Pakboats in Enfield, NH, US (United States)

The most attractive feature of folding boats may be their portability. If you are planning a very remote trip where the logistics really get out of hand, a folding boat may be just what you need to make your trip work. 

Some of you are preparing for your annual canoe trip to the Arctic and may be taking a folding canoe for the first time. The following will give you information about how to deal with some of the mishaps that can occur on such a trip. 

We seem to accept easily that the native populations of the north have developed highly efficient kayak shapes, but modern versions that fold are presumed to be much less efficient. Interestingly, it is often assumed that hardshell kayaks are even better because they can be made stiffer. 

Non-kayakers are always amazed to hear that I own six kayaks. To the uninitiated, one kayak seems like plenty. Yet, if you think of kayaks the way a golfer thinks of clubs, it s easy to see that different circumstances require different tools. 

William Stout, one of America's greatest engineers, once said, "Simplicate- add lightness," so when I learned that someone was making a kayak that weighed less than half of what other kayaks weigh, I knew I had to try one on my next trip to Europe. The Puffin single seater by Pakboats is a 10.