Did some solo paddling on the lower Mississippi 30 years ago. Life took a turn and I had leave my beloved river for other adventures. The only technology I had was a marine radio,a portable radio and a flashlight. Actually planning a another trip for next year with tandem canoes and a motor. I don't trust my paddling skills at my age. But my dear sweet husband who watched me paddle away for the first time almost 40 years ago is very supportive. He loves nature photography and I hope he will join me for some of my future travels. Thanks for sharing your experiences and yes I am subscribing!
Hi Susan! I truly hope my videos can help bring you closer to our dear river! I am envious of the available technology you had available. I often wish I could do the trip just like you! I greatly appreciate the sub as youtube has just deleted 155 of my subscribers and I fear it will be more. Its sad to see all that effort disappear with the press of someones button so your timing couldnt be more perfect so thank you! If there is anything I can speak to when it comes to the river or you would just like to talk about it feel free to reach out to me! I love telling the story and really enjoy hearing others tell theirs. Thank you for dropping by! take care
You bet! Have you by chance become a member of the "Mississippi River Paddlers" group on facebook? It is hands down the best resource for paddling the river. If you have any questions let me know Ill do my best to answer them. Happy planning!
@@escapewithjay why yes I have... I'm still on the fence about what kayak to use... I'm leaning towards a fishing kayak mostly for stability ... you thoughts.... and time of year to set off, my thought is the beginning of Aug...
As Mississippi River pilot, I tow barges from St. Louis to New Orleans. I stumbled across this video somehow and figured I'd throw some advice out there for you or anyone looking to transit down the river. The Vhf radio is a must, we can often advise kayak or canoe where they are safer passing or meeting. We do hold your life in regard when we see you guys. Some other advice I'd give is the purchase or download a charting app or purchase barway maps. Another big one is, please don't travel at night on the river. We really cannot see small craft with our radars. We get many coast guard broadcast in search of kayaks and small crafts at night due to incidents.
Hello Brandon, I appreciate you reaching out! I know that many questions come from paddlers on such things. I always recommend people used the radio while traveling and i know that many pilots would thank me for having one. I am going to share your comments on the mississippi river paddlers page on face book. It is one of the main resources paddlers use before and during their trip. If you would be willing to join you could chime in with your 2 cents when ever you feel like it would be valuable. I messaged back and forth with mark twained on youtube several times about such questions. Again i appreciate you reaching out! enjoy that river!!!
You want to do the lower river? You could always come up to minnesota and paddle back to cape girardeau. If you get to activately planning and have questions feel free to reach out!
Square water bottles don’t roll. Wish I’d thought of that. Nice tip! Thanks man. I’m working on the Alabama Scenic River Trail. 650 miles from start to finish. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hey wes! Your welcome!! It drove me crazy when the water bottles would roll side to side in the boat! Not a big deal until you hear it for hours at a time day after day!😂
Hey Todd! how have you been? Thank you for the kind words! hopefully I can get out and enjoy the Alaskan coast like you, that would be a dream trip! Take care my friend
@@escapewithjay I always hope and plan to get back up there to AK. I'm clearing the path to go north next summer but we shall see what is possible when the opportunity comes around. Doubt I'll film it next time because it just takes too much extra gear. Take care my friend and keep planning on that next adventure.
Nice. Yep this answered all the questions i had. I watched a little of this video a while ago, but was too anxious to see the river expedition, I never got back to it. Super excited to see your next river trip. If you ever make it out to Pennsylvania and want to kayak the Susquehanna River down to The Chesapeake Bay, I can drive you to any river access point you desire. You're the man, Jay.
Thats an awesome offer! i have heard of the Susquehanna a few times now. never know! I know I cant wait to get back on the river. it wont be as long a trip as the mississippi but it will be nice. Take care out there!
@@escapewithjay No, that was a nice touch. I've done a bit of video editing and I can only imagine how much time you've taken to manage all of your footage to make each episode. You did well with the green screen.
@@mysteryrapids o yeah this one was especially involved, finding footage to match the items being shown. i have never seen a gear video like it before so i thought it would be neat. it took a while and the green screen is very picky. i could edit it indefinitely making small corrections but eh, its good!
Just stumbled on your channel. I watched about ten minutes of this video and subscribed. I will have to go check out the Mississippi trip. You are putting together quality videos you will hit 1000 real soon.
Awesome gear list/over view. So much good information in this video. I think your series about your trip is something anyone planning to paddle the Mississippi should watch. Thanks for sharing your experience so generously with the rest of us.
@@escapewithjay I got tons of info from this video. I won't be doing as much video recording as you did, but it was very interesting and educational to see what you did and how it worked for you. I also took a lot away from your comments on your shelter and sleeping systems. Every one of your videos is loaded with good information.
I also use some of the GoPro Sessions. I love the simplicity of them. I have been dreading the day that I have to replace them. Good video. Just stumbled across your channel.Subbed and rung the bell.
How was the cell service. Was it spotty or was it pretty consistent. Before coming across you page I had know idea people kayak the whole river. It was eye opening. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Dave! Thanks for the kind words! Cell service is almost zero the first couple days. once you leave itasca the service is pretty much gone. (I had verizion) there was a couple towns and stretches along the river along grafton IL, and some lonley areas that the service was spotty. There is no service at the gulf. Other than that id say 90-95 % of the trip I had service
Thanks for the info. If you don't mind another question, what kind of kayak did you finish the trip with and would you consider making a video about it.
This is incredible. I just did an 8 day series on my channel starting on the Chippewa River and ending in Wabasha. I want to do the whole thing like this eventually. I'm going to have to check out your series
I just started watching your paddle of the Mississippi. I am looking forward to watching it to the end. Thanks for this video.. very helpful. The Mississippi is on my bucket list.... did you average over 30 miles a day? 62 days seems pretty fast.
