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10 Items to Customize Your Canoeing Experience

Canoeing is a minimalist activity, no doubt. You don't need much other than a canoe, paddles and life jackets.

However, if you want to move beyond canoe minimalism in 2006, as I do, there are multiple possibilities. Here is my wish list for items to add to my canoeing comfort and style.

1. Backrest: Every now and then, it's nice to lean back and relax. A light backrest that attaches to the canoe seat would do the trick. I'm not going to be in any white water in the next year. My canoeing experience is a restful one. A backrest perfectly fits the theme.
2. Canoe chairs with backrests for the kids. A bit more comfort will keep canoe kids a little more still, I theorize, and hopefully reduce the "I'm bored" complaints. Comfy chairs may even allow them to fall asleep that much more quickly, in case a warm sunny day and the gentle, repetitive sound of lapping water isn't enough. It'll ultimately increase their comfort and enjoyment of the canoeing experience so that whatever they're feeling here isn't repeated.
3. Child-size paddles. To alleviate the previously-mentioned whining, paddles similar to Mom's and Dad's will work wonders. It's also good training for a future when I'm the one snoozing in mid-canoe under warm sunshine, oblivious to the gentle, repetitive sound of lapping water.
4. Sail: Preferably a sail in a colour that matches the canoe, of course. A sail might add a whole new dimension to the experience. This is another device for kids to manipulate and feel it allows them to contribute to the canoeing trip. Plus, sails look cool.
5. Thwart Bag: These are available in canoe shops on the Internet but it seems easy enough to make them. A bag that could be attached with Velcro under a seat could house a camera, snacks, tissues, binoculars, and so on. Just keep it high enough off the floor in case of water. Fabric could be waterproof, or at least water resistant.
6. Canoe cart/trolley: You can carry your canoe. Or, you could gently remove it from your vehicle and place it onto a small cart of trolley. You then exert far less energy getting your canoe into the water, saving your enthusiasm for the paddling, portaging or picnicking.
7. Binoculars: Probably the most obvious of all canoe gear, these are a lot more high tech than they once were. Now you can get binoculars/digital camera combos. Get some great shots of herons, beavers and other wildlife.
8. Shade: Ideally, a canopy. We tried attachable umbrellas last summer with only modest success. A canopy would give a welcome break from the sun to kids or dogs lounging in mid-canoe. Probably easy to make with some plastic tubing and lightweight fabric.

9. Canoeing jewelry: Not that you'd be expected to wear paddle earrings, pendants or bracelets while you're actually in the canoe. However, you may want to wear them another time to give people hints about what they can small talk about with you. Or, you can wear them in winter, purely to remind yourself of gliding across a silky smooth lake surface on a warm summer morning.
10. Canoe journal: Record pertinent details of trips and outings. One journal available at paddling.net has convenient fields for you to fill in. These are good prompts if you like to be detail-oriented. Another journal offers the same waterproof paper as Navy Seals use. Of course, there are plenty of journals around if you prefer to customize your own. Plus, getting journals for children encourages them to draw or write about what they see and to help the memory of a good trip linger. Canoes are easy for small hands to draw and when scanned can make good Christmas card fronts for relatives and friends.

Canoeing season is still months away. If you can't actually canoe, then at least you can plan for it.