Don’t know what to give? No worries. CKS Online has curated the best gift guide for the experienced or seasoned kayaker in your life. This is your cant-miss guide to giving the perfect paddling present.

Update from Moose Fest 2019: Alert! This massive tree has been swept below Folwerville Falls and into the Bottom Moose. We have no idea where it is. Local Boater knowledge says it’ll probably get stuck above or below funnel, but this could be extremely dangerous in any number of places. Yet another reason to use… View Article

Blog written by Matthew Klema #teambeer “The North Nahanni? That should be a nice float trip, are you bringing sea kayaks?” This exemplified the reaction upon informing other kayakers that we were headed to this river. Given that this is a significant drainage, in a large mountain range just outside a UNESCO World Heritage site… View Article

One of the first things I learned about whitewater kayaking culture when I started to get into the sport 5 years ago was that if you swim on the river, tradition compels you to drink a beer out of your bootie/paddling shoe (or your primary rescuer’s bootie, depending on the crew and the amount of… View Article

Because we love our customers we want to send one lucky kayaker on a dream vacation this winter.  Our friends at Amazing Vacations Costa Rica have teamed up with us to bring one lucky person an incredible winter paddling experience in the warm rivers of Costa Rica.  CKS has partnered with Amazing Vacations Costa Rica… View Article

Think you have it all for your next river trip? Think again!

What sets Costa Rica apart from its neighbors and the world at large?

Oh man it’s about to get real… You applied for all those trips on Recreation.gov because your friends begged you to and you actually won a permit. First off, take a moment to be stoked, because the odds are getting worse and worse every year for getting a private permit. Some rivers, like the Selway or Yampa Canyon have about a 2% success rate.

The Surge offers a racing blade that can take a beating. The fiberglass makes it great for paddling anything from big water to low volume creeking.

AIRE’s SPUD is a full blown playboat. It is great for SUPers who want to kayak and catch waves on the fly. It can, and will, surf everything. For not being a hardboat, this inflatable shreds right off the bat. Wearing the thigh straps is a must to really edge it. Over the summer, I’ve… View Article

Stephanie Kasun, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is a true go-getter. In the late summer and early fall, she hammering the uphills on Emerald Mountain and bombing, at full speed, back downtown. In the winter, she’s fully immersed in the white room. Whether it’s waking up at 6:30 am to be the first making turns in… View Article

The features of hydroskin are the most advanced of any wetsuit I’ve come across. Hydroskin isn’t neoprene at all, in fact it’s not even oil-based like all other wetsuits. Hydroskin is made of a material developed by NRS called “Terraprene.” This is going to sound crazy, but it actually is made of limestone! Terraprene is thinner by a longshot than a traditional neoprene suit; a 4/3mm thickness neoprene suit is fairly equivalent to the 0.5mm Hydroskin. Give hydroskin a stretch, and you’ll see it shining back at you.

I participated in rigorous guide training this year, flipping my raft in rapids on purpose, as many as 8 times in one day. The exhaustion of swimming and the extra stuff on my chest was just too much when trying to pull myself back in. That’s when I took a step back and started debating what I really needed. Did I really need all this stuff in my pockets? How often am I really going to be the one live bait v-lowered in a rescue scenario? As a kayaker last season, I witnessed a tow tether connected to a swamped creek boat wrap on a bridge pylon and the rescue belt not release when the kayaker towing the unmanned boat started to sink under the water. Is that how I want to practice rescues anyway? Do I HAVE to have a quick-release belt?

What’s the ONE item you won’t hit the river or lake without? No matter what your next river adventure beholds, don’t forget to bring pack your favorite dry bag or dry bags. Especially convenient is Sea to Summit’s 1-Litre Dry Bag, guaranteed to fit your most precious cargo – your cell phone! We can’t imagine… View Article

A Repost from 2013 http://cksblog.com/2013/04/kyle-smith-reviews-the-snapdragon-armortex-exp-sprayskirt/ Helmet. Check. PFD. Check. Paddle. Check. Boat. Check. Hmmm what am I missing… Spray Decks…Probably one of the dullest items to talk about in kayaking, yet, possibly the most essential additional piece besides the kayak itself. Spray decks, no matter how durable they are to begin with, eventually wear out… View Article

All in all, these are both fantastic class I-IV helmets. They are top of the line in safety for their coverage and made by renowned companies. Choosing between them comes down to your style and head shape. A rounder head should go with the Zeta and a narrow head should go with the Strutter. Don’t forget to let your style make the decision for you because it’s really all about looking good on the river.