Hi Hans It probably was an average of about 30 miles a day over all. I did make a video of my daily mileage if you are interested. It give you a really good idea of how the miles per day really increased as i went further south Are you activately planning a trip down the river?
Thank you! I never did weight it all but with around 30 lbs in camera and filming equipment, between 5-7 gallons of drinking water plus the camping equipment and food it was a pretty heavy boat from time to time!
On ur next adventure, u should do those amazon affilated links for ur eqpmt. I really liked ur solar panel. Was it just laying on top or did u have tethered too?
I actually might do that for this one, if there is any links you would like im happy to look them up. Witht the exception of the solat panel i cant find that one anymore.. the solar panel was held down by niteize shooks. They clipped to the bungee cords on top of the kayak
@@ender9600 yeah the drone was an awesome addition and worth bringing on the trip! Here is the link... Parrot PF728000 Anafi Drone, Foldable Quadcopter Drone with 4K HDR Camera, Compact, Silent & Autonomous, Realize Your shots with A 180° Vertical Swivel Camera, Dark Grey www.amazon.com/dp/B07D5R2JKL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aVozEbC47AT8K
I just subbed one closer to 1000! I know the feeling lol! Great editing and cool footage, now I got to go back and start watching the videos! Great gear review I enjoyed it!
thank you for watching! it does feel like an up hill battle and i appreciate your support! I hope you like the series its the most in depth paddling account of the river ive ever seen! enjoy!
@@PADDLECAMPFISH well there is plenty of episodes to do that! I am watching your 1st of the 120 miles trip "deliverance" later in my trip you will see i talk about people spotlighting me after dark on a few occasions. does make it a little difficult to sleep!
Just took a short trip on the Wabash as a warm up to the Mississippi. Learned a LOT. Most important, my kayak is clearly not large enough--too much stuff bungeed on top made it top heavy. No one wants an unstable boat. Do you have a recommendation for a good kayak for the river with good inside storage? I'm a single, smallish woman and can't handle really a heavy boat when pulling it out of the water, up a bank.
Hey Beth! I am glad to hear you are doing test runs and the fact that you understand you have too much on top of the kayak is a good sign you will do it right! Many people tie stuff to the top of the boat without realizing the risk of flipping because of it. What boat are you currently using? Mostly wondering the length, I could look up the brand/model and give my best thought on it for the river. Are you on the Mississippi river paddlers page on Facebook by chance? If i was to just outright recommend a kayak the current designs whistler is my choice for the all around best kayak for the trip. Pulling from the river is always a challenge as kayaks are often hundreds of lbs with all the gear in them. I did come up with a "pully" method that helps but its more to carry. Happy to share the idea with you tho
@@escapewithjay The kayak I used was borrowed--trying out different boats to get an idea of what I need. It was about 10ft 6 inch, I'd guess and it was the best available the the three day trip I took. but effectively no storage inside behind the seat and (obviously) very little in front at my feet. The bulk of my gear was tied on top and it's not a good system. I also had underestimated how important width is--I like a bit of room at the sides. Let's just say that I really needed the bilge pump I got at the last minute. I've made some camping gear changes to lighten the load, but I still need a better kayak. I'll check out Whistler! Am open to other ideas! I'm still open to a canoe, mostly because of the ability to hold gear.
@@bethrobinette8515 On the mississippi paddlers page the most often recommended minimum length kayak is a 12 ft. I would recommend no less than 14 as it was just about right to fit all my gear. One other thing about gear, most people tend to pack way more than is needed. I cut the amount of gear in half twice before the trip even started. Also, you can always send things home or ship things out to yourself while on the river. You are not permanently stuck with what you bring. The reason I asked about being on the paddlers page is there is a gal on there who is a "smallish" woman. We are good friends and i helped her plan her trip down the river. She would be a great resource to ask questions. she may have a more closely aligned insight to your situation than I would. Just a thought! On a canoe, I really like kayaks for the river as they can be made water tight very easily. Canoes do have that ability to pack a ton of gear but again, that is not necessarily a good thing as its heavy and a lot to keep track of.
@@escapewithjay All good info. I appreciate it! I am a member of the FB group, and am getting some good info from them, but would love to connect with another woman in a similar situation. Think you could connect us? I hope I'm keeping my gear light, but I certainly want MORE, just like everyone else. However, I hiked the AT, the Annapurna and the Camino, so I understand how little you can get along with. (in the summer, on the AT, my pack with gear, minus water, plus 5 days of food was typically under 23 pounds. More weight in the colder months). But I know I carried more than I needed on this last trip so it's easy to do. I'd prefer a kayak, for all the reasons you just said.
@@bethrobinette8515 oh perfect, im jay kangler on there. if you message me on fb ill get you her name. your past experiences doing different kinds of trips is the best thing to prepare for doing the Mississippi. I think you're on the right track!
Just watches your video because i decided I'm going to make the trip up north and kayak the whole river was there any advice you could give on the river any dangerous parts?
