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 the Northwoods
I have lived in Ely for six and a half years, moving up here in 2020 from South Minneapolis with my family. My wife, Sara, owns and operates Earth Elements Acupuncture in Ely, and our two sons are active in the Ely sports community, which I contribute to as a baseball and hockey coach. Sara and I are both avid outdoors people, drawn to this area by its endless opportunities for outdoors adventures. Along with the BWCA trips I took before moving up to Ely, during the six years living here I have explored most of the BWCA park as well as much of Quetico to the north (in Canada). When I am not at the Redfeather store or coaching youth sports I am out in the woods, either hiking with my dogs, paddling a canoe for an obscene number of miles (50 miles in one day is my personal best), or fishing on one of my secret fishing holes.
Working in the Big City
Prior to moving up to Ely I worked as a market research analyst in the agricultural industry for fifteen years, where I traveled nationally and internationally interviewing farmers and providing findings to prominent agricultural companies. My time at Millennium Research provided me with many great tools and knowledge, as well as the means to explore opportunities like buying a house in a tiny town a stone’s throw from Canada with zero job prospects and nothing more than a desire to work in the outdoors industry. Living in South Minneapolis (near Lake Nokomis) my wife and I owned one car and relied almost exclusively on bicycle, bus, and foot commuting. I often say that my time pedaling a bike through the city to get around prepared me for the long hours in a canoe seat paddling big loops in the wilderness. A bicycle and a canoe provide a means to move slowly through the world, constantly interacting with one’s surroundings rather than rushing from point A to point B, where the treasure found in between is left a mystery.
Maintaining a Canoe Rental Fleet
I spent my first five years in Ely maintaining a rental fleet of over 200 canoes for a prominent local outfitter (Piragis Northwoods Company), where I also sold canoes and ran their customer canoe repair program – you may know me from my moniker “Canoe Guy Tyler”. There is no better way to learn about canoes than paddling and repairing them, and the knowledge I attained working at Piragis, where I had access to paddle every canoe model in their fleet, and performed every imaginable canoe repair, was invaluable. This knowledge also informed my decision to join Redfeather, where we sell canoes that offer benefits not available in canoes sold elsewhere in the region. The ability to infuse gel to provide UV protection without a full gel coat (gel coats complicate repairs and add a ton of weight) combined with heavy duty foam ribs/cores and the tried-and-true original Bell Canoe designs provided enough motivation for me to leave a great job that I had no intention of leaving.
Fishing and Foraging in the Wilderness
Since moving up to Ely I have also taken up fishing and mushroom hunting. The sensation of landing a big fish or catching the flash of orange chanterelle is thrilling, and the ability to provide my family with sustenance found in the wilderness is one of my life’s great romances. Having spent most of my life in the city, the prospect of finding food in a lake or in the woods feels like magic, some sort of secret revealed to me by living in the Northwoods. I feel fortunate to be able to make a living here where these elements can be a part of my daily existence.
Summer Canoe Trips
This summer I plan to bring my oldest son (14) on his first Quetico trip. We might head up to the Man Chain or possibly the S-Chain, depending on the conditions. My sons are both experienced paddlers who will one day pay their way through college by guiding in the summers. My oldest son did a twenty-two-mile super day trip with me last summer (up Moose and around Snowbank through Ensign and down through the small chain of lakes that lead to Disappointment, enroute to exiting at the Snowbank entry point). He learned how great a hamburger tastes after that many miles in the saddle, but more importantly he learned that when one thinks his tank is empty, it is actually half full – teaching my boys what the human body and mind are capable of, how humans are equipped with survival mechanisms that stretch well beyond what we think is possible when moving through a world full of modern amenities and conveniences, is something I value, and being able to teach them this lesson in a wilderness area just out my back door fills me with gratitude.
Come Say Hello
Thanks for reading about me and come say hello next time you are in town. I love nothing more than talking routes and pointing out 5-star campsites. We’ll soon have a wall-sized map in the store, and I can’t wait to share canoe camping stories with all the wilderness lovers that visit Ely every year. Don’t forget that on most Saturdays, when the weather cooperates, we are down at Semers Beach on Shagawa Lake with our canoes hosting demo days, where you can paddle one of our many canoe models on a beautiful beach located right in Ely.
About Redfeather
Redfeather Outdoors has built its reputation around gear shaped by real time outdoors, with a strong emphasis on durability and performance in the conditions people actually face. Our canoes and snowshoes are handcrafted at our facility in La Crosse, Wisconsin, reinforcing a commitment to American craftsmanship and consistent quality. That hands-on approach shows up in the details, giving paddlers and winter explorers confidence as they head into the Boundary Waters and beyond. To explore our full lineup and learn more, visit https://redfeatheroutdoors.com/
That same mindset carries into our flagship store in Ely, Minnesota, a location that fits naturally with the brand’s connection to the outdoors. The Ely store serves as a hub for trip preparation and practical guidance, offering insight shaped by experience along with access to gear built for northern Minnesota conditions. It’s a place where visitors can get ready and head out with equipment they trust.
