In 2012 I started to look into options to cut down the use of my waste inducing gas stove, and while liquid fuel stoves would work (and also built one of those DIY meth stoves, out of two cans of Red Bull), I was quickly drawn by the idea of wood burning stoves and did some simple but empowering trials of DIY stoves to get myself started.

Since I’ve focused recently more on sailing with the packraft (some of which has also been caught on video, such as the trip to Suomenlinna embedded below), rather than paddling long distances with it, the traditional autumn trip with a group of friends came in handy.

Having done my fair share of paddling on the sea with the packraft, a vessel more well suited for moving water and small lakes and ponds, it was time to try something new. Some time ago, snaking around on the borderline of Espoo and Helsinki with Marko, we built a make-do catamaran out of our two rafts and a tarp, to sail between the islands for relatively short distances, and had a blast. A hassle to setup and awkward to sail, it still gave us a spark that had to be dealt with, and after a quick run through of commercially available options, we settled for a pair of WindPaddle Cruisers, already proven especially for use with canoes and kayaks.