Trailside Tips

Trailside Tips

Introducing Tyler (Store Manager)

  My name is Tyler Suter, and I am the general manager and canoe expert at the Redfeather Outdoors store in Ely, Minnesota, unofficial (but deserving of title) canoe capital of America. As Redfeather’s first store manager I have been tasked with telling a little bit about myself. Life in

Essential Packing Guide for a Boundary Waters Canoe Trip

There are few places in North America that offer the same combination of wilderness, solitude, and adventure as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. With more than one million acres of lakes, rivers, forests, and interconnected portage trails, the Boundary Waters attracts paddlers from across the country looking to disconnect

Cruel Ice on Pagami Creek

Falling through ice is a funny thing. I’ve gone ankle, knee, thigh deep through ice multiple times in swamps and creeks, and it all starts the same. The ice gives way, slowly at first, then all at once you are falling through an indeterminate distance down. Morning Start I started

The Bass Lake Trio

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/recreation/trails/bass-lake-trail   The Bass Lake trail system consists of three clear options: Dry Lake Loop, Dry Falls and Back, and Bass Lake Loop. You can, of course, link the first and last to go around Bass and Dry Lake (better pack a lunch!), but in this brief article I will

FLOODING HUNTER’S ISLAND

I was locked into an expressionless trance where my entire being focused on the task at hand, locked into the flow of the river, the obstacles around us, every flick of the paddle through the water and every shift and shudder of the canoe as it was pulled and pushed

Boundary Waters Packing List (canoe camping)

About the Author Tyler is the store manager at Redfeather Outdoors in Ely. He moved to Ely in 2020 and has been exploring the surrounding wilderness with his wife and kids ever since. He is an avid canoe paddler, nordic skier, and hiker. He maintained a rental fleet of over

Day Tripping with Canoe Guy Tyler

This article is dedicated to the daytrips taken by our canoe expert, Tyler Suter, who also manages our Redfeather Outdoors store in Ely, MN. He is an avid paddler and takes daytrips into the Boundary Waters and surrounding area regularly. Follow along for great day trip route ideas and to

The Ultimate Outdoor Guide to Ely, Minnesota

Ely, Minnesota has built its reputation around one thing, access to the outdoors that still feels real. Tucked into the northern edge of the state, Ely serves as the front door to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, but there’s far more here than just canoe trips. For anyone looking