The carbon-fiberglass blend shaft and carbon/plastic blade make the Aqua Bound Sting Ray the right choice for those who plan to cover some distance and want to reduce fatigue. I love the feel of this paddle in the water; it is high performing but allows for more of a relaxed paddle stroke, meaning I can still cover some miles with horizontal strokes. I usually recommend the Aqua Bound Sting Ray Paddle to those who want to upgrade from their first entry level paddle, but are not ready to invest $300-$400. This gives you the feel of high-end, with a middle of the road price. Hard to beat that!

Order this paddle on Tumalo Creek’s online store, or read more specs and our official description. You can also check out Drew’s quick and simple demo video below:

The Aqua Bound Manta Ray Paddle offers a great value and a great performance for an entry level paddler. We use a lot of these in our rental demo fleet, which shows they are great quality, lasting season after season, without breaking the bank. Our customers who are trying out paddling for the first time usually get attached to their demo paddle, and this is often what they will buy with the purchase of their first rec boat.

This is also a great paddle for those who are looking to continue to improve. The ferrel on the shaft makes it easy to break down or feather for more aggressive paddling. If you are a recreational kayaker looking for a great place to start your fun on the water, you gotta check out the Manta Ray from Aqua Bound Paddles.

See all the specs on our online store Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe. This paddle is priced at just 89.95 and we’ll throw in shipping.

Check out Drew’s video demonstration of the Aqua Bound Manta Ray below:

I’ve been raft guide and been whitewater canoeing for years and it has been a real challenge to find a rescue jacket that actually fits, seeing as it seems they are all made for guys. This is definitely a unisex PFD, but I can get the right fit with a small adjustments. The panel in the front stays out of the way when I’m in my canoe or kayak and the big pockets are plenty for all I have to bring when I’m teaching classes. I have a lot of friends who kayak and raft recreationally and really like having this jacket because it has all the safety features without the bulk.

One of my favorite parts of this jacket, I have to admit, is the really cool design. Astral Buoyancy issues just a few limited edition lifevests a year that are made in small batches in their factory in Ashville, and the one I have is called “Dark Water.” It was actually inspired by Tibetan thangka artwork! The images in this blog were taken from Astral’s website showing the inspiration and the final design.

See the specs and pricing for the Astral GreenJacket PFD on Tumalo Creek’s online store, and watch a quick video about the coat featuring Drew Oldfield, Tumalo Creek’s whitewater kayaking expert:

Okay… we do have a special place in our hearts here for the folks over at Ruff Wear. They are our neighbors, with their company based right here in Bend, Oregon. They are also our friends, and we love seeing them out on the river or at our events here at Tumalo Creek.

So while we may be particularly biased that the Ruff Wear Portage Float Coat is the best doggie PFD out on the market for your furry friend, we also know it is the truth! This coat was designed to keep your pooch afloat if he or she happens to go overboard on a raft trip, and will help your dog feel more floaty in flatwater, giving her more time to play. It’s comfortable and adjustable too.

We’ve got lots of shop dogs here at Tumalo Creek, and in the video below our white water expert, Drew Oldfield demonstrates how the coat works and come of its best features. His dog Hank is happy to put it on because he knows it’s time to play in the water.

I’ve been working as a whitewater professional for decades working as far north as Alaska and as far south as Ecuador, where I teach whitewater rescue to local guides. But during the summers in Central Oregon, I spend a lot of time in my kayak, and the Stohlquist Descent PFD is a great all-around choice for those who are often in situations that may require some river rescue.

The shoulder protection is great for hiking a few yards or a few miles with your kayak on your shoulder and it has all the features you would expect with a rescue vest including tons of pockets, a D-ring and a huge main pocket for your camera or rescue ropes. And of course there is a quick releasing rescue harness, a must have if you helping swimmers or gathering up gear.

You can read our official description of the Stohlquist Descent PFD below, and check out the specs on Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe’s online store.

If you are looking for a PFD that quickly feels like it is part of your body, the Stohlquist Rocker Lifejacket will definitely fit the bill. I can’t stand the sloppy and abrasive way that some lifejackets fit me, and the Rocker feels more like a glove. There is also this great grippy fabric on the inside that prevents it from riding up. And like most whitewater jackets these days, you can just pull it on over your head, for quick and easy on and off.

If you’d like to see the specs and learn more about the Stohlquist Rocker, visit our online store: Store.TumaloCreek.com. And here is a quick description from our website:

The Rocker is the go-to Stohlquist whitewater PFD for runnin’ the big $%*@#. It’s real comfortable, and features Stohlquist’s specially shaped “Wrapture” torso, which ergonomically fits to the body. It cinches across the chest, and also features a non-slip panel to prevent ride up. You’ll get the perfect fit with Rocker’s six adjustments, plus there are three pockets for your gear and a lash tab for your river knife. Because your personal flotation device is the last thing you want to worry about when your hucking yourself off waterfalls.

Pickin’ & Paddlin’

A Fundraiser for the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance in Bend, OR

By Laurel Brauns

There are few places in the country that can boast such a tight-knit and bountiful paddling community as the one that is bursting at the seams in Bend, Oregon. Drive through Bend on a summer evening, and most folks will have a boat of some sort tied to their roof–or hanging from their trailer–waiting for the sun to rise so they can get out on the rivers or lakes of the Cascades.

Thrill seekers will run Meadow Camp (a Class IV whitewater paddle) at least two or three times a week, plunging through the glacial run-off of the Deschutes River as it descends through the Cascade Mountains.

Those that are out there for scenery and exercise pride them selves on daily treks up to the Cascade Lakes – an incomparable series of alpine lakes that could keep a flatwater paddler happy for a lifetime.

