, Adonis (who is also the owner) and his co-worker were awesome.
Charles with Adonis (right) and co-worker
They were extremely attentive to our group's needs and concerns. They’re very knowledgeable of the history, the marine life, ecosystems and the waters off the southwest coast. Santorini Sea Kayaking has been awarded TripAdvisor's Certificate of Excellence every year since 2014.
After our fitting for life jackets, paddles and tandem sea kayaks, we received some instructions about paddling and hand signals. We were now ready to set out on our adventure.
It was amazing to see the many spectacular rock formations, the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean and beautiful beaches in the south part of the island.
We paddled by Red Beach, which owes its name to the original colors of the steep cliffs created from volcanic lava. We also paddled to White Beach, whose high cliffs were as white as snow. These white cliffs surround a very small cove, even though the sand has black pebbles and grey volcanic sand. It creates an interesting contrast.
Besides visiting White Beach by kayak or boat, you can visit the beach on foot from nearby Kambia Beach. En route, we stopped near the entrance to the Volcanic Caldera for a light homemade picnic with some unique Greek snacks. We also had time to swim and snorkel, which gave us a brief break from kayaking.
Charles and his wife enjoy sea kayaking off the coast of Santorini, Greece
The sea kayaking tour also took us into sea caves. The tour was approximately 3-4 hours, and we truly got to see much of the southwest coast of Santorini and test our paddling skills in various conditions.
Thankfully, I had my Tango 4-piece paddle and so didn’t experience any arm fatigue whatsoever.
Sharing the 4-Piece Benefits with My Wife
My wife also loves the Tango 4-piece paddle. When we kayak together, she claims it as hers. I don't mind since I also own Aqua Bound’s Sting Ray Hybrid 2-piece paddle with its carbon shaft. It's slightly heavier, but it, too, is a great paddle.
I recently ordered another Sting Ray Hybrid—the 4-piece Posi-Lok™. Now we can pack both 4-piece paddles when we travel.
So when traveling—whether in my SUV solo or with family, or by plane—I make sure I have at least one of my Aqua Bound paddles packed along. I guess you can say when it comes to Aqua Bound paddles, I never leave home without them!
(All photos courtesy of Charles Bauer)
Do you have paddle questions our friendly Customer Service Team can help you with today? Contact them: 715-755-3405 • [email protected]
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