We are about a week out from our first husband/wife solo trip. We are considering taking a spare paddle in case we break ours. Any suggestions? Do we need to pack this?

This one is at the top of my list so far. paddle

I suspect at least 90% of us carry a spare paddle.
I always do regardless of solo or two tandems. I have never had to use the spare but then again I have never dumped a canoe either but always have a PFD with me.

Yes, take one. It's not that much extra to carry and you'll be really sorry if you don't have one and need it. As the addage goes: Up a creek without a paddle...

Cool little spare paddle. For twenty bucks why not? I take a yak paddle as a spare on solos, but not a spare on trips with a partner. But then you may have to do this to get you back home...

Bring it!

I snapped one mid-paddle on a long and windy lake. It could have been a major crisis, but it wasn't because I had a spare.

I always carry a spare paddle.

In almost 60 years of paddling, I have never needed the spare. However, I am confident that it will be desperately needed the one time I forget to bring it.

Yes, carry a spare but get a real paddle and you can just strap it to the thwarts or seat for portaging or carry it with your other paddles. You don't need to pack it. In fact, if you break a paddle on a big windy lake, the last thing you want to do is have to fish around in a pack for your spare paddle. Instead, you want it at hand so you can use it immediately.

Here is our strategy: There is no such thing as a spare paddle. We each take two paddles. One is a straight wood which gets used for rocky shallows and narrow streams. The other is a carbon fiber bent shaft. That gets used for motoring across lakes. Our two carbon fiber bent shaft paddles weigh less than the paddle you suggested and less than the standard metal and plastic spare we carried before we started doing things this way. When I say there is no such thing as a spare paddle, what I mean is that we take 4 paddles and they all get used.

You may not be ready to invest in carbon fiber paddles and so here is another suggestion. If your two paddles are straights then buy a mid-priced wood bent shaft and give it a try to see how you like it (you will). If your two paddles are bent shafts then buy a wood straight for variety.

You could even just stop by an outfitter and rent a spare paddle to see if you like a particular type. Piragis in Ely rents some nice carbon fiber and kevlar bent shafts. Some of our friends used them and liked them a lot.

I'm still waiting for someone who has actually paddled for a few days with one of those telescoping paddles to say it worked well.

But no matter what, do not go with just two paddles. That is just asking for trouble.

I have always taken a spare paddle with us. Not every canoe needs a spare paddle, just one in your group.

Take a spare. I dropped my paddle in the water once and with in a few seconds it was out of reach. I also gave my spare to a group that was headed out. I met them on my last portage (their first) and they had already broken one of their paddles. ~JOE~

Spare paddle... Might as well bring a spare knife,sleeping bag, tent or fly. I couldn't imagine carry something all week that I know I can repair with a lashing. At very
Worst I need to make one with my ONLY knife and small hatchet. It's a wilderness trip people. In less than three hours I could make a useable paddle to get home.

I agree with andym. I am a soloist and I always carry my bent shaft and my straight. They both serve a purpose on the water. Besides....you can always use another tarp pole.

Another one here who always takes a spare paddle along on every trip. You may be able to get by without other things but not if you lose your paddle.

I take a spare. It gets lashed to the canoe and is available if I break my main kayak paddle. Yes you can field repair paddles but I'd rather worry less a boy some thing easy enough and light enough to lash to the canoe.

Yes, its some sort of law of the universe that they are more likely to break at the most inopportune time... Really!
Jim

I've never taken a spare. The outfitters don't include or recommend in packages. This year we had one of the cheap aluminum rentals break in half. Luckily it was on a 3 man boat and there were still two paddlers.

We repaired it that night with gorilla tape and and a stick

Always take a spare. If I am three days in on a ten day trip there's no way that I'm going to want to paddle seven more days with a paddle that's been repaired with duct tape and a stick let alone one carved from a limb.

To me it's more about the timing of a broken paddle. I Broke one fighting a 40 mph headwind once with some big rollers in the middle of a lake. Just imagine if I hadn't had a spare... Yes, you can make do once you GET to the shore... Problem is- I wouldn't have made it to shore- that's a certainty.

I really don't understand this argument.. It's ONE extra pound. Lash it to the canoe and you won't even know its there.

