Special Used Gear Item

Hey Fellow Canoe Campers,

As many of you know, we do our best to sell as much of our used gear after each season. That's why we are always able to give you the best and newest gear year after year. But, sometimes we have something special that has fallen through the cracks. Today is your lucky day to find out what it is.

The outfitting department has one 15x15 ultralight 1.1 oz tarp left. It's in great condition except for a small hole. I have attached a picture with the hole next to a sticky note. So, it should be a very easy fix with a Hippo Patch or a piece of boat tape....both are available from us. The little hole is near the center of the tarp.

Now, the deal of the day!! It is a $395 tarp. You can own it for only $260 plus shipping (plus tax if you are in MN)!!! It's a fantastic deal. Remember, there is only one left so call soon. Ask for Drew or Bert at 800-223-6565 and one of us can take your order. Again, it's in great condition overall. You will not be disappointed at all. Just a quick fix is needed and it is ready to go.

Keep on checking back to the Piragis Blog as we may continue to put some more outfitting items on here. You don't want to miss out!!

The paddling season is getting closer!!!
Drew

The Rhythms of Life

Our lives take on a pattern of rhythms and cycles that are comforting and give us a sense of being grounded. We navigate our lives by various waypoints along the way… holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, the change of seasons, vacations, retirement, and so on. We anticipate these times; we mark them down on our calendars, and our lives have a sense of direction with these “cairns” that mark our journey through a given year or a lifetime. There is a particular cairn on my journey that I come to every year about this same time. It is like a canoe paddle sticking out of a snow bank and if it could speak, it would say “Get ready…it’s almost time to paddle.”

The winter is just about over. Yes, there will be those late season snowstorms, and single digit temps that mildly depress us after a few unexpected warm days make us think that spring just might come early this year. But, there is no doubt about it…the time for paddling a canoe is not far away. I look at that “paddle in the snow” and would love to grab it and head out today. Someday, when I am retired, Diane and I will be able to put the canoe on our truck and head south to open water, but in the meantime, I dream about it.

The anticipation is pretty intense. Often I will wake up very early in the morning and not be able to go back to sleep. As I lay there my mind flits from one thing to the next, but this time of year it lingers on one topic. Canoeing. I think of past trips, picture memorable campsites, relive portages that stick in my memory, remember fish that were caught, and think about where we should to go on our next trip. It is hard to go back to sleep when I let my mind wander in this way.

It is probably best that we can’t speed up the clock because life is too fleeting as it is; but it’s difficult to be patient in February. I look out my window and see drifts of snow and feel the warmth of the woodstove and think to myself…relax. The time to paddle will be here before you know it. Enjoy today. So, I go outside and there in the snow bank next to my snowshoes, is that paddle, and it whispers to me…Get Ready. I grab my snowshoes and the paddle disappears. But….I am getting ready.

See you on the water…
Bert Heep

Rental MN3's on Sale!

We have three rental MN3's that have been in our fleet for two seasons. We usually sell them after one season for $1900. These three have been reduced to $1600. They have lots of hull scratches but are structurally sound with many years of life left in them. They come equipped with yoke pads and internal skid plates. The hulls have all been reconditioned with resin where needed. Give me a call and get yours before they're gone. 1-800-223-6565

Steve Schon

Winter Camping

The world of ice in the Ely area took a turn for the best last week with the mid week melt down. The good news is we missed the big snow that Minneapolis got on Sunday but we did get strong wind and cold. The slush is gone! Yeah! It all froze up after the snow melted on top and it lost it's insulation.

Good news for winter campers, ice fisher persons and winter hikers. You don't need snow shoes on the lakes and skiing is a bit treacherous due to bare ice patches and bumpy conditions but with some Yak Tracks on your boots you can hike the lakes. Pulling a sled will be fun now. The portages will still be deep snow with a crust on top and will require snow shoes for sure unless they trail was packed before the melt down. Come on up before we get another big snow. The winter going is great right now.

p.s.

By way of an ad; we rent canvas tents with woodstoves, pulk sleds, winter sleeping bags and snowshoes. Reserve with a phone call.

Steve P. 1-800-223-6565

Piragis Axes Featured on GIZMODO

The world's most respected and well-read online guide to innovative new things, GIZMODO, the Gadget Guide, recently featured not one, but three of our axes.  In the realm of "what's cool" we find that extremely cool.  Gransfors Bruks axes rule the axe world and for less than the price of a really nice pocket knife, you can get your hands on a big, sharp tool.  Look to our catalog coming out soon and online in March for more new offerings from them.  We've only got 25 of the Marble's safety axe that they featured in this article left, and when they are gone, they're gone.  Even though it is not a hand-forged piece, it is a quality tool and the safety feature still rocks, just like it did all those years ago.  Ahhh, it is good to be gizmodoed!