Hi Corey I made an entire series on the river from beginning to end. It will give you a great idea of what to expect. Join the mississippi river paddlers page on facebook, it is the greatest resource available. Dangers are many from dams, locks barges and shipping traffic below baton rouge
Hey again, I'm planning and packing the food portion of the trip. I'm a walmart shopper and have a lot of dehydrated foods bought. How did you pack yours, and how many days did you pack for? My bucket with gamma lid is not enough, and it takes up a lot of space. Also, what keeps the Minnesota mosquitoes away? I have found they prefer some brands before dining!
mosquitos? our state bird! well they dont like fire! >X^D I think i only used deep woods off while i was on the river but i think repel works well also. if you are in a tent then nights wont be as bad as if you are in a hammock. I would absolutely recommend a light weight bug net for your head/face and bring an extra can of spray. You will be absolutely miserable if you run out!!! I just packed the food in the kayak however it would fit, i would organize it into 1 gallon zip lock bags to keep like items together. If you have food that is not in a water tight container then make sure you dry bag it. or just use multiple zip lock bags but be warned they are not the greatest so if you use them buy the good brand, dont skimp to save a few cents it wont be worth it, speaking from experience! I always had a lot of food on the boat probably enough for just over a week or more... I know some people carry enough for a month but resupplies are not that scarce. Walmart is a good place to shop but if you have a dollar general you can visit see what is there you like. Dollar generals are located along the river nearly the entire way. i shopped there more then anywhere.
I plan on doing this next year, just wondering what is your kayak called, and would you go with a different kayak next time orcas that one good for the trip?
Well I am always happy to hear another adventurer preparing for the adventure of a life time! I took a total of 3 kayaks down the river due to 2 factors, I live in Minnesota so my proximity to the river made it possible. The 2nd reason was the varying levels of the river. The first 16 miles I took a 10 ft pelican kayak. From coffee pot landing to hastings, mn i took my current designs whistler (~14 ft). From hastings to the gulf I took my solstice GTS. If I could only pick one of the 3 boats it would have been the whistler as it is the most capable of doing both the headwaters and the big water of the lower river. The shallows in the beginning run you the risk of breaking through a composite boat (having said that, many start and finish in the same boat, of all makes and models). Did you happen to see my videos of the entire river? I did film and create a complete series of the river, I even did videos on the portages of the upper river as well as how to go through a lock. the last and most important tip I can give is to become part of the Mississippi River Paddlers page on facebook. It is a great group of people, many of whom have done the river. Through that group you should be able to get any questions you may have answered. I wish you happy planning, feel free to reach out any time if you have questions
Right on man, thank you. I will definitely check out the Facebook page. I've only done a few rivers in my state of Michigan. I have tracked about 700 miles so far but Idr how I came accross the idea for the Mississippi trip but it sounds dope, I saw a few of your videos trying to watch them all lol. I see you took a good amount of stuff with you thats crazy. The locks are a bit discouraging but then I saw your video, any chance you have a link to that radio?
luckily i never did. most of the river you would probably be ok. around the dams, locks and baton rouge to new orleans would be some of the most dangerous places for that to happen. fingers crossed the luck continues to hold!
I just stumbled upon your adventure videos and I'm curious how long it took you to recover from the severe sunburn (mostly on your nose)? I was wondering if your nose would ever be the same again! (Thanks for documenting your trip, it was great)
Hi Leann! I am glad you enjoyed the videos!! I seem to handle sunburn pretty well as a Minnesotan I go from winter inflicted white to sun baked tan every year :^) The sun burn never caused me any issues, it was the goofy looking tan lines from sitting in the boat every day that really had my wife laughing at me! The nose is good as new!
I really wonder sometimes how some people get hundreds of thousands of subs and millions of views, for relative garbage content. Then some one that is making great life inspiring content only has a thousand subs. I don't get it at all.
This is an incredibly hard question for me to answer. I will tell you why then give you my time. First I would need to know are you talking of simply reaching the most northern part of Louisiana? Why this is hard for me to answer is I went on a flood year and used a very sleek solstice GTS kayak. There were times I could paddle at 9 Mph with the floodwaters pushing me combined with my paddle speed. I also was with another paddler for part of this section who did not paddle at the speeds that I was capable of which slowed my progress. (This was a choice I made because I enjoyed the company) A canoe will be much slower than I was and I do not know what your water levels will be. This does not take into account all the variables including your daily mileage. All factors and variables being an unknown, I passed the arch on July 13, 2019. I crossed the northern most border of Louisiana on the west side of the Mississippi on July 26, 2019. It took me 13 days to cover that distance. I am not sure if it will help you but I did make a video that showed daily mileage, here is a link... ruclips.net/video/jnaGlh_PnlQ/видео.html
@@escapewithjay nice man. i really appreciate it. I figure i could use a mud motor on a flat back canoe. Im trying to hit new orleans from saint louis. Ive canoed the missouri, but it looks like a very fun adventure. Thanks for your videos.
Hey Hunter! Thats a great stretch south of St louis. Can be pretty busy after baton rouge so be ready for a lot more shipping traffic! Did you happen to see my video series where I kayaked the entire river? Might help you get an insight into what is coming up. Also, the Mississippi river paddlers page on face book is an amazing resource of people who live along, have paddled the river. Best resource I know of for the river! Reach out if you have any questions. Happy planning and have a great trip!
hi Him its the mighty mississippi so the honest answer is yes, there are many dangers on the river. from debris to boaters, dams, rock dikes, shipping and just simply a powerful current. the risks are many but the river can be done safely. it is really us to your abilities and the luck of the draw what your trip will be. do you have any paddling experience? i would recommend smaller trips first to gain some experience. there are classes out there to help folks learn paddling on different bodies of water. no permissions needed. the river is a public right of way
@@escapewithjay thx. I’ve used a kayak maybe 3-4 times in my life for an hr each time. I’ve cycled across the USA so I have some adventure experience. If I go I will wear a life jacket and take as much safety precautions as possible. Where do u stay at nite ? Hotels or camp or conbo of both ? How do u get food ?
@@PInk77W1 if you are serious about the trip I would recommend getting on the "Mississippi River Paddlers" page on facebook. Its a nice sized group of people who have done or help others do the river. Pretty much any question you have someone there can answer it! I slept both in campsites (designated on the upper river from Itasca to (north of) minneapolis. From there on you are on your own to find a nice quiet place on the shore. I also did hotels when I needed a break from the heat and to recharge my laptop which I used for filming the trip. I would get food any time a river angel would run me into town or id stop at a marina and walk to a store. I would still recommend a smaller trip on a smaller river to see if it is something you not only like but are willing to do. if that goes well then bigger/longer trips are much more plausible. The Mississippi can be tough if you are not ready to deal with its moods!
