Bending Branches  Expedition Plus Canoe Paddle

Firstly, it’s clearly a beautiful paddle, which of course I scratched up on my first BWCA trip with it last week, but it still looks great. It has a nice large blade that provides plenty of push. I wasn’t sure I would like the T handle having paddled the standard palm handle almost all the time. I loved it. It feels great in the hand and provides a lot of control. The rock guard trimming all around the blade and up the shaft 6” or so is also a great feature. All in all a great paddle. As for those that say it’s “heavy”, give me a break, it’s not...it’s Solid, which is what you want on a wilderness trip!

I used this paddle for 40 days in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It was used on everything from big lakes, to the Arctic Ocean, to creeks, to class III whitewater. The fiberglass coated blade is extremely durable, but compared to other wooden paddles that are made for whitewater, this paddle weighs little. The T-Grip is very comfortable for flatwater but also offers a solid grip for whitewater. I know that some call this company "breaking branches" but I know a number of people who have this paddle and they are all as satisfied as I am.

Days after purchasing this paddle I took a 2 day trip down the Iowa river in my 16' Penobscot. On day 1 the river was shallow and rocky, with intermittent twists, forks and fallen trees obstructing the waterway. In other words... lots of fun. On more than one occasion I had to paddle through shallow rocky bottoms, making hard, and direct, contact with large stones almost every stroke . But the paddle came out unscathed. I can't even tell I've used it. A+

I purchased the Exped Plus for a 6 week trip in N Canada. The blade split on week 4 after little use (primarily a bent-shafter). I managed with duct tape. Of 8 paddles on the trip, 6 were Bending Branches (2 were carbon bent shafts). Of those 6 paddles, 4 split or delaminated, and the 5th had split the blade on a prior trip, but had been replaced under warranty with Bending Branches. Duct tape temporarily repaired three of the paddles. I think I'll look elsewhere. REI was good with the refund.

Good paddle for the money. I love the size and weight of this thing. There were a few minor blemishes in the shaft when I first got it. Since I use it mostly in the Lower Saluda with a bunch of rocks I don't mind. The paddle head is large and really helps in upstream paddling. The rock guard has held up well after taking some good whacks on rocky bottoms.

The paddle WOULD be a delight, if they could ship it to you without it being damaged. I need to refinish it because it was shipped banging around in a large box.

It worked for about 50-60 river miles, then split. I will be returning. Expected a bit more from an expedition paddle…

Looks nice - well packed - Looking foward to paddling it

Great paddle, but this feels like a second.