I always love watching the bits where people pack their camping gear in the kayaks.. it always looks like a a lot of gear but fits in the kayak so easily. Great trip!
That’s a good trip. Really nice how they have shuttle services and the camping platforms along the way. The waterfalls make it worthwhile too. Good video!
Thanks for checking it out, we had a blast! We are planning on eventually doing the whole length at some point, a little bit at a time :) We are doing a 30 mile hike in April on the FL Trail (Suwannee area), over 3 days and 2 nights. We can't wait!
Lol!! "...this is what it's all about, the campfire and Vodka." I guess there is great trust here. No one takes kayaks? Such a lovely ride!! I am never prepared for the tannin in the water. Nice to include the still-shots. Thank you!
Yea, I was concerned about that as well, but we had never heard anything from anyone about the theft of kayaks on the river. I assume it could happen....people are people after all....
Loved this. The second spring sighting is one of my first memories I have of the river as a kid and canoeing with my dad. We spent so long at this one. It actually has two small springs coming out of the limestone shelf in the river as well as the run above it ! I would always want to stay there longer on those paddles. It used to have a fallen tree over the small run and so I called it the tree spring. This area and the camp branch area is my favorite section
Maybe 12 years ago, I paddled and camped on the Suwannee with Bill Logan. Bill had written a book about paddling the river from swamp to sea, and invited me along. What an opportunity! And, what a pleasant trip. Bill’s paddling in the sky now, these past few years. Bless him. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
Thanks for sharing this! I have kayaked the exact same stretch of the Suwannee within the last year on two separate overnight trips. Incredibly beautiful place. Your video brought back great memories and I recognized a number of places from my trips. I camped out on the river banks, so peaceful and fun!
I think you would be fine, the river always flows between 3 & 4 MPH just by itself. We have seen people do long treks on the river with fishing kayaks, canoes, and anything else that floats LOL Thanks for watching and subscribing!
I did the same 3 days on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail February 22-24, 2022 and again March 28-30, 2022 (yesterday). The February trip had a similar water level to your trip. One month later, the water was up almost 10 feet! The water completely covered the area where you had your kayaks at Woods Ferry and Holton Creek and the water level reached over 1/2 way up the boat launch at Suwannee River State Park. Flood waters are challenging, at times..... Great trip!
This was an awesome trip for sure! We love it out on the Suwannee. We are planning on eventually doing the whole length at some point, a little bit at a time :) We are doing a 30 mile hike in April on the FL Trail (Suwannee area), over 3 days and 2 nights. We can't wait!
I watched this originally because my Stratos is the same Aurora color as yours. Very cool trip, it’s slow enough and without rock and gravel hazards, I could even do this safely with my thermoformed boats (Eddyline Sitka or Delta 14 & 16). Great job on showing this, here in Missouri that river would be taken over with jet boats.
I wish you would have shown the water level gauge at White Springs . It looks a little low on the River . Most of the outfitters use that gauge for a reference . Nice trip . Hoping to go this winter .
Good point. The river was at a great hieight at that time and running about 3 mph. I think at White Springs it was around 53' during that trip. Thanks for watching!
Awesome adventure! I was looking online where you folks stayed and the only thing I found what that it’s “first come, first serve” for the pavilions. Is that true?
Yes it is. Not usually an issue unless there is a large group there. They used to do it by reservation. They are talking about eventually going through Reserve America for them, but I have not heard anything more about that in over a year. Thanks for subscribing! Hope you check out some of our other videos :)
That was a really nice float. Did you have the whole rive to yourselves as it appears? Sure woulda been peaceful if so. Them campgrounds are pretty neat. I'm not used to seeing them in that style, thought it was pretty interesting. Enjoyed!
Yea, we saw very few people that trip. Mostly one other couple on and off making the same trip. It is always so peaceful out there. We love it! At some point, we want to do another 45-50 mile section past where we left off. Thanks for watching!
Nice video. We're doing this trip soon. Are the river camps still first come first served? Last year they took reservations, but the last time I called they had stopped.
