Looking to supplement your gear selection in a big way fast? Go to a nearby soccer field, park your ’69 Bronco (or other acceptable classic convertible automobile) on the grass, and wait. Or opt for the more reliable experience by checking out Backcountry.com’s Semi-Annual Sale. This is an entertaining little ditty that pulls from the daydreams of outdoor gear lovers everywhere. And rumor has it, it only took them 172 (and a half) hours to make.

“Kayaking will be great exercise honey, you’re going to love it!” A first time kayaker was shadowed by a great white shark off the coast of Massachusetts over the weekend. Another kayaker had seen the shark and headed for shore moments earlier. You can’t really blame that guy for not saying anything…it’s like the saying [ more... ]

Chicago’s finest saved 62 kayakers who decided to abandon ship and go for a swim in the North Branch of the Chicago River during some afternoon storms. Many of them were kids and all were novice kayakers taking part in a tour along the river. They pulled 30 capsized boats from the river, and everyone [ more... ]

The latest Of Souls + Water episode is out and it features lots of high-def slow-mo, self-indulgent voiceover, and dramatic music. So it’s a lot like all the other cool movies people are making these days. I didn’t pay much attention to what the voiceover was saying, but it’s still very enjoyable without it. There’s  a pretty impressive section towards the end where Ben Marr paddles in the middle of the night with a flare strapped to his boat. Very cool.

Be sure to invest in a nice helmet before paddling face-first through the rapids. The Bellyak bills itself as a boat that offers “the full body fitness of swimming” with the “feeling of flying on the water.” The 32lb paddleboard is 8’7″ long and costs a staggering $849, though it comes with a built-in hatch [ more... ]

So just how much skill does it take to paddle over a 100ft fall? Bam Margera, not known for his kayaking, decided to ask Steve Fisher for help in paddling over a massive waterfall. Fisher’s advice? A tandem kayak with both of them. Margera called it “the gnarlist thing I’ve ever done.” It was sponsored by Contour, in case you couldn’t tell by the video.

via Gear Junkie

If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it’s missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe. This error may appear if the URL path to the embedded object is broken or you have connectivity issue to the embedded object. Powered BY XVE Various [ more... ]

It might not be a surprised, but still, it’s a bummer — the Golden State’s whitewater season is expected to be severely shortened by snowpack that measures just 50 percent of normal, outfitters say. Rivers dependent on the Sierra snowmelt will be peaking in May and June, rather than a month later. But it’s not [ more... ]

Episode one of The Nomad features National Geographic adventurer of the year Erik Boomer as he wanders from the arctic to Baja and among the streets of Washington DC (perhaps he visited the NatGeo headquarters?). It’s an excellent video and well worth your time to watch it. And you can catch an interview with Boomer plus a photo gallery over at Adventure Journal.

Red Bull scores another post to The Goat; the second this week. At least a bit of cash from those syrupy energy drinks are going to athletes doing crazy nonsense. Here Tao Berman surfs a 40ft wave on a specially made kayak that comes with fins and a surfboard-style hull. He was towed into the wave by a jetski. After his world record run, he says he’s chosen to retire from paddling. No! Right when they were about to make big wave kayaking an Olympic event!

via Get Outdoors