Inspect Equipment Prior To Each Trip

By Nick Pritchard

Following this weeks of topic of Paddling Best Practices today's post is about inspecting your equipment prior to each trip.

This is something that is often over looked and seen as redundant by many paddlers. I would agree that it can be redundant, but in redundancy is safety and success. Checking your equipment is also a good time to make sure that you have everything you need. We've all heard of the story where someone went on a trip only to find out that their stove/water filter/tent was missing/broken. This is such an easy thing to do and only takes a few minutes. Besides the safety factor in checking your gear you are setting yourself up for a successful trip. Sure it may rain everyday and be cold, but at least you will have everything you need.

So what are you looking for? What is there really to check on a canoe? Check EVERY piece of equipment that you will take with you. For example, when checking your boat look for any loose outfitting, do you have any loose nuts/bolts? Do you have any D rings that are coming off? Are your painters cut or damaged? The list goes on but these are just some things to get you started.

As always feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Happy and safe paddling!

*Note - No matter how well you check your gear, things still happen and gear still breaks. Make sure to have repair parts for your equipment and the knowledge to do the repairs.