The Kayak Companion Review

My interest in kayaking isn’t limited to just trying them: I’ve also been reading a lot. One of the books I’ve read is The Kayak Companion, by Joe Glickman. This is a small book packed with an amazing amount of information and experience, and a bit of humor, too!

The Kayak Companion covers the topics you’d expect: different kayak designs, terminology, technique, safety, navigation. Lots of anecdotal experience throughout the book make it much easier to grasp the importance of understanding how to read a map and recognize your limitations.

The part of this book that really grabbed me was all of the information on technique. The Power Paddling Explained chapter describes a few different strokes (and how to execute them well) with few pictures and an amazing amount of vivid, written clarity. Usually writing about how to do something physical results in a somewhat muddled description that leaves something out — but not this book!

Cheap ($10) and good, what more could I want? Highly recommended.