The best thing you can do is contact John at American Canoe Adventures (386) 397-1309. He is unbelievably invaluable with his knowledge of current circumstances with the river camps, river conditions and any kind of transport you would need. He is also just an awesomely nice guy! Last I heard they went back to FCFS, but that has been a topic that has changed back and forth over time. Glad you like the video and hope you will subscribe (if you have not already) and follow our other, and upcoming adventures. It's quickly becoming kayak season again! :) Feel free to reach out with any other questions you might have!
No gators the whole way. But I saw a deer swim across the river in from of me and hop to shore. That was something I didn't think I would see. It was rather amazing! We also had a group of woodpeckers following us for about two miles. 😊
You did a great job capturing the beauty of the Suwannee River. Planning to do the same section that y'all did. Was the back band on the Stratos 14.5 comfortable for the long haul? My wife owns a Tsunami 140 in which it has a high back rest that is very comfortable for long distances. I bought my wife a Stratos 12.5 and wanted to know your experience with the cockpit comfort of the Stratos? Great job! Looking forward for the next videos. Thanks.
My wife has had 2 major back surgeries and was worried about the same thing. She had no issues on that trip or any other we have done. I thought I might want a higher back as well, but it turned out to be great. I think a higher back would make it much harder to get in and out as well. The cockpits are very snug when you adjust everything to your liking so the boats move "with" you. A whole different world from many other kayaks I have used. We absolutely love them! If you have any other question please feel free to ask. If you have not already, we hope you will subscribe and follow our adventures. :) Thanks for watching!
@@Backpacksandtrails We have family that lives in and around Jacksonville, Fl area. Looking to get some Stratos kayaks for family members. Where did you purchase your kayaks? Thanks for your responses. New Subscriber!
@@bigloaded8324 We were forced to buy them out of state during the beginning of the pandemic. There was only one dealer in South FL, and the only dealer we found with the last 2 we were looking for was in GA. They shipped them to us, both for 75.00, so reasonable on that part luckily. www.dagger.com/us/dealer-search is the Dagger dealer search page. Hope that helps. Thanks for subscribing! :)
@@Backpacksandtrails Lovely river trip! Do you recall which dealer in GA was able to ship them to you? And is the footbrace adjustable forward/backward? I'm looking at the 12.5S model. At 5'4" I've had trouble with regular pegs + knee pads on rental kayaks (Venture Flex 11). The footbrace looks like a great system as I desperately wanted the pegs to be wider/come further into the cockpit on the Flex 11.
@@sarahm9482 dagger.com has a dealer search page. The dealer we got them from seems to not carry them anymore. Yes the footpads are completely adjustable towards and backwards 🙂
We absolutely love the kayaks, and trust them completely! They glide through the water like butter, even over waves and wakes, etc.. Can turn them on a dime as well. Hopefully at some point, we will be doing a review on them for the channel. Thanks for watching! :)
They handle being loaded great, no problems at all! We love them no matter what we are doing with them. They handle and turn great as well. Thanks for watching! Check out our subscriber Giveaway video!
I always love watching the bits where people pack their camping gear in the kayaks.. it always looks like a a lot of gear but fits in the kayak so easily. Great trip!
They do have more space than people think for sure. Thanks for watching!
Looks a great adventure for sure, love my paddle board myself now 😊that kayak was hardworking putting on top of my van 😂
That’s a good trip. Really nice how they have shuttle services and the camping platforms along the way. The waterfalls make it worthwhile too. Good video!
Thanks for checking it out, we had a blast! We are planning on eventually doing the whole length at some point, a little bit at a time :) We are doing a 30 mile hike in April on the FL Trail (Suwannee area), over 3 days and 2 nights. We can't wait!
@@Backpacksandtrails I’m sure that will be great!
Lol!! "...this is what it's all about, the campfire and Vodka." I guess there is great trust here. No one takes kayaks? Such a lovely ride!! I am never prepared for the tannin in the water. Nice to include the still-shots. Thank you!
Yea, I was concerned about that as well, but we had never heard anything from anyone about the theft of kayaks on the river. I assume it could happen....people are people after all....
@@Backpacksandtrails that they are! People are definitely people, can be good, can be bad. 😊
@@Backpacksandtrails and the springs observatory!! So neat to get to see!