@@escapewithjay I don’t do fb. But yes it seems very daunting. Was it a lot of nature or more cities ? I recently rode my bike from center of Texas to key west. Stayed in NO LA for a couple of days and was watching the river.
@@PInk77W1 i dont like facebook at all myself but if you are doing the river i would highly recommend being on there for that reason then delete the account when your done... just my 2 cents... there is a lot of empty shorelines. i heard it described like this... itasca,mn to baton rouge, la the shoreline is 10% industrial/commerical 90% wilderness. after baton rouge it switches to 90% industrial/commerical 10% wilderness. you could always take the atchafalaya river (which bypasses baton rouge and nola) to the gulf. that way is nearly all wilderness swamp
It was a solo trip but on 3 different occasions i came across other paddlers and would hang with them for a week or so. It was always nice to have someone to share the experience with! Not sure if you saw but i did film the entire trip. I have a playlist of the trip called, "my great escape kayaking the mighty mississippi" if you would like to see how it went
the Amazon would be one heck of an experience! the creepy crawlers, unfriendly tribes and super dense jungle would make for a real challenge. i would probably need a guide on that one. the yukon would be my 1st choice for a next big river
@@escapewithjay yes the Amazon could be deadly, the Yukon.....let me know when, it would be fun to have maybe six people from across the country who've never met, just meet up and do it
Would you recommend a Windows tablet instead of a laptop? Has all the same SD card access but a little better and good for other uses such as keeping up with your friends easier, and probably smaller too. Also, if you happen to have the time, I'd love if you could check out my list: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1IOJKBLY5SK02 - recently added a lot of stuff inspired by this video, but there's a lot on the list and I figure I'm probably either adding things unnecessarily and also probably forgetting something obvious (lack of PFD on there is intentional, planning to buy that in person) Looking to do this next year (COVID delayed it till then). Thanks for the helpful videos!
Hi Keegan! The only reason i had the laptop was due to cost. I think i got it for less then 150 and it was available when i needed it. If the tablet can transfer files from sd card to usb/hard drive then it would have worked for me. Either way the challenges are similar, keep em dry and dont break them while they are stuffed in the kayak. I am willing to bet the tablet is probably considerably faster then the cheap laptop I used. if you are not transfering files then a smart phone would also do everything the tablet would do in a much smaller package. if not for my filming i would not have brought the laptop at all. I will take a look at your list and get back to you with my thought so standby on that note... Ill be in touch, Later!
would you be willing to email me? jkangler514@hotmail.com put your name and "youtube" in the subject line. There are a few things i would ask and recommend about your list
Hi Kire would you care to elaborate? When I edited the video not having the music really seemed to make the video hard to watch. What about it do you not like? or what would you recommend?
@@escapewithjay The music competes with your speaking, especially when it is not just instrumental, and makes it hard to understand you sometimes. Maybe at least turn the background music volume down so your voice is loudest. You have good content, don't obscure it with music for the whole video.
Did some solo paddling on the lower Mississippi 30 years ago. Life took a turn and I had leave my beloved river for other adventures. The only technology I had was a marine radio,a portable radio and a flashlight. Actually planning a another trip for next year with tandem canoes and a motor. I don't trust my paddling skills at my age. But my dear sweet husband who watched me paddle away for the first time almost 40 years ago is very supportive. He loves nature photography and I hope he will join me for some of my future travels. Thanks for sharing your experiences and yes I am subscribing!
Hi Susan! I truly hope my videos can help bring you closer to our dear river! I am envious of the available technology you had available. I often wish I could do the trip just like you! I greatly appreciate the sub as youtube has just deleted 155 of my subscribers and I fear it will be more. Its sad to see all that effort disappear with the press of someones button so your timing couldnt be more perfect so thank you! If there is anything I can speak to when it comes to the river or you would just like to talk about it feel free to reach out to me! I love telling the story and really enjoy hearing others tell theirs. Thank you for dropping by! take care
researching my 2024 retirement trip on the entire MS, I took away a handful of things I didn't know or think of, knowledge is power .. thank you
You bet! Have you by chance become a member of the "Mississippi River Paddlers" group on facebook? It is hands down the best resource for paddling the river. If you have any questions let me know Ill do my best to answer them. Happy planning!
@@escapewithjay why yes I have... I'm still on the fence about what kayak to use... I'm leaning towards a fishing kayak mostly for stability ... you thoughts.... and time of year to set off, my thought is the beginning of Aug...
@@mshhzwish I was going too...
As Mississippi River pilot, I tow barges from St. Louis to New Orleans. I stumbled across this video somehow and figured I'd throw some advice out there for you or anyone looking to transit down the river.
The Vhf radio is a must, we can often advise kayak or canoe where they are safer passing or meeting. We do hold your life in regard when we see you guys. Some other advice I'd give is the purchase or download a charting app or purchase barway maps. Another big one is, please don't travel at night on the river. We really cannot see small craft with our radars. We get many coast guard broadcast in search of kayaks and small crafts at night due to incidents.
Hello Brandon, I appreciate you reaching out! I know that many questions come from paddlers on such things. I always recommend people used the radio while traveling and i know that many pilots would thank me for having one. I am going to share your comments on the mississippi river paddlers page on face book. It is one of the main resources paddlers use before and during their trip. If you would be willing to join you could chime in with your 2 cents when ever you feel like it would be valuable. I messaged back and forth with mark twained on youtube several times about such questions. Again i appreciate you reaching out! enjoy that river!!!
