Outdoor extras, including advice on choosing a canoe paddle

Posted on: May 3, 2018 | Bob Frye | Comments

You want outdoor extras? We’ve got outdoor extras …

Gear of the week

Gear name: Nanodry

Company: Matador (https://www.everybodyshops.com/matador-nanodry-large-towel.html)

When choosing a canoe paddle, don't forget to pack a towel.

Nanodry towel

Gear type: Towel

Product description: Go backpacking, hiking, paddling or otherwise exploring and chances are at some point you’ll either get wet or at least need to wash and dry your hands or other gear. Lugging a traditional towel – one that will take up a lot of space and weight once wet – can be problematic. Enter the Nanodry. It weight just 5 ounces, but will absorb more than twice that in water weight. Open, it measures 54.5 by 27.3 inches. Folded into its pouch, though, it’s not much bigger than a smartphone.

Available options: This towel stores in a vented silicone shell so it dries quickly without getting everything else wet. The shell has a carabiner to attach it to backpacks, kayak webbing, or elsewhere.

Suggested retail price: $34.99.

Notable: The Nanodry features gold-coat antimicrobial technology, which is said to keep it fresher longer than any other travel towel on the market.

Tip of the week

People who buy canoes generally put a lot of thought into what kind to get. But their canoe paddle? That often gets overlooked. Size matters, though. A canoe paddle “fits” makes excursions more efficient and fun. You can measure yourself for paddle size at home. Get a stepstool or stack of books about 6 inches high. Sit on that and measure from the floor to your chin, in inches. To that, add 20 – the approximate length of a canoe paddle blade – and you have your size

Recipe of the week

Fish soup

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flaked fish, already cooked
  • 1 quart milk
  • 2 ounces sherry
  • dash of cayenne
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons flour

Directions

This recipe works with just about any kind of fish, though crappies, yellow perch or bluegills are really good.

In a saucepan, stir the butter and flour over low heat until blended well. Mix in the milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly so that everything stays smooth. Do not boil.

Season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Finally, stir in the sherry and the flaked fish.

Bring it all to a boil, then serve.

Bob Frye is the everybodyadventures.com editor. Reach him at 412-838-5148 or bfrye@535mediallc.com. See other stories, blogs, videos and more at everybodyadventures.com.

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