Loved this. The second spring sighting is one of my first memories I have of the river as a kid and canoeing with my dad. We spent so long at this one. It actually has two small springs coming out of the limestone shelf in the river as well as the run above it ! I would always want to stay there longer on those paddles. It used to have a fallen tree over the small run and so I called it the tree spring.
This area and the camp branch area is my favorite section
That's awesome you have those great memories. Thanks for watching! 😊
Maybe 12 years ago, I paddled and camped on the Suwannee with Bill Logan. Bill had written a book about paddling the river from swamp to sea, and invited me along. What an opportunity! And, what a pleasant trip. Bill’s paddling in the sky now, these past few years. Bless him.
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
What an amazing memory that is for you! Thank you for sharing. RIP Bill 💔
Great adventure and learnt something new Today. Good history. Oh no rain lol. Rain didn’t look too bad though.
No, never really got too bad, mostly felt pretty good. It started getting pretty hard at one point but stopped shortly after that. :)
Thanks for sharing this! I have kayaked the exact same stretch of the Suwannee within the last year on two separate overnight trips. Incredibly beautiful place. Your video brought back great memories and I recognized a number of places from my trips. I camped out on the river banks, so peaceful and fun!
So glad you enjoyed it! We want to do the next section when time allows. 😊
Fun looking tip! I've been wanting to go do this trip but it may take me a little longer I have a heavy fishing kayak lol. Thanks for sharing!
I think you would be fine, the river always flows between 3 & 4 MPH just by itself. We have seen people do long treks on the river with fishing kayaks, canoes, and anything else that floats LOL Thanks for watching and subscribing!
I did the same 3 days on the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail February 22-24, 2022 and again March 28-30, 2022 (yesterday). The February trip had a similar water level to your trip. One month later, the water was up almost 10 feet! The water completely covered the area where you had your kayaks at Woods Ferry and Holton Creek and the water level reached over 1/2 way up the boat launch at Suwannee River State Park. Flood waters are challenging, at times..... Great trip!
That is awesome! Yea, that section is VERY high right now. Thanks for watching!
Great video! This river is on my list now. Thanks from Volusia County.
You will love it! Thanks for watching :)
What a cool experience and video!! Makes me want to get a kayak!! I hike for the sounds.... and this trip definitely checks the boxes!
This was an awesome trip for sure! We love it out on the Suwannee. We are planning on eventually doing the whole length at some point, a little bit at a time :) We are doing a 30 mile hike in April on the FL Trail (Suwannee area), over 3 days and 2 nights. We can't wait!
I watched this originally because my Stratos is the same Aurora color as yours. Very cool trip, it’s slow enough and without rock and gravel hazards, I could even do this safely with my thermoformed boats (Eddyline Sitka or Delta 14 & 16). Great job on showing this, here in Missouri that river would be taken over with jet boats.
Any sturgeon around?
Didn't see any breaches.
Excellent video my friend.
Didn't notice any sturgeon, but then we weren't really looking for them lol. Thanks for watching!
I wish you would have shown the water level gauge at White Springs . It looks a little low on the River . Most of the outfitters use that gauge for a reference . Nice trip . Hoping to go this winter .
Good point. The river was at a great hieight at that time and running about 3 mph. I think at White Springs it was around 53' during that trip. Thanks for watching!
@@Backpacksandtrails thanks 👍
Awesome adventure! I was looking online where you folks stayed and the only thing I found what that it’s “first come, first serve” for the pavilions. Is that true?
Yes it is. Not usually an issue unless there is a large group there. They used to do it by reservation. They are talking about eventually going through Reserve America for them, but I have not heard anything more about that in over a year. Thanks for subscribing! Hope you check out some of our other videos :)
That was a really nice float. Did you have the whole rive to yourselves as it appears? Sure woulda been peaceful if so. Them campgrounds are pretty neat. I'm not used to seeing them in that style, thought it was pretty interesting.
Enjoyed!
Yea, we saw very few people that trip. Mostly one other couple on and off making the same trip. It is always so peaceful out there. We love it! At some point, we want to do another 45-50 mile section past where we left off. Thanks for watching!
Nice video. We're doing this trip soon. Are the river camps still first come first served? Last year they took reservations, but the last time I called they had stopped.