We never took an extra until hearing some horror stories. We will probably take one from now on.

We took an extra this last trip and it never left the canoe. Forgot it was there most of the time...

quote 10 trips or so: In less than three hours I could make a useable paddle to get home. "

Talk to anyone who has had to make a new paddle or repair one and ask them if they are going to bring a spare one in the future. Betcha they say "hell ya I'm bringing a spare."

I bring two paddles for every solo. A bent shaft and a straight shaft. If either one of them were to break, I could use the other without issue.

Bring a spare one, lash inside your canoe and you don't have to worry.

"Spare paddle... Might as well bring a spare knife,sleeping bag, tent or fly. I couldn't imagine carry something all week that I know I can repair with a lashing. At very
Worst I need to make one with my ONLY knife and small hatchet. It's a wilderness trip people. In less than three hours I could make a useable paddle to get home."

Its about being prepared because. . .it IS a wilderness area. Wilderness trip does not mean a backpacking trip. We bring a larger med kit for camp, but small ones in each canoe. We bring extra batteries for head lamps. We bring industrial duct tape for canoe repairs. WE bring fireproof ferite matches as well as a small lighter/torch. And yes. . .we have knives for different purposes. I have a filet knife, survival knife for camp as well as a kayak style knife attached to the PFD.

Of everything you take in the BWCA, the most basic is the canoe and the paddle. I can't imagine not being able to repair a holed canoe, or not bringing an extra paddle in our group.

my first 2 BW trips our group brought a spare, after that no spare, check your equipment for stress, if i was solo i would not travel without some kind of a spare.

quote shock: "my first 2 BW trips our group brought a spare, after that no spare, check your equipment for stress, if i was solo i would not travel without some kind of a spare."

ALWAYS. You trip enough you WILL break a paddle. I've broken TWO with no "Signs" either were ripe for failure. I've broken others, but those two were memorable because they were so unexpected. One was about a mile into a 3 day river trip in the winter. If I hadn't had a spare it would have been REAL ugly!

Of course you will have to bring a spare paddle. My main paddle is a Zav carbon fiber bent shaft and my spare is a bending branches straight shaft expedition. Both are fine paddles......I use the "spare" Expedition while fishing since it won't blow away so easily when I set it down.

But no need to drop big bucks on paddles until you have decided if this is something you would like to do on a continual basis. You could even borrow a plastic paddle like a Carlisle from your neighbor or friend.........or just drop $20 and buy one. But you must have a spare.

It needs to be secured inside your canoe and not laid loosely or it will be just one more thing to figure out what to do with on a portage. If you rent or purchase carbon fiber paddles (which are a delight) you must secure them at night lest a storm arise and they blow away. I secure mine inside my canoe using these (link below)

You must also be somewhat careful not to step on Carbon fiber paddles. Mine has been extremely durable however but i wouldn't want to stand on it. velcro paddle holder

Wouldn't consider not bringing a spare. If a paddle breaks on a windy lake, you immediately need the paddle to get to shore. I wouldn't imagine that the stump of a handle would propel you well or offer much in the form of a rudder to keep the canoe properly oriented for safety. I would hate to have to paddle a several days into the wind to get out using a tree branch or "homemade" paddle. I'm guessing that some that don't bring a spare paddle may not have repair tape, zip ties, or even the tools to fashion a primitive paddle because it all weights too much. Take a lightweight spare, lash it into the canoe and never think about it again until you need it. I would rather carry an extra 1-2 lb. paddle than to spend days struggling to paddle out with an alternative. It weighs less than your bottle of water. Must have duplicates - paddle, stove, glasses, map, fire source (matches/lighter).

As others have said. . . some things require duplicates to avoid disaster or at least long paddles back to the outfitter.

We bring an extra paddle in the group, a water tight container of ferrite matches as well as a small "torch" lighter. I bring a primary first aid kit and a backup.

Water filtration is another area that we use more then one option. We have a base camp Platypus, but we all carry Sawyer personal filtration bottles as well.

