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Ben Lzicar
เข้าร่วมเมื่อ 6 พ.ค. 2013
I reviewed and inflatable canoe (SOAR)
I've been floating remote smaller stretches of river for over six years now, and it's really hard to find a boat that can check all the boxes in terms of what is needed in remote wilderness. While the SOAR isn't perfect, it's as close as I've found to the ultimate backcountry boat.
I thankfully had the chance to talk to Larry, the owners of SOAR (Somewhere On A River), a really great guy, and he's really passionate about his boats! He sent me a boat to review so I figured I would return the favor. Please be sure to check out their site below. It's a family owned and operated business that makes a totally unique product.
soar1.com/
Got a piece of backcountry gear you would like me to review?
Email me: lzicar1337@gmail.com
I was paid in no way to promote this product.
I thankfully had the chance to talk to Larry, the owners of SOAR (Somewhere On A River), a really great guy, and he's really passionate about his boats! He sent me a boat to review so I figured I would return the favor. Please be sure to check out their site below. It's a family owned and operated business that makes a totally unique product.
soar1.com/
Got a piece of backcountry gear you would like me to review?
Email me: lzicar1337@gmail.com
I was paid in no way to promote this product.
มุมมอง: 8 487
วีดีโอ
Deep Creek: a remote kayak trip in the deserts of Idaho
มุมมอง 10K6 ปีที่แล้ว
A four day adventure down the secluded Deep Creek, a tributary of the Owyhee river in the Owyhee River Wilderness area. Seldom traversed, this river is very difficult to get to, but is an otherwise relaxing float in one of the most pristine areas in the lower 48.
Floating the North Fork of the John Day River
มุมมอง 12K7 ปีที่แล้ว
A three day adventure, my newly wed, our two dogs (Kingsley, Royce), and I took down a lesser known fork of the famous John Day river in eastern Oregon. We did the float in mid June with record low water, we're the first to float at 350-400CFS that I am aware of. For gear we have two Aire Tributary Kayaks, light river clothing, lots of dry bags, and a Girzzly cooler. The entire video was shot w...
I was just about to pull the trigger on an air expedition II until I stumbled on this video. A few phone calls later and I have a soar 12 on order. Can’t wait to hit the rivers in northwest Montana on this thing. Thanks for the great video!
Did you mean to say Aire Outfitter II? Those are great boats, arguably the best IKs on the market, but it's just a different style of craft. If you want comfort, gear hauling, and adaptability then the SOAR is the way to go! Glad to hear the new owners got orders up and running as well. SOAR just recently changed ownership.
I get so tired of being asked "what kind of boat is that?" and being looked at like I'm going to die. People act like I just started boating yesterday when I run it in whitewater. It's annoying. I've been running rivers since I was 12 and over the two years I've had this boat, I've found it handles whitewater really well!
Just got off of SF Owyhee this weekend with it loaded down with gear, handled Class IV maneuvers no problem, not a single mishap the whole trip, and everyone else was very thankful for the dutch oven cooking and giant cooler I brought along :)
I'm sure this is a great video but the music is annoying. To many highs in the music, ruin it for me!
"Cat", here! Hummmmm! In the outback wilderness in plastic inflatable whatever those things are with dogs what have a lot of sharp nails! I'm sorry, People! But, ain't very damn smart! Just more wilderness mishap statistics looking for place to happen! Deleted, blocked, unsubscrbed, forgotten! Idiot people?
Love it! Great video and a well told story!
What was your launch date
I think the Friday before Memorial Day, 2016
That's a really well made video..Thanks..I got the 16 foot version this summer...good boats.
I wish we could have Soar in the UK…
What is the round black pack you can see behind the seat at 6:33? Is that a cooler?
Yup, soft cooler! Beer close at hand :D
You should've mentioned in this video that you asked to get a deal on the boat in exchange for a review
awesome video thanks for sharing
This was fun a lot of work put into the editing kept me watching, 21:14 lol "Not now dog!"
This is really cool, I had no idea such a boat existed. I'm wondering though, how do you portage it? Is there some sort of yoke attachment you mount for the portage? Thats one problem I have with my big inflatable kayak. While the weight is fine, its just super awkward to portage because you can balance it on your shoulders. You almost have to have the thing balanced on your head which is awful for visibility because it means your head is "in" the boat. I'd also add, how does it handle against the current or into a heavy headwind on flatwater? That's the main reason I tend to leave my inflatable at home and bring a hard body canoe instead. The inflatable (even with a skeg) is great with current at your back or when going across still water but the second you are pushing into a strong breeze or trying to go against a light current the thing is infuriating because all it wants to do is spin around.