Can i ask which tow you are on?
Log jams are ridiculous sometimes its epic so pack light as possiable!
Thanks!
Zak! you didnt have to do that!
thank you my friend, reach out if you need anything
Thanks for your videos.
You are very welcome! thanks for watching them!!
Great video. Perfect for gear list help 100%
Thank you
Planning on doing about half of the trip at least once in my life. Put in at a small tributary that joins the river north of Cape Girardeau.
You want to do the lower river?
You could always come up to minnesota and paddle back to cape girardeau.
If you get to activately planning and have questions feel free to reach out!
Square water bottles don’t roll. Wish I’d thought of that. Nice tip! Thanks man. I’m working on the Alabama Scenic River Trail. 650 miles from start to finish. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hey wes! Your welcome!! It drove me crazy when the water bottles would roll side to side in the boat! Not a big deal until you hear it for hours at a time day after day!😂
I love the green screen set up. Great video that was well done.
Thank you Gaelic!
Great video. I'm so jealous.
Thank you
Looks like it was a great adventure. Thanks for sharing.
It was a great trip!
This answered a question I asked on one of your other videos about charging your electronics while on the MR. Thanks for sharing all your info Jay.
If there is ever anything else you would like to know feel free to ask!
Very cool!
Thanks Sal!
Incredible effort filming this adventure. I hope your subs continue to grow and your channel keeps climbing you deserve and have earned it.
Hey Todd! how have you been? Thank you for the kind words! hopefully I can get out and enjoy the Alaskan coast like you, that would be a dream trip! Take care my friend
@@escapewithjay I always hope and plan to get back up there to AK. I'm clearing the path to go north next summer but we shall see what is possible when the opportunity comes around. Doubt I'll film it next time because it just takes too much extra gear. Take care my friend and keep planning on that next adventure.
Nice. Yep this answered all the questions i had. I watched a little of this video a while ago, but was too anxious to see the river expedition, I never got back to it. Super excited to see your next river trip. If you ever make it out to Pennsylvania and want to kayak the Susquehanna River down to The Chesapeake Bay, I can drive you to any river access point you desire. You're the man, Jay.
Thats an awesome offer! i have heard of the Susquehanna a few times now. never know! I know I cant wait to get back on the river. it wont be as long a trip as the mississippi but it will be nice. Take care out there!
Thanks a ton, Jay. Very valuable. I'm going to watch that again and take notes the next time.
you bet John! hopefully the back ground is not to distracting! :^) Im going to get a list in the description as well sooner then later
@@escapewithjay No, that was a nice touch. I've done a bit of video editing and I can only imagine how much time you've taken to manage all of your footage to make each episode. You did well with the green screen.
@@mysteryrapids o yeah this one was especially involved, finding footage to match the items being shown. i have never seen a gear video like it before so i thought it would be neat. it took a while and the green screen is very picky. i could edit it indefinitely making small corrections but eh, its good!
Just stumbled on your channel. I watched about ten minutes of this video and subscribed. I will have to go check out the Mississippi trip. You are putting together quality videos you will hit 1000 real soon.
You'll reach 1000 no problem! You make great videos and have interesting content! -PJ
Awesome gear list/over view. So much good information in this video. I think your series about your trip is something anyone planning to paddle the Mississippi should watch. Thanks for sharing your experience so generously with the rest of us.
you bet!, thank you Dan! I hope there is something in there you can use!!
@@escapewithjay I got tons of info from this video. I won't be doing as much video recording as you did, but it was very interesting and educational to see what you did and how it worked for you. I also took a lot away from your comments on your shelter and sleeping systems. Every one of your videos is loaded with good information.
@@NewGloryDays like i said bring a chair!! you wont regret that !
Great video as always! Watched till the end!!
I also use some of the GoPro Sessions. I love the simplicity of them. I have been dreading the day that I have to replace them.
Good video. Just stumbled across your channel.Subbed and rung the bell.
Hey thanks for stopping by! Im on the river as i type this and just used the session to film some storms that are pounding on us
@@escapewithjay Cool! Looking forward to seeing that footage.
How was the cell service. Was it spotty or was it pretty consistent. Before coming across you page I had know idea people kayak the whole river. It was eye opening. Thanks for the inspiration.
Hi Dave! Thanks for the kind words!
Cell service is almost zero the first couple days. once you leave itasca the service is pretty much gone. (I had verizion) there was a couple towns and stretches along the river along grafton IL, and some lonley areas that the service was spotty. There is no service at the gulf. Other than that id say 90-95 % of the trip I had service
Thanks for the info. If you don't mind another question, what kind of kayak did you finish the trip with and would you consider making a video about it.
great video! love gear videos and you had a nice variety. come to Florida and paddle the everglades with me!
thanks!! you are not the first to invite me to flordia to do some paddling, in the future you may just see me down there! :^)
This is incredible. I just did an 8 day series on my channel starting on the Chippewa River and ending in Wabasha. I want to do the whole thing like this eventually. I'm going to have to check out your series
Hello there fellow RiverRat! I am glad you enjoyed I think you will really like the series!! let me know what you think!
Thanks!
I just started watching your paddle of the Mississippi. I am looking forward to watching it to the end. Thanks for this video.. very helpful. The Mississippi is on my bucket list.... did you average over 30 miles a day? 62 days seems pretty fast.
Hi Hans
It probably was an average of about 30 miles a day over all. I did make a video of my daily mileage if you are interested. It give you a really good idea of how the miles per day really increased as i went further south
Are you activately planning a trip down the river?
Not yet. I have a upcoming senior in college and a senior in hs. So. It’s a future bucket trip. The Ohio is another one I’m in Ohio
I’m on your 4th episode. Really enjoying it Love the idea of using a beater boat on first day or so. Smart
What a nicely and precised video , good info too. Did you ever weight your gears to know how you were carrying.