Water, fire, the canoe and the paddle can't be taken lightly. Backups for filtration and fire starting, backup for the paddle, and a kit to repair the canoe.

quote mpifkin: "We are about a week out from our first husband/wife solo trip. We are considering taking a spare paddle in case we break ours. Any suggestions? Do we need to pack this?

This one is at the top of my list so far. paddle "

We hadn't packed on for years. For some reason I felt compelled to bring one along this year. Good thing we did. Broke a paddle, on the morning of our last day. That would have been a rough paddle out with a broken paddle.

At Piragis I did see a telescoping spare paddle, packs down nicely and could slide in the side of a pack. Seemed like a nice solution for packing a spare.

Spare Paddle

I go with scout groups and you supply your own paddle so we get a wide variety of quality so bring a spare. And we have used the spare once...

I experiement with my 7 degree bent Mitchel and a straight as the spare to see how it goes. Still not sure on the 7 degree paddle.

+1 with those who've said "bring one."

That advice defies logic because, barring one foolish whitewater episode 30-some years ago, I've not lost a paddle or broken one beyond use. I've quit carrying other stuff that hasn't proven necessary. But still, I wouldn't go without that spare paddle, whether solo or group.

Always bring one.
And I always have at least 2 blades and 3 ways to make fire.

quote Grouseguy1: "I've never taken a spare. The outfitters don't include or recommend in packages. This year we had one of the cheap aluminum rentals break in half. Luckily it was on a 3 man boat and there were still two paddlers.


We repaired it that night with gorilla tape and and a stick "

Our outfitter (Canoe Country Outfitters)always gives us a spare paddle - actually one for each canoe.

I usually secure the spare paddle with a couple of those Bungie Deelie-Bob things.

quote jcavenagh: "Always bring one.
And I always have at least 2 blades and 3 ways to make fire."

+1
Usually have a Yak paddle for speed and a straight shaft for fishing/trolling

FYI: the telescoping paddles have a maximum length of 42".

Anyone using a 42" straight paddle?

It's a youth length according to Bending Branches. So, it might work for a few very short adults but not for many of us.

Spare paddle in each canoe. Can't really understand why you would think to go without.

better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it.

Spares? You betcha, especially on a solo trip! Here's my list of spares, extras, and backups:
Paddle
Map
Compass
Flashlight
Fire Starter
Knife
Extra cord
Extra food, in case I become hurt or windbound
Water purification tabs, as a backup to my main purification system

Have I ever lost a compass? No.
Did I find a compass on a portage last week? Yes. I hope the person who lost it had a spare.

I guess I am the odd man out here... I don't bring anything that isn't going to get used on a daily basis. No backup batteries, stove, lights etc... For me that is part of the fun, none of those items are anything I don't feel I could not live without, fix, or adjust my trip in some way. But knowing that I am also very careful with all of my equipment, it is checked and maintained, tested pre-trip.

With that said, I have done many 3 man canoe trips so technically that might be considered an extra paddle or if I bring my kids I guess I could use one of theirs too. If I tripped with someone that wanted an extra paddle I'd accommodate them as well...


So I guess my answer is bring it if you feel it is necessary and makes you feel better about the trip.

T

Going on an wilderness canoe trip without a spare paddle is like driving across the desert without a spare tire.

I don't use the first aid kit on even a monthly basis. But I bring a full size one for the base camp and small one in my PFD when out.

i won't go without a spare:) find something lightweight and cheap.

quote AndySG: "
Going on an wilderness canoe trip without a spare paddle is like driving across the desert without a spare tire."

apples and oranges , your not making a tire out of sand, making a paddle from the woods is doable. not an ideal situation to be in, but doable. as i stated earlier i would not do a solo without a spare for the simple reason you lose it on the lake your at the mercy of the wind, but in a group i,m with timatkn.

I always carry a extra, no matter if i,m paddling around home or on a BW trip, the $20 paddle will work but i would buy a better one, that's just me.

I once drove around a bombing range in the desert without a spare tire. Ok, we started that day with a spare tire and then used it early in the morning. But we decided to keep working rather than give up the whole day. They had said they weren't going to bomb that area until nightfall.

But I always take a spare paddle. And would keep a trip going after I needed it.

better bring a spare canoe also, even secured on shore a tree could fall on it and crush it, where are you then ?

