Kaydi Pyette

2 months ago | paddlingmag.com | Kaydi Pyette

Among the checklist of what to wear paddling, solid footwear is not to be overlooked. The best pair of water shoes will keep you on your feet carrying a boat or board down steep trails and over slick rocks. They’re comfortable against footbraces for a full day on the water. Should you need to jump into action and rescue a fellow paddler, the right pair provides the confidence for sure-footing without hesitation. And, as paddlers, our water shoes are often our footwear of choice on and off the water.

Jan 14, 2025 | paddlingmag.com | Kaydi Pyette

“Trust your gut,” they say. It’s the most common advice when faced with the unknown. But at the start of a four-day backcountry trip with two girlfriends, I can’t tell if this uneasy rumbling in my belly is my intuition talking or the strangely spiced roadside burrito from lunch. We arrived at a wilderness campsite with three sites clustered together. When I hastily planned this trip two nights prior, no one else was booked here.

Nov 11, 2024 | paddlingmag.com | Joe Potoczak |Maddy Marquardt |Kaydi Pyette

The heat of summer is nice and all, but there is something special about fall paddling trips. Maybe it’s the landscape painted in the palette of autumn, the feel of cozy fleece under a drysuit, or the satisfying warmth of a hot meal at the end of the shortening days. As colder temperatures creep in we are nowhere close to thinking the paddling season is coming to an end, and that’s because for our team it never does.

Nov 4, 2024 | paddlingmag.com | Kaydi Pyette

Personal flotation devices are the most crucial safety gear on the water. Each year, roughly 200 paddlers die in the United States, and according to the U.S. Coast Guard, in more than 80 percent of drownings, victims were not wearing PFDs. Whether you prefer a PFD that is inherently buoyant or inflatable, built out with fancy features or streamlined and low profile, the best life jacket is the one you will wear.

Oct 21, 2024 | paddlingmag.com | Kaydi Pyette

As dawn breaks on a cool fall morning, the water’s surface mirrors the muted hues of the sky. The attention of our small group, however, is captivated not by the elusive sunrise but by the Rhéaume Explorer 16, its cherry red hull cutting a striking figure against the shoreline.