The best thing you can do is contact John at American Canoe Adventures (386) 397-1309. He is unbelievably invaluable with his knowledge of current circumstances with the river camps, river conditions and any kind of transport you would need. He is also just an awesomely nice guy! Last I heard they went back to FCFS, but that has been a topic that has changed back and forth over time. Glad you like the video and hope you will subscribe (if you have not already) and follow our other, and upcoming adventures. It's quickly becoming kayak season again! :) Feel free to reach out with any other questions you might have!
I was wondering which camping platform would be more private only have #4 and #5 to choose from at Holton Creek?
I wish I could tell you. Don't really know by number.
@@Backpacksandtrails that's ok It's not a big deal. I'm planning a trip in April so I'm excited!
@@Bamaoutdoors 5 is closest to the bathrooms and is the highest one. Farthest away from the dock.
Florida! Beautiful river.
See any gators in this river?
No gators the whole way. But I saw a deer swim across the river in from of me and hop to shore. That was something I didn't think I would see. It was rather amazing! We also had a group of woodpeckers following us for about two miles. 😊
You did a great job capturing the beauty of the Suwannee River.
Planning to do the same section that y'all did.
Was the back band on the Stratos 14.5 comfortable for the long haul?
My wife owns a Tsunami 140 in which it has a high back rest that is very comfortable for long distances.
I bought my wife a Stratos 12.5 and wanted to know your experience with the cockpit comfort of the Stratos?
Great job!
Looking forward for the next videos.
Thanks.
My wife has had 2 major back surgeries and was worried about the same thing. She had no issues on that trip or any other we have done. I thought I might want a higher back as well, but it turned out to be great. I think a higher back would make it much harder to get in and out as well. The cockpits are very snug when you adjust everything to your liking so the boats move "with" you. A whole different world from many other kayaks I have used. We absolutely love them! If you have any other question please feel free to ask. If you have not already, we hope you will subscribe and follow our adventures. :) Thanks for watching!
@@Backpacksandtrails
We have family that lives in and around Jacksonville, Fl area.
Looking to get some Stratos kayaks for family members.
Where did you purchase your kayaks?
Thanks for your responses.
New Subscriber!
@@bigloaded8324 We were forced to buy them out of state during the beginning of the pandemic. There was only one dealer in South FL, and the only dealer we found with the last 2 we were looking for was in GA. They shipped them to us, both for 75.00, so reasonable on that part luckily. www.dagger.com/us/dealer-search is the Dagger dealer search page. Hope that helps. Thanks for subscribing! :)
@@Backpacksandtrails Lovely river trip! Do you recall which dealer in GA was able to ship them to you? And is the footbrace adjustable forward/backward? I'm looking at the 12.5S model. At 5'4" I've had trouble with regular pegs + knee pads on rental kayaks (Venture Flex 11). The footbrace looks like a great system as I desperately wanted the pegs to be wider/come further into the cockpit on the Flex 11.
@@sarahm9482 dagger.com has a dealer search page. The dealer we got them from seems to not carry them anymore. Yes the footpads are completely adjustable towards and backwards 🙂
Fantastic trip and video! How did you like the Stratosphere kayaks? Do you feel like the have good glide on flatwater?
We absolutely love the kayaks, and trust them completely! They glide through the water like butter, even over waves and wakes, etc.. Can turn them on a dime as well. Hopefully at some point, we will be doing a review on them for the channel. Thanks for watching! :)
how did the daggers handle loaded down with all the gear? i'm in the market for a stratos and I'm an avid kayak camper. what do you think of them ?
They handle being loaded great, no problems at all! We love them no matter what we are doing with them. They handle and turn great as well. Thanks for watching! Check out our subscriber Giveaway video!
Do you own those kayaks or rent them from the outfitters? Looks like a great trip.
We own those. They are Dagger Stratos 14.5's. You can rent touring kayaks, canoes, etc through John at American Canoe Adventures. aca1.com/
sounds like you say swanee no suh-wan-ee
Tomato, tomatto....LOL We are from up north. Excuse our pronunciation :) Thanks for watching!
@@Backpacksandtrails ya but tom-ate-oh and -tom-at-oh are still both 3 syllables