Crash and Learn - E2: Minakami Flips

In episode 2 of Crash and Learn, Trevor and Kailee are looking at an accident video from Minakami Japan. In this episode we’re looking at a video with back to back flips to discuss the importance of training. Rafting Magazine Team Paddlers scour the internet for carnage videos to discuss what happened in these rafting accident videos so we can deepen our understanding of the accident as well as explore the lessons learned from these videos.

How Not to Raft - Putting 3:1 Mechanical Advantage to the Test

In this video, we teamed up with Ryan from Hownot2 to learn more about d-rings in wrap scenarios. We wanted to understand how much stress the river puts on a boat. We also were looking to understand how much force a d-ring could bear before popping off. We had a couple of surprises including The failure points in both general break strength and in shear as well as how much force you need to get the raft off.

Rafting With Kailee: Episode 4 - Alex Aldecoa Interview

In this interview, Kailee stopped by The Aire Factory in Idaho to meet up with Alex Aldecoa and discuss her journey in the outdoors. Alex has been a life long boater as well as a commercial guide on the Middle and Main Salmon. Kailee stopped in to understand more about Alex's journey as well as explore what Alex, as Aire's Marketing Director would like to see female rafters doing in the future.

Trevor Ruins Rafting Movies - Temple of Doom

In this video, Trevor and Kailee are taking on a classic rafting scene from the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. In this scene Indy jumps out of a plane with an emergency life raft and gently glides down to a snowy hill followed by an exciting slide into a deep gorge. Did the scene age well? How was the realism of the on water rafting? Find out as Trevor ruins one of his favorite childhood series.

Rafting With Kailee: Episode 3 - The Lydia Sturgis Interview

In this interview Kailee stopped by her favorite shoe company, La Sportiva, in Boulder, Colorado to meet up with Lydia Sturgis to discuss Lydia’s journey in the outdoors. Lydia has been in the outdoors from an early age and Kailee wanted to learn more about the lessons she drew from being a young woman in the outdoors and how she found her voice.

The Gear Shed - Measuring Paddle Power

This set of video is an awesome collaboration with Ryan from How not 2. We strapped a line scale 3 to an anchor point and paddled away to see how much force different paddle and oar strokes will create. When we got back home we dug into the data a bit more to figure out how much force the paddles were actually creating. Kailee was using the same paddle throughout the test as a control but Nathan had switched paddles to understand how changes in paddles altered the amount of paddle power output in kilonewtons.

Rafting With Kailee: Episode 2 - Confidence and Leadership in Female Guides

Spending her entire adult life as an adventure guide, Team Paddler Kailee Hutchison has spent years leading men and women in the outdoors trying to understand both sides of the confidence and leadership question. Accurately understanding what needs to happen for female boaters from a female perspective has been a hot topic in the outdoor industry recently due to the changing demographics of the outdoors. Recently America outdoors invited Kailee to speak at their 2021 annual outfitter conference to help outfitters understand this question, however due to the nature of how people are taught in the outdoors it is helpful for anyone who is teaching female boaters to understand Kailee’s solutions oriented approach to how to build confidence and inspire leadership in the outdoors.

The Gear Shed - CamelBak Eddy+ Bottle Filtered by Lifestraw

It seemed a little gimmicky at first, but due to some dehydration issues recently I wanted to see if the Eddy+ system would be a good addition to my kit. This product is a collaboration between CamelBak and Lifestraw to simply place a filter cartridge in a metal bottle. On the plus side you don’t have to mess around with pulling out or storing a filter. There are a few important considerations about this bottle that I will go over, but overall (having used several different products on the market) this is one of the better options for boaters in my opinion.

The Gear Shed - Drysuit Zipper Care

Our friend Kristin from the Riverstore is sharing some advice on drysuit maintenance in this piece. Specifically we'll be focusing on maintaining your zippers and how to clean with both metal and plastic zippers. Cleaning your zippers is essential to prolonging the life of your suit as well as making sure you can easily get in and out of your suit when you need to.

BCAAs Vs. Glutamine: Which Is Better For Muscle Gain?

