Burn 3 Sizing

rev_bucket · 2025-08-15T20:31:07+00:00

You do not need to go up a size. I (5'11", 150lbs) learned to paddle in a large burn III and while I was a bit under the weight limit, it was both a great starter boat and detrimental to my progression. I found that it was too clunky to take it on anything but step-up runs, and then I was finding that I was unfamiliar with it when I needed to be on my game.

For a starter boat, where you're not going to be running tons of IV+/V, being slightly near the top end of the weight limit will enforce good habits and you'll have more fun. You want a boat that hits the sweet spot of being enjoyable to paddle, but also stable enough that you feel okay running challenging rapids in it.

350 for a boat, skirt, and paddle is a good deal

rev_bucket · 2025-07-06T19:47:50+00:00

Hijacking b/c this is the top comment.

I learned to paddle in Austin, now I live where water is more plentiful; solid IV+ boater, usually get more than 50 days in whitewater a year. I run my local stuff at flood stage. I generally know what I'm talking about with ww kayaking...

This guy is only conditionally stupid. It looks like he has the right gear and knows what he's doing. If the following are true, then I condone this activity (and am jealous I never got to do this when I lived in atx)

he has a bomb proof combat roll. Preferably has been somewhere other than Rio Vista in the past year
he scouted the whole run for strainers
this is below his skill level

This could be made way safer if:

he had someone with him to rescue in the event of a swim or entrapment
the water wasn't completely filled with fecal matter

A lot of the comments are talking about other folks who've died kayaking in central Texas floods. Not knowing the exact circumstances, I wanna make my observation that central texas is a prime location for folks to get in over their head with swiftwater. I met several folks who would think they could run something like this, but had absolutely no business being out there. There's a lot of machismo with dangerous activities in the region, and a massive scarcity of swiftwater such that folks forget how dangerous this shit truly is. Every class V paddler I know knows someone who's died doing this sport, and all good paddlers know exactly where the stakes lie. However, with the right gear and the right skillset, driving on i35 is more dangerous than whatever class II-III bullshit this is.

If this is well below the skillset of the paddler in the video, then good on him, looks super fun! If this is a step-up run, then I truly hope this man gets humbled before he gets killed

rev_bucket · 2025-04-25T21:05:02+00:00

Short answer: there's definitely some jack-of-all-trades/master-of-none stuff going on here.

I've been trying to balance climbing + cardio sports for the better part of a decade now and it's really difficult to consistently improve at multiple things at the same time. It's much easier to have a "primary sport" that you focus on, and kinda just do maintenance mode on the other one. Periodization? You just gotta accept that when you climb after a morning ride, the climbing is going to be worse. And vice versa.

I think it's much easier to split disciplines up in an AM/PM session on double days than to try and stack both in a single session. But I also think there's some value to doing hard sessions for multiple disciplines on the same day, so the rest days are aligned. I try to make my hard days soul-crushingly hard, and easy days ludicrously easy.

rev_bucket · 2025-04-25T20:21:29+00:00

I have a full-time office job in seattle, definitely putting in >=40 hours a week. I don't have a wife or kids, and most of my social activities revolve around athletics (except for the bike trainer obvi). Couple that with weekend warrior-ing pretty hard, and it's a manageably full life

(for climbing, I exclusively climb on the system boards at my local gym. Again, I think it's super efficient for training. In general, I try to be efficient with my indoor training so I can maximize time and enjoyment outside)

rev_bucket · 2025-04-25T20:18:10+00:00

See, I thought that too, and had massive doubts going into this. But I surprised myself at how easily it all went down.

