Paddling Education

Surviving on Rapids & Ramen: A Month-Long Kayaking Journey in New Zealand

Aqua Bound Ambassador Trey Harrell recently spent a month paddling world-class whitewater in New Zealand. Trey’s trip was full of challenges, excitement, and unforgettable experiences. He’s sharing highs, lows, and everything in between.

A New Zealand Packraft Film Explores River Running in the 70s

Filmmaker, Aqua Bound partner and New Zealander Deane Parker recently produced another packrafting film. It was selected by the UK’s prestigious Kendal Mountain Film Festival in 2024, as well as the New Zealand Mountain Film Festival.

Eian Fritid Kayak Shop in Norway

Eian Fritid is Norway’s oldest kayak shop, established in 1989 by Hege Eian’s father, Stein. It remains a family business, now run by Hege and her mother, Inger Line.

The Wonderful World of Sea Kayaking in Vancouver Island

Aqua Bound Ambassador Bree Roberts has guided sea kayak tours in the territories of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples on Vancouver Island since 2012. She has a lot to share about this area that has become her favorite in the world.

Terrain360 and Its Benefit to Kayakers

Terrain360 is a web-based resource that showcases 360-degree virtual “tours” of natural resources like hiking trails and water trails. Its many applications include benefits for kayakers, canoeists and other paddlers.

Kayaking the Stikine - the “Everest of Whitewater”

British Columbia’s Stikine River sits just east of Alaska’s panhandle and about a hundred miles south of the Yukon provincial line. Often called “the Everest of whitewater,” kayaking the Grand Canyon of the Stikine was a dream trip for Thomas Franco.

PaddleWays App: Your Pocket Guide to Paddling
The PaddleWays app is a feature-packed digital tool for those in the paddling world.  NRS partnered with onWater (a water recreation app) to develop it and launched PaddleWays in mid-2023.
Add These 26 Kayaking Books to Your Reading List
You wouldn’t believe the kayaking adventures people have had over the years! Here’s our list of suggested books for those of you who love to enter into the stories of those who’ve challenged themselves in ways few others have.
Retailer Spotlight: Kayak Freak, Denmark
Kayak Freak of Handbjerg, Denmark is northern Europe’s largest kayak shop. Their 2,500-square-meter building houses 1,000 kayaks of all sorts at any given time, along with canoes, SUPs and any paddling accessories you could want.
Kayaking Karakul Lake in Tajikistan
Karakul Lake in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan is a large, high-altitude saltwater lake surrounded by both desert and snow-capped mountains. Not the likeliest choice for a kayaking destination, but certainly an interesting one!
Sea Kayaking Adventures on Lake Superior
Lake Superior offers some of the best freshwater sea kayaking you’ll find anywhere in the world. Aqua Bound Ambassador Ken Whiting takes us along on his 5-day trip on this greatest of the Great Lakes.
Sea Kayaking Finland’s Southwest Archipelago
The Scandinavian countries of Europe offer some of the world’s finest sea kayaking opportunities. Right up there near the top is the Southwest Archipelago of Finland.
Packraft Trips with Land Water Adventures
Land Water Adventures is a Germany-based outfitter that provides single-day and multi-day land-water packrafting expeditions and trainings. They’ve successfully carved out a niche serving beginning to advanced paddlers around Europe and into Canada.
7-Day Kayak Trip Down Canada’s Petawawa River
Aqua Bound Ambassador Ken Whiting took a solo river trip down one of the world’s best canoe routes in Canada’s Algonquin Provincial Park. But he chose a kayak instead of a canoe to tackle the river’s many whitewater sections.
Coontail: A Wisconsin Independent Paddling Retailer
Coontail is an independent outdoor retailer in northern Wisconsin surrounded by thousands of lakes. Their robust paddling department has helped get people on the lakes and rivers near them since 1993.
Sea Kayak Rockhopping in Norway
The rugged and beautiful Norwegian coast is ideal for “rockhopping” in sea kayaks. We asked Reidar Sether to tell us more about this adventurous paddling activity and why he loves it.
Bikerafting Adventure in the Yukon
Aqua Bound Ambassador Jessica Kelley embarks on her 1,400-mile bikerafting adventure in just a couple of weeks through part of Alaska and into Canada’s Yukon Territory.
Partner Spotlight: Uteguiden Kayak Tours in Sunnmøre, Norway
Uteguiden is northwestern Norway’s leading guide company for outdoor adventures of all kinds. This includes kayaking in some of their country’s most stunning fjords and coastal areas.
Epic New Zealand Packraft & Hike Trip
Where The Wild Rivers Flow is a film about Australian YouTuber Scott Williams’ 6-day, 130-kilometer packrafting and hiking trek through the South Island wilderness of New Zealand.
Kayaking Source-to-Sea on the Mississippi River
Aqua Bound Ambassador Devin Brown will soon embark on a solo kayak trip she’s been dreaming about for many years—a source-to-sea journey on the Mississippi River. If she completes it, she’ll be the first black woman to kayak all 2,340 miles.
Packrafting in Swedish Lapland
Aqua Bound Ambassador Peter Tjärnlund frequently packrafts the rivers of Swedish Lapland. We asked him to tell us more about this remote and beautiful wilderness area and what it’s like to packraft there.