Better bring an extra pack, what if it breaks(mor elikely than a paddle) now ya can't portage, just joking but the spare stuff/ is endless really. Where does it end?

Spare food, batteries, stove, med kit, lights, maps, etc... Go a head and bring the kitchen sink for all I care, but I am not going to do it unless my partner wants to as well.

For me it is a wilderness trip, I adapt... it's not Noah's Arc where I need 2 of everything :) Have to stay an extra day, fine I catch a fish or go hungry--I think human beings can live weeks with no food. One day eating less will be good for me, I won't die. I've always been a roll with the punches type of guy, my trips aren't set in stone. In fact the more they derail from the original plans usually the more enjoyable and memorable they become.

How does a paddle break anyway? If it happens while paddling--get a better quality paddle for goodness sake--that shouldn't happen. If you think paddles are so important you need 2 then invest more of your money on a good sturdy one not 2 bad ones. If you are prying off rocks and it breaks--well then shame on you--you better bring 3 spares because one might not be enough.

If I was a solo paddler I'd have 2 paddles for sure but it wouldn't be a spare it would be for different strokes/use. Once again a spare isn't a bad idea, it is a precaution ...unlike others I just don't think it is dumb to not bring a spare either.

I also allways have one extra paddle along on a canoe trip.

If solo I bring my straight single and my double blade. If I am in the tandem we bring an extra straight single blade paddle.

I don't want to have to paddle for a week with a repaired paddle and I am pretty sure I wouldn't want to paddle with anything that my rudimentary woodworking skills might create :-)

quote timatkn: "
How does a paddle break anyway? If it happens while paddling--get a better quality paddle for goodness sake--that shouldn't happen. If you think paddles are so important you need 2 then invest more of your money on a good sturdy one not 2 bad ones. If you are prying off rocks and it breaks--well then shame on you--you better bring 3 spares because one might not be enough. "

"How does a paddle break anyway?" The same way car tires wear out after use. If you paddle a couple times a year it probably won't happen. Some folks paddle much more than that and wear and tear will take it's toll. I just thought about all the broken paddles I can remember. Only two of the four paddles that I can recall breaking was relatively cheap, and that is because one was built by me and the other by a now deceased friend. Mine may not have been well made, but Darryl's was impeccably built.

S0, how have MINE broken?

First broken paddle, one piece cherry Beavertail I built myself. Had used it a few years and no sign of weakness. Tricky shoal with a strainer to maneuver around and I stuck it out for a strong draw stroke in heavy eddy current. SNAP!

Second, paddling hard with high stoke rate in heavy wind. Water shallowed quickly around a reef and I "Stuck" it perfectly between two rocks. Darn near broke my wrist on that one.

Third broken paddle. Winter, 3 day, two night trip on the Current River. Had just started and gave one stroke a little "Strong" and the handle "Snapped" off at the joint between handle and shaft. I'd hesitate before I'd call a Zaveral a "Cheap" paddle, BTW.

Number four, similar scenario with a Werner Bandit, except it was a day trip. Many Whitewater folks consider a Werner Bandit a very reliable paddle. Also, IT AINT CHEAP.

I've never stepped on a paddle and broke one, but have come close. I've never lost one, but find "Lost" ones with relative frequency. So, people DO break and lose paddles.

Do what you like, it's a "Free" world. But things happen and paddles, EVEN GOOD, EXPENSIVE PADDLES, can and will break. Now, I'm headed to the river. I'll probably have two spares in my boat as will my buddy who's paddling with me.

It seems that the discussion is in two camps

The first more of a "backpack" thinking where any and all duplicates are eliminated.

The second is more of a canoe thinking where safety trumps some additional weight.

The "prepare" mindset extends outside of wilderness trips. Long ago I started carrying a "ditch bag" of sorts in the car as I drive almost 1000 miles per week. In it is a first aid kit. However, I also carry a small compact first aid kit on my person.

In canoeing, a "broken" paddle is rarely what has cost those I paddle with their paddles. More often then not it is a paddle that fell out due to a capsize and wind/current took it away and we never found it.

I would hate to have to paddle back what took 6-8 hours of paddling in, with a paddle made out of a limb.