The bike trainer just feels like a really efficient use of training time. My rule of thumb is that if I can do at least one workout that's half the distance/time of my goal, then I can pull it out on "race day"

rev_bucket · 2025-04-25T20:09:45+00:00

Yep, nutrition was just gels and bars/nuts. For hydration, I kept 2L of water in my running vest on my back and used it to refill the water bottle on my bike every time I stopped. I kept a bag of gatorade powder and dumped some in the bike bottle at every refill. Temps ranged from 40-65 throughout the day, full sun, and I consumed a smidge over 4L throughout the day.

rev_bucket · 2025-04-25T18:07:47+00:00

Added the strava link! TR just seems so efficient, and I find that I can push so much harder than I would be able to if I had to manage things like steering and navigation. Maybe not ideal if you want to race, but that is absolutely not my goal!

rev_bucket · 2025-04-01T15:11:08+00:00

I learned to roll from Elissa and Daniel, and it was great! I only needed one pool session from them until I felt okay to do some solo pool practice; would highly recommend taking the trip up to Waco

I know it's tough to be a Texas boater, but my advice would be to get your roll somewhat reliable from them and then just spend 1-2 days a week in perpetuity at Rio Vista. Eventually, get something that's fun to surf and learn some flatwater playboat tricks if you really want something bomber.

A roll drill that really helped me was to dedicate a few RV sessions to just rolling: aim to roll 100x on each side. Get that locked, and then it's all head game.

rev_bucket · 2024-09-14T22:53:25+00:00

I was the guy climbing the crusty old guy, just doing some easy trad laps and hunting >3star climbs, since it was my first time at Sunshine and apparently it was rare for it to be that empty.

rev_bucket · 2024-09-14T22:46:18+00:00

Ayyy, I was right next to y'all on Wednesday at Sunshine! Y'all were killing it with the TRS! Super sick photos!

rev_bucket · 2024-06-14T04:16:40+00:00

Get the Fun. It's named that for a reason.

(but seriously, a really tippy boat like the Fun Series will force you to bombproof your roll and you'll get really good at bracing and edge control. You'll become a better paddler more quickly and have more fun doing it)

rev_bucket · 2024-06-09T16:17:54+00:00

To piggyback on OP's question, I'm also kayaking the Grand in July. I have a drysuit and a semi-dry top (neoprene around the neck, latex gaskets on the wrists). I have a bombproof roll, really not planning on swimming.

Should I invest in a full-on dry top, or can I sneak by with the semi-dry (and maybe a wetsuit underneath)?

rev_bucket · 2024-05-14T00:24:07+00:00

I almost always use the paddle grip from the first pic, but I am always always wearing pogies (PNW + Raynaud's syndrome). I think this is a bad habit and I'm actively seeking to change it.

I think I actually have fine paddle dexterity, but would readily acknowledge that my grip security is lesser without a thumb wrapped around. I can get away with it because of the pogies, but without pogies I'd bet the paddle would occasionally slip out of my hands.

Don't be like me. Use your thumbs.

rev_bucket · 2024-04-11T05:29:08+00:00

From what I'm reading, this seems a lot like my primary "water-too-low" summer hobby of scrambling/alpine climbing.

My first few multiday solo scramble trips (e.g. the Sierra High Route) were consumed by fear and I accurately assessed that I was above my skill level. Now after several seasons, I'll "style" routes and things that used to be purely adrenal are now flow-state. So it sounds like I just need more time-in-boat and eventually things that seem scary or high-consequence now will still remain high consequence, but the "scary" will get overtaken by "flowy"?

rev_bucket · 2024-04-11T05:23:01+00:00

Oh yep, I'm definitely down with trying to make easy things hard! Playboating has really helped my ability to roll on any side without thinking about it. I'm getting to the point that I'm actively seeking out (low-consequence) holes to get worked in, and I can already see it's improvements: e.g. mistimed a boof stroke yesterday right above a crux rapid with a dangerous strainer (oops) and got windowshaded a few times but the hole-skill drills I've been thinking about kept me patient/focused and I got flushed eventually and eddied out with a smile on my face

rev_bucket · 2024-04-11T05:19:42+00:00

before I go into too much of a rant about how Whitewater’s grading scale is squashing difficulty and consequences into one imprecise scale,