Thank you! I never did weight it all but with around 30 lbs in camera and filming equipment, between 5-7 gallons of drinking water plus the camping equipment and food it was a pretty heavy boat from time to time!
@@escapewithjay Thanks for taking the time to reply
On ur next adventure, u should do those amazon affilated links for ur eqpmt. I really liked ur solar panel. Was it just laying on top or did u have tethered too?
I actually might do that for this one, if there is any links you would like im happy to look them up. Witht the exception of the solat panel i cant find that one anymore.. the solar panel was held down by niteize shooks. They clipped to the bungee cords on top of the kayak
escape with jay what about drone & remote? That was nice feature in vids btw.
@@ender9600 yeah the drone was an awesome addition and worth bringing on the trip! Here is the link... Parrot PF728000 Anafi Drone, Foldable Quadcopter Drone with 4K HDR Camera, Compact, Silent & Autonomous, Realize Your shots with A 180° Vertical Swivel Camera, Dark Grey www.amazon.com/dp/B07D5R2JKL/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aVozEbC47AT8K
escape with jay which go pro did u use? Were u trying the voice commands & they didnt work?
1,000 subscribers will come soon keep posting it will happen before you know it
will do Christopher, thanks!!
I just subbed one closer to 1000! I know the feeling lol! Great editing and cool footage, now I got to go back and start watching the videos! Great gear review I enjoyed it!
thank you for watching! it does feel like an up hill battle and i appreciate your support! I hope you like the series its the most in depth paddling account of the river ive ever seen! enjoy!
@@escapewithjay Yes sir! I watched 1 and 2 so far! Hope to binge watch some this evening!
@@PADDLECAMPFISH well there is plenty of episodes to do that! I am watching your 1st of the 120 miles trip "deliverance" later in my trip you will see i talk about people spotlighting me after dark on a few occasions. does make it a little difficult to sleep!
@@escapewithjay Oh yeah it is a little nerve racking lol! Especially here in the south where the shoot first and ask questions later lol!
@@PADDLECAMPFISH yeah you just never know what you are going to get with some folks!
Just took a short trip on the Wabash as a warm up to the Mississippi. Learned a LOT. Most important, my kayak is clearly not large enough--too much stuff bungeed on top made it top heavy. No one wants an unstable boat. Do you have a recommendation for a good kayak for the river with good inside storage? I'm a single, smallish woman and can't handle really a heavy boat when pulling it out of the water, up a bank.
Hey Beth!
I am glad to hear you are doing test runs and the fact that you understand you have too much on top of the kayak is a good sign you will do it right! Many people tie stuff to the top of the boat without realizing the risk of flipping because of it. What boat are you currently using? Mostly wondering the length, I could look up the brand/model and give my best thought on it for the river. Are you on the Mississippi river paddlers page on Facebook by chance?
If i was to just outright recommend a kayak the current designs whistler is my choice for the all around best kayak for the trip. Pulling from the river is always a challenge as kayaks are often hundreds of lbs with all the gear in them. I did come up with a "pully" method that helps but its more to carry. Happy to share the idea with you tho
@@escapewithjay The kayak I used was borrowed--trying out different boats to get an idea of what I need. It was about 10ft 6 inch, I'd guess and it was the best available the the three day trip I took. but effectively no storage inside behind the seat and (obviously) very little in front at my feet. The bulk of my gear was tied on top and it's not a good system. I also had underestimated how important width is--I like a bit of room at the sides. Let's just say that I really needed the bilge pump I got at the last minute. I've made some camping gear changes to lighten the load, but I still need a better kayak. I'll check out Whistler! Am open to other ideas! I'm still open to a canoe, mostly because of the ability to hold gear.
@@bethrobinette8515 On the mississippi paddlers page the most often recommended minimum length kayak is a 12 ft. I would recommend no less than 14 as it was just about right to fit all my gear. One other thing about gear, most people tend to pack way more than is needed. I cut the amount of gear in half twice before the trip even started. Also, you can always send things home or ship things out to yourself while on the river. You are not permanently stuck with what you bring. The reason I asked about being on the paddlers page is there is a gal on there who is a "smallish" woman. We are good friends and i helped her plan her trip down the river. She would be a great resource to ask questions. she may have a more closely aligned insight to your situation than I would. Just a thought!
On a canoe, I really like kayaks for the river as they can be made water tight very easily. Canoes do have that ability to pack a ton of gear but again, that is not necessarily a good thing as its heavy and a lot to keep track of.
@@escapewithjay All good info. I appreciate it! I am a member of the FB group, and am getting some good info from them, but would love to connect with another woman in a similar situation. Think you could connect us? I hope I'm keeping my gear light, but I certainly want MORE, just like everyone else. However, I hiked the AT, the Annapurna and the Camino, so I understand how little you can get along with. (in the summer, on the AT, my pack with gear, minus water, plus 5 days of food was typically under 23 pounds. More weight in the colder months). But I know I carried more than I needed on this last trip so it's easy to do. I'd prefer a kayak, for all the reasons you just said.
@@bethrobinette8515 oh perfect, im jay kangler on there. if you message me on fb ill get you her name.
your past experiences doing different kinds of trips is the best thing to prepare for doing the Mississippi. I think you're on the right track!
yep still here
Just watches your video because i decided I'm going to make the trip up north and kayak the whole river was there any advice you could give on the river any dangerous parts?