For athletes, two popular types of amino acids are glutamine and the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), a trio of biochemically related amino acids. Both the BCAAs and glutamine have been hypothesized to improve exercise performance and recovery, and have been studied to that effect. In this article, we’ll look at what the science tells us about these amino acids and what it means supplementation-wise.

10 Benefits of Amino Acid Supplements

In this article, our friends at Gnarly Nutrition are sharing a discussion on amino acids. In the world of supplements, protein – whether from whey or another source – tends to hold steady as king of them all. But here’s something from high school biology you may have forgotten: Proteins are made of amino acids. Actually, those amino acids are the very reason that protein is so important, but why is that?

Can Collagen Help You Recover From An Injury?

In this article, our friends at Gnarly Nutrition shared a discussion with Physical Therapy Dr. Carrie Cooper on collagen. This discussion focuses on how you can use collagen to help you recover from injury. Collagen is a fantastic supplement that helps to support internal organ health as well as injury recovery.

The Gear Shed - SOTAR Rogue Series Review

In the last year SOTAR has been working hard to develop a new concept of raft that builds upon a fusion of design specs. The specs were simple: build a raft that is maneuverable, stable, and most importantly lightweight with the ability to run a variety of whitewater from class V waterfalls to hike in expeditions. The SOTAR Rogue is certainly a purpose-built craft with hard whitewater, r2ing, big hikes to put in, and ease of transportation in mind. This boat certainly represents a new generation of boats that may be coming to the forefront and hopefully manufacturers take note on some of the perks of this design that I will discuss down below.

Fueling with Carbs

In this article, our friends at Gnarly Nutrition are back with an awesome discussion on how to properly use carbs in athletic pursuits. Whether logging miles on the river, dropping waterfalls, or camping in the backcountry, your body needs fuel to support your adventurous pursuits. What you put into your body impacts your ability to maintain training intensity, duration, and overall performance.

Fueling With Water

In this article, our friends at Gnarly Nutrition are sharing some advice about one of the most important athletic supplements: water. Because we spend so much time surrounded by water dehydration can be subtle, yet produce profoundly negative effects on rafters. Understanding how proper hydration effects your performance is critical to your success as an athlete and on the river.

The Gear Shed - Petzl Rad System: First Look

In this article team paddler Nathan Hobbs is taking an early look at the Petzl RAD system or Rescue and Descent System. This system was originally designed for crevasse rescue and glacier travel, but at first look it has some serious applications for whitewater use. Designed as a lightweight rapid deployment solution create a quick 3:1 mechanical advantage system with 30 m of rope.

Rafting With Kailee: Episode 1 - The Future of Women in the Outdoors

There have been a lot of discussions around the issues and challenges women in the outdoors face over the last several years, but Kailee is determined to discuss some solutions. To find these solutions, one of the most important questions Kailee is examining in this chat is: “What did you need from a female mentor, as a young woman, when you were first getting started in the outdoors?”

Raft Field Repair With Sotar

Our friends from Sotar joined our team for a super in depth guide to field repair on your raft. Trenten, Sotar’s Head Repair Tech, and Jeremiah, COO of Sotar, came down to share some thoughts. Through this process we actually cut a thwart and patched it with a proper field repair using tear aid type B. The type B tear aid is a critical element to proper field repair since it has more backing and is specifically designed to work with most plastic rafts on the market.

Kailee's Bad Gear Review: Pibella Urination System

Team paddler Kailee is joined by our friend Fianna and these ladies are getting real with female urination systems. Specifically we're taking a look at the Pibella system. Does this piece of equipment actually work? How do female paddlers really feel about this on the water? Fianna also shares a horror story about using one of these systems with her drysuit.

The Gear Shed - IR Aphrodite Drysuit Review

Team Paddler Kailee Hutchison is breaking down her thoughts on the Women’s Immersion Research Aphrodite Drysuit in this gear shed review. This suit is one of the most forward thinking designs for women in the drysuit market today. The aggressive cut and easy in and out set up of this suit makes it a top choice for female paddlers looking for a solid dry suit.