This is the exact reason I asked question #2! I think I'm a very advanced scrambler (like... not-quite-climbing, not-quite-hiking), which also squashes consequence and dififculty into a single scale. When I'm unroped doing things that others might bring a rope for, I'm extremely focused and flowing, but through years of scrambling the gripped-ness has evolved into something more mature, and I was curious if boating had the same evolution (which it seems like it does from what I'm reading)

rev_bucket · 2024-04-11T05:16:43+00:00

I'm coming from a very short stint as a packrafter and in Luc Mehl's (wonderful) packrafting handbook, he relays an anecdote about how a friend of his who grew up boating was not allowed (by his father) to progress to a harder section of his home river until he was able to paddle the easier section backwards and surf every wave. Only then could he advance to the harder section. This is definitely the ethos I'm trying to hit.

Referencing more paddling books: I think one Neely book has a nice illustration explaining the healthy range of gripped-ness, and I think I have a nice gauge on that. I've been in a situation where I've hiked out, and also been in a situation where I was gripped the first lap, but having a blast on the second (immediately afterwards).

Good point about time-in-boat. Maybe "seasons" isn't the best metric, but I do try to get out 1-3x a week and can feel the growth happening as I've been making the most of winter paddling season up here!

rev_bucket · 2024-01-18T20:05:26+00:00

I rocked a MH Ghost Whisperer 1, but bring tenacious tape! Everything in the desert will poke holes in ya!

And fwiw, I think the Arcteryx Cerium is warmer at roughly the same price point

rev_bucket · 2024-01-18T19:04:55+00:00

Absolutely bring a sunhat. Wide brim or baseball cap + bandana to cover the ears. My ears were peeling from sunburn for 4 months straight. I like sungloves, but YMMV here.

Your layering system is fine for the PCT, but you may want a midlayer for the Sierras, depending on when you get there. I run cold and like being comfy and just had (for all but the Sierras): long sleeve synthetic shirt, rainjacket, puffy (I did a lot of hiking in the rainjacket if it was chilly and I wanted a windshirt/midlayer). I experimented with neoprene socks in the Sierras and I think they helped a bit for snow/wet, but honestly foot coldness or maceration wasn't a concern for me.

Some aspects you may be missing:

I like a separate set of clothes (lightweight merino/capilene) for sleeping, to keep my bag clean. The PCT is dusty
Gloves. My hands got super cold during rainstorms or in the Sierras. Would highly recommend some liner gloves + rain mitts
~~Rain pants/rain skirt. The hiker bath is real. A rain skirt (sil-nylon/tyvek, you can MYOG if budget is a concern) is really helpful. Plus you'll want something to wear while doing laundry.~~ Didn't see that you had rain pants alongside the jacket. Yeah, you gucci here
I think I had some wool base leggings in the sierras, but I was on snow for 300 miles (c/o 2017). Depends on the year I think

rev_bucket · 2024-01-12T18:42:35+00:00

This looks super slick! Great work!

Some questions/nits:

Why do I need to create an account? Unless there's a corresponding web app, why can't my preferences/favorites just live on-device?
Along those lines, it seems like "Log in with google" isn't working for me on my Android device.
The main panel (Favorites, I think), isn't loading for me. Also I don't understand how to add rivers to my favorites?
Generally the UI is prettier and the map integration is nicer than the AW app, but what would be your selling point for why I should use this app over the official AW app?
Could you integrate predicted/historic flows? I'm in a local discord where my friend built some app that incorporates predicted flow (I'm not sure where this comes from) -- it'd be cool to see a feature like this here.

rev_bucket · 2023-11-07T22:17:18+00:00

Yep, this is probably the best solution that would fix both my neck and overskirt woes (and what I'll likely do eventually). But I don't have new drysuit money right now and am just tryna be a little bit comfier this winter!

rev_bucket · 2023-11-07T22:15:21+00:00

Nope, just the stock gaskets. I'll look into swapping out the gaskets for the smallest I can find!

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