Hi Corey
I made an entire series on the river from beginning to end. It will give you a great idea of what to expect. Join the mississippi river paddlers page on facebook, it is the greatest resource available. Dangers are many from dams, locks barges and shipping traffic below baton rouge
Hey again,
I'm planning and packing the food portion of the trip. I'm a walmart shopper and have a lot of dehydrated foods bought. How did you pack yours, and how many days did you pack for? My bucket with gamma lid is not enough, and it takes up a lot of space. Also, what keeps the Minnesota mosquitoes away? I have found they prefer some brands before dining!
mosquitos? our state bird! well they dont like fire! >X^D I think i only used deep woods off while i was on the river but i think repel works well also. if you are in a tent then nights wont be as bad as if you are in a hammock. I would absolutely recommend a light weight bug net for your head/face and bring an extra can of spray. You will be absolutely miserable if you run out!!! I just packed the food in the kayak however it would fit, i would organize it into 1 gallon zip lock bags to keep like items together. If you have food that is not in a water tight container then make sure you dry bag it. or just use multiple zip lock bags but be warned they are not the greatest so if you use them buy the good brand, dont skimp to save a few cents it wont be worth it, speaking from experience! I always had a lot of food on the boat probably enough for just over a week or more... I know some people carry enough for a month but resupplies are not that scarce. Walmart is a good place to shop but if you have a dollar general you can visit see what is there you like. Dollar generals are located along the river nearly the entire way. i shopped there more then anywhere.
escape with jay thanks, very useful information!
I plan on doing this next year, just wondering what is your kayak called, and would you go with a different kayak next time orcas that one good for the trip?
Well I am always happy to hear another adventurer preparing for the adventure of a life time!
I took a total of 3 kayaks down the river due to 2 factors, I live in Minnesota so my proximity to the river made it possible. The 2nd reason was the varying levels of the river. The first 16 miles I took a 10 ft pelican kayak. From coffee pot landing to hastings, mn i took my current designs whistler (~14 ft). From hastings to the gulf I took my solstice GTS. If I could only pick one of the 3 boats it would have been the whistler as it is the most capable of doing both the headwaters and the big water of the lower river. The shallows in the beginning run you the risk of breaking through a composite boat (having said that, many start and finish in the same boat, of all makes and models).
Did you happen to see my videos of the entire river? I did film and create a complete series of the river, I even did videos on the portages of the upper river as well as how to go through a lock.
the last and most important tip I can give is to become part of the Mississippi River Paddlers page on facebook. It is a great group of people, many of whom have done the river. Through that group you should be able to get any questions you may have answered.
I wish you happy planning, feel free to reach out any time if you have questions
Right on man, thank you. I will definitely check out the Facebook page.
I've only done a few rivers in my state of Michigan. I have tracked about 700 miles so far but Idr how I came accross the idea for the Mississippi trip but it sounds dope, I saw a few of your videos trying to watch them all lol. I see you took a good amount of stuff with you thats crazy. The locks are a bit discouraging but then I saw your video, any chance you have a link to that radio?
Did you flip your kayak during your trip? Seems like that would be a disaster and very dangerous.
luckily i never did. most of the river you would probably be ok. around the dams, locks and baton rouge to new orleans would be some of the most dangerous places for that to happen. fingers crossed the luck continues to hold!
I just stumbled upon your adventure videos and I'm curious how long it took you to recover from the severe sunburn (mostly on your nose)? I was wondering if your nose would ever be the same again! (Thanks for documenting your trip, it was great)
Hi Leann! I am glad you enjoyed the videos!! I seem to handle sunburn pretty well as a Minnesotan I go from winter inflicted white to sun baked tan every year :^) The sun burn never caused me any issues, it was the goofy looking tan lines from sitting in the boat every day that really had my wife laughing at me! The nose is good as new!
Just subbed
I really wonder sometimes how some people get hundreds of thousands of subs and millions of views, for relative garbage content. Then some one that is making great life inspiring content only has a thousand subs. I don't get it at all.
Thanks Daniel! and i couldnt agree more!
If i started in st louis on a canoe with full days on the river whats an estimated time it would take to reach louisiana?
This is an incredibly hard question for me to answer. I will tell you why then give you my time. First I would need to know are you talking of simply reaching the most northern part of Louisiana? Why this is hard for me to answer is I went on a flood year and used a very sleek solstice GTS kayak. There were times I could paddle at 9 Mph with the floodwaters pushing me combined with my paddle speed. I also was with another paddler for part of this section who did not paddle at the speeds that I was capable of which slowed my progress. (This was a choice I made because I enjoyed the company) A canoe will be much slower than I was and I do not know what your water levels will be. This does not take into account all the variables including your daily mileage. All factors and variables being an unknown, I passed the arch on July 13, 2019. I crossed the northern most border of Louisiana on the west side of the Mississippi on July 26, 2019. It took me 13 days to cover that distance. I am not sure if it will help you but I did make a video that showed daily mileage, here is a link... ruclips.net/video/jnaGlh_PnlQ/видео.html
@@escapewithjay nice man. i really appreciate it. I figure i could use a mud motor on a flat back canoe. Im trying to hit new orleans from saint louis. Ive canoed the missouri, but it looks like a very fun adventure. Thanks for your videos.
Just subbed, great video!
Thanks Aaron! and thank you for your support!
im planing to go from st Louis to new Orleans
Hey Hunter!
Thats a great stretch south of St louis. Can be pretty busy after baton rouge so be ready for a lot more shipping traffic! Did you happen to see my video series where I kayaked the entire river? Might help you get an insight into what is coming up. Also, the Mississippi river paddlers page on face book is an amazing resource of people who live along, have paddled the river. Best resource I know of for the river! Reach out if you have any questions. Happy planning and have a great trip!
I want to do that trip. I have no experience.
