Paddling Education

Kayaking, paddleboarding, canoeing, packrafting—these paddlesports are amazing ways to enjoy nature, get some exercise and have fun with others. But how do they affect the environment, both positively and negatively?

When you kayak camp, you have some flexibility with food freshness and weight that you don’t in other outdoor adventures like backpacking and canoe camping with multiple portages.

Aqua Bound is one of the founding members of the Paddlesports Trade Coalition, an organization initiated in 2023 and dedicated to becoming the “voice and soul of paddlesports” for the US and Canada.

Alexander “Jalle” Stjernberg is a member of Aqua Bound’s Ambassador team and is uniquely qualified to talk to us about common kayaking injuries and how to prevent them.

Aqua Bound Ambassador Dan Ransom was looking for better ultralight packrafting gear for his own expeditions. So he did what many outdoors folks have done before—he started to make them himself.

Bikerafter and filmmaker Deane Parker and a few mates headed into the mountains surrounding New Zealand’s Dillon Cone by way of the Clarence River. The goal of their trip was the tackle the summit and descent by bike, after an unsuccessful 2017 attempt.

There are so many reasons we choose to kayak, canoe, paddleboard or packraft. Here are some of the main reasons we love to paddle. Which are YOUR reasons to love it?

Aqua Bound Ambassador Ken Whiting covers the essentials of how to choose the best life jacket for you, no matter what type of paddling you do:

Safety should always be a top priority when you kayak, canoe, packraft or paddle board. Here are some essential safety guidelines, including tips from a couple of our Ambassadors.

The Red Deer River starts its journey in the Rocky Mountains. It winds across the province, north of Calgary, where it drops through class II to class IV rapids, and eventually widens and calms north of Drumheller in the Badlands.

New and experienced bikerafters alike can glean loads of wisdom from Lizzy Scully and Steve Fassbinder, the duo that runs Four Corners Guides and brought us The Bikeraft Guide, published in 2021. Here, they give us a look into what you should include in your bikeraft kit.

With the roar of the rapids, communication on the river with your paddling party and others can be challenging. Fortunately, there are international river signals that most people know around the world. Here are 5 need-to-know paddle signals for your next trip.

Ahead stretches a meandering ribbon of cold, slow-moving water. For the last 6 hours my wife and I have lugged our packrafts over dozens of trees that lie across the banks of the river.

Dry bags are one of the kayaker’s most convenient and useful gear items whether you’re on the water for a couple of hours, a full day or a multi-day trip.

Expert kayaker and Aqua Abound ProStaffer, Ken Whiting, shares his tips and strategies for filming your own kayaking adventures with a GoPro action camera in this video.

When you’re considering what to wear kayaking, one of the most important safety tips to keep in mind is: dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. Dress as if you’ll be in the water…just in case you end up in the water.

Paddle Logger is an iOS app designed by paddlers for paddlers to track your water routes and miles, give you safety features and more. This app helps add even more value to all your paddling adventures.

Want to contribute to a great cause for every mile you kayak, canoe or paddleboard in 2021? Join the Global Rising Tide Relay and help raise money to take on plastic pollution in our world’s waterways.

Would age stop you from learning how to bikeraft? It didn’t stop Helen Nugteren. She signed up for a brand new bikerafting course in her native New Zealand at the age of 68.

New Zealand is known worldwide for its spectacular natural resources. The Mikonui River and river valley are no exception. Deane Parker and a couple friends take us on a short tour of this beautiful river via bikerafting in this video…

Four Kiwis from New Zealand’s South Island journey through historic routes in the North Island in this award-winning film by Deane Parker.