Both of these communities mix in harmony and revelry during the summer at the monthly Pickin’ & Paddlin’ Music Series and Demo Day, hosted by Bend’s largest paddle shop, Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe. Located on the banks of the Deschutes River, this store (and Pickin’ & Paddlin’), have become a gathering place for both flatwater and whitewater enthusiasts alike.

Take a kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard out for a test paddle on the Deschutes River through the Old Mill District, and you’ll be in good company on a hot summer afternoon—thousands of tubers and boaters navigate this stretch of river everyday in the height of summer. (The is the “Paddlin’” half of Pickin’ & Paddlin.’)

After the boats get put away, the kegs get tapped, and micro-brews are poured from some of the best breweries in the United States… that happen to be just across the river from the shop.

So let the Pickin’ begin! As the sun begins to descend behind the Cascade Mountains in the distance, some of Central Oregon’s best bluegrass bands take the stage, entertaining the jubilant crowd long into the night.

But beneath the music, revelry and partying, there is a dark undercurrent, a solemness that cuts through the crowd when Tumalo Creek’s owner and manager Geoff Frank steps up to the microphone half-way through the night. Frank recounts the story of the time he pulled a 70-year-old women from out of the rock pilings of the Colorado Dam, a mill-era spill way just yards downstream from the party. Her grandchildren and husband had gone through the spillway, but she was pinned underwater on one of the I-Beams and was unconscious from a head injury when Frank first found her limp arm under the rapids. After what seemed like minutes of struggling to pull her out by her arm, the woman came to, and with the help of a friend, Frank was able to bear hug her out of the water.

While that story and many others had happy endings (dozens of tubers have swum through the spillway), the very next day after he rescued the 70-year-old women, Frank’s phone rang. The staff at the shop was calling to tell him the news of someone who had not been so lucky. A young Japanese woman was not able to read the signs directing her to exit the river. Her foot became entrapped and she drowned in the strong currents.

Frank then tells the crowd that Pickin’ & Paddlin is a fundraiser for the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance, the organization that is working towards creating a whitewater play park in place of the dangerous dam that was built in 1915. The dam was originally built to store logs for the Shevlin-Hixon and Brooks-Scanlon mills; today it is a dangerous hazard that has caused injury and death to a number of unsuspecting floaters on the Deschutes River.

The BPTA is working closely with Bend Parks and Rec and the Old Mill District to make the whitewater recreation area a reality—to be enjoyed by tubers, whitewater kayakers and stand up paddleboarders alike. Successful parks in other communities such as Missoula, Montana and Cascade, Idaho have brought millions of visitor dollars into their economies.

As engineering studies and designers work towards creating a plan for the park, the Pickin’ & Paddlin’ series has provided a tremendous show of community support for the project, something that will help win grants in the future. Just last summer, the organization brought in $10,000 in donations through the event and got hundreds of new paddlers out on the water as part of the boat demo portion of the evening.

The series has become a phenomenon with a life of it’s own—a party that everyone in town is invited to. For many, it’s one of the highlights of the summer.

Next time you’re in Bend, Oregon, come down to Pickin’ and Paddlin’ the last Wednesday of every month in the summer. After taking out a few boats for a test paddle, pick up one of the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance pint glasses, fill ‘er up with a cold one, and kick off your shoes. You’ll have an unforgettable evening supporting a great cause.

We’re psyched to be partnering with the Oregon Natural Desert Association to help bring the Wild & Scenic Film Festival to Bend this September 22 at McMenamins OSF.

Come into the shop to get your tickets ($10) or buy them online through ONDA’s website.

Why come to the festival?

The film screening will feature independent films not readily accessible to the public. Each piece has beautiful cinematography, and interesting stories to inspire the activist within us all.

Check out a couple of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival movie trailers here:

Walking the Line: A world-class thru-hiker follows 500 miles of transmission line through the west’s most remote landscapes to promote renewable energy.

The Greatest Migration: Snake River salmon travel 900 miles and climb 7,000 feet to reach their spawning grounds, but dams along their journey block their migration and may eventually cause their extinction.

This event is also an awareness raiser and membership drive for ONDA. Many Central Oregonians are not aware of all the work that ONDA does to protect rivers and designate waterways throughout Oregon’s Outback as Wild & Scenic Rivers. Become an ONDA member as part of this event, and for $20 you’ll get a membership, and a ticket to the festival. You’ll also get the Wild Desert calendar, a water bottle and entry into the new-member drawing. Sounds like a good deal!

Labor Day Weekend – 2011 at Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe

There is no better time of year to buy a boat. With predictions of a beautiful fall, get your boat now, and enjoy it for the rest of the season. Huge savings!

Check out the highlights below:

Hobie Adventure Island – Red: $3,250  (slightly used)

Jackson Journey – Blue: $995 (new)

Eddyline Whisper Tandem Carbonlite – Yellow: $1750

Tumalo Creek NRS River Tube: $65 – $75 (depending on condition)

Rebel SUP: $850

Naish Nalu 10’6: $850

Plus a ton of used whitewater boats at the best prices in Oregon.

Attention well-endowed women: This is the PDF made specifically for you. The special “Wrapture” design features sculpted foam for support and comfort. There are large zip pockets in the front for easy accessibility and storage and the lined hand-warmer pockets will keep your hands toasty in foul weather.

Best of all, the jacket is pretty. Real pretty. A baroque floral design, a 3M reflective strip along the seams, and the variety of colors (yellow, pink, blue) means that you’ll be comfortable AND lookin’ good out on the water.

We have a bunch of smalls in larges in stock in all colors, so give us a call at the shop if you’d like us to ship one out to you, or if you live in Bend, come on down to the shop and try one on.

Tumalo Creek: 541.317.9407