Is it dangerous ? Do u need any permission or permits ? Thx
hi Him
its the mighty mississippi so the honest answer is yes, there are many dangers on the river. from debris to boaters, dams, rock dikes, shipping and just simply a powerful current. the risks are many but the river can be done safely. it is really us to your abilities and the luck of the draw what your trip will be.
do you have any paddling experience?
i would recommend smaller trips first to gain some experience. there are classes out there to help folks learn paddling on different bodies of water.
no permissions needed. the river is a public right of way
@@escapewithjay thx. I’ve used a kayak maybe
3-4 times in my life for an hr each time.
I’ve cycled across the USA so I have some adventure experience. If I go I will wear a life jacket and take as much safety precautions as possible. Where do u stay at nite ? Hotels or camp or conbo of both ? How do u get food ?
@@PInk77W1 if you are serious about the trip I would recommend getting on the "Mississippi River Paddlers" page on facebook. Its a nice sized group of people who have done or help others do the river. Pretty much any question you have someone there can answer it! I slept both in campsites (designated on the upper river from Itasca to (north of) minneapolis. From there on you are on your own to find a nice quiet place on the shore. I also did hotels when I needed a break from the heat and to recharge my laptop which I used for filming the trip. I would get food any time a river angel would run me into town or id stop at a marina and walk to a store. I would still recommend a smaller trip on a smaller river to see if it is something you not only like but are willing to do. if that goes well then bigger/longer trips are much more plausible. The Mississippi can be tough if you are not ready to deal with its moods!
@@escapewithjay
I don’t do fb. But yes it seems very daunting.
Was it a lot of nature or more cities ?
I recently rode my bike from center of Texas to key west. Stayed in NO LA for a couple of days and was watching the river.
@@PInk77W1 i dont like facebook at all myself but if you are doing the river i would highly recommend being on there for that reason then delete the account when your done... just my 2 cents...
there is a lot of empty shorelines. i heard it described like this... itasca,mn to baton rouge, la the shoreline is 10% industrial/commerical 90% wilderness. after baton rouge it switches to 90% industrial/commerical 10% wilderness.
you could always take the atchafalaya river (which bypasses baton rouge and nola) to the gulf. that way is nearly all wilderness swamp
Did you do that trip alone?
It was a solo trip but on 3 different occasions i came across other paddlers and would hang with them for a week or so. It was always nice to have someone to share the experience with! Not sure if you saw but i did film the entire trip. I have a playlist of the trip called, "my great escape kayaking the mighty mississippi" if you would like to see how it went
That's crazy man but pretty cool though. I will definitely check out the video.
How did u get back home
My wife drove down and picked me up. There is a video of it titled My Great Escape! The Ride Home! If you wanted to look it up
@@escapewithjay awesome, thanks for the response!
I Love you Josh
is this my youngest brother?
List of kayaks you used on your trip And the one you used the most?
day 1, pelican 10 ft kayak. Days 2-19, current designs whistler. Days 20-62, current designs solstice GTS (kevlar)
@@escapewithjay is there any platform we could communicate outside of youtube?
@@jaydenkuhnle3722 jkangler514@hotmail.com
Let's do the Amazon....
the Amazon would be one heck of an experience! the creepy crawlers, unfriendly tribes and super dense jungle would make for a real challenge. i would probably need a guide on that one. the yukon would be my 1st choice for a next big river
@@escapewithjay yes the Amazon could be deadly, the Yukon.....let me know when, it would be fun to have maybe six people from across the country who've never met, just meet up and do it
Would you recommend a Windows tablet instead of a laptop? Has all the same SD card access but a little better and good for other uses such as keeping up with your friends easier, and probably smaller too.
Also, if you happen to have the time, I'd love if you could check out my list: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1IOJKBLY5SK02 - recently added a lot of stuff inspired by this video, but there's a lot on the list and I figure I'm probably either adding things unnecessarily and also probably forgetting something obvious (lack of PFD on there is intentional, planning to buy that in person)
Looking to do this next year (COVID delayed it till then). Thanks for the helpful videos!
Hi Keegan!
The only reason i had the laptop was due to cost. I think i got it for less then 150 and it was available when i needed it. If the tablet can transfer files from sd card to usb/hard drive then it would have worked for me. Either way the challenges are similar, keep em dry and dont break them while they are stuffed in the kayak. I am willing to bet the tablet is probably considerably faster then the cheap laptop I used. if you are not transfering files then a smart phone would also do everything the tablet would do in a much smaller package. if not for my filming i would not have brought the laptop at all.
I will take a look at your list and get back to you with my thought so standby on that note...
Ill be in touch,
Later!
would you be willing to email me? jkangler514@hotmail.com
put your name and "youtube" in the subject line. There are a few things i would ask and recommend about your list
@@escapewithjay sure thing! Thank you!
do you know torque and are you his brother .
I sure do!, and i sure am! :^)
Cool
I play with him a lot on rainbow six
@@truth9301 awsome man!
This music is really distracting
You crying about a gear list pissed me off
Guess youll be leaving then, bye
@@escapewithjay lol no suck shit bro I annoyed you and you help me. The video was helpful
Great video, but I wish you'd delete the background music. It doesn't help at all.
Hi Kire would you care to elaborate? When I edited the video not having the music really seemed to make the video hard to watch. What about it do you not like? or what would you recommend?
@@escapewithjay The music competes with your speaking, especially when it is not just instrumental, and makes it hard to understand you sometimes. Maybe at least turn the background music volume down so your voice is loudest. You have good content, don't obscure it with music for the whole video.
Thanks!
Wow thank you Zak! I appreciate you my friend!!
@@escapewithjay I'm making my list, this video really is helpful!
@@Zakrivers im glad to hear. minus the filming gear most people find the rest useful
@@escapewithjay The filming gear, solar, etc was very helpful. We will run similar setups. I’ll share soon.
@@Zakrivers looking forward to seeing what you come up with