Seat is centered in the middle of the boat, so I just throw the entire boat over my head and use the seat as a yoke, it works out really well :) Haven't been on a trip where I need to portage yet, but I've carried it down/up to many spots on the river.
Any reason you don’t go with filters instead of bringing water?
Because the water is muddy and saline as hell on the San Raf. If you settle water in a bucket you can filter it, but it's much simpler just to carry your own water on most trips.
Nice video. Hoping to do this year. This has a good amount of great info. I suspect easier as far as hanging up on rocks at 800-1000 cfs?
Those flows are more ideal, we floated again this year for Memorial weekend and it was around 1,100 at Monument gauge, but there were a ton of people on the river! We must of saw over 100 rafts on the river, we were the only IK group. Typically 1,000 cfs is the recommend cut off point for bigger boats and I suspected that would keep most groups away, but I was wrong. If the plan is to IK or packraft I'd shoot for 600-800 on a weekend, or 1,000-1,500 if you're going to put on early in the week. We still didn't have trouble finding camp spots even with all the people on the holiday weekend, but all the best spots were certainly taken up by raft groups day after day.
@@benlzicar7628 WOW!!! That is so good to know. I do not want to pile in with 100 other rafts! I did East Fork Owyhee at 100 CFS last year. Was a real chore at times, but we didn't see another human being for 4 days.
What is trailing behind the boats?
Tag/tail line for easy handling of the boat when on the shore for guiding and tying it up. Typically you avoid something like this when in more serious water or have it be very short <3ft. In tighter technical water with lots of strainer possibilities or or things that can catch on you remove it all together.
SOAR makes the best inflatable canoe/kayak/raft hands down. I know the SOARs are considered canoes, but I included kayaks and rafts simply because SOAR is better than any inflatable, period, hands down, end of sentence. Over the past 20 years I have owned 16 (yes, sixteen) SOAR canoes, both 14’ and 16’ models. Since 2002 I have outfitted and guided 39 week long river expeditions on the San Juan (goosenecks) in southern Utah, Desolation & Gray Canyons on the Green River in central Utah, and the Payette river in central Idaho. I am not a professional river guide, just a river rat who enjoys sharing the river multi-day experience with friends, family, youth groups, and Scouts. My largest group to date has been 24 people on the Payette this past summer of 2021. I have developed a catamaran bar system which allows me to put 2 SOAR canoes together using hammerhead 2” diameter PVC pipe and NRS 2’ straps, and the result is a 7’ wide x 16‘ long catamaran canoe that will hold up to 2,000 lbs., and is more stable than any whitewater raft on the market. I have canoed through class IV rapids that regularly flip rafts, and I have yet to be flipped in a 16’ catamaran SOAR. The center of gravity of the SOAR is much lower to the water than a whitewater raft. Lower center of gravity = greater stability. The lashing grommets on the SOAR are the best system out there for securing gear in a boat. I don’t understand why other inflatable manufacturers do not provide similar gear lashing system. If there was something out there better than a SOAR I would buy it. But there is nothing out there better than SOAR for river running. Some people say the SOARs are too expensive. I say you get what you pay for. If you want quality, durability, convenience, performance, you need to be willing to pay for it. With proper care and maintenance, a SOAR will give you 20 years of the best fun of your life. Glen Berry Eagle, Idaho
Excellent synopsis Glen! It's funny you mentioned your SOARCAT rig, because my river friends were just discussion the feasibility of such a rig on our MF Salmon run a few months ago :D I many need to see some photos of your setup now that I know it's a serious possibility.
Great video thanks for sharing
Thanks!
That’s funny. We had alumacrafts that were like 76lbs.
They can certainly be that light, but if you ever want a canoe that's rated for anything more than flatwater, they really start to go up in weight, due to all the reinforcement they need to survive rock bashing. They also tend to have hull designs that are more forgiving in river water which comes at the cost of increased weight.
@@benlzicar7628 yeah we used to run rivers in Alaska in Coleman canoes and I forget how heavy they are but they are superior rock knocking boats. The other canoes I’ve used like the Kevlar in the BWCAW in Minnesota I wouldn’t even want to hit a stick with lol.
Ohhhh I fuckin like it buddy.
Getting to be that time of year... you thinking about hitting deep creek this spring? Let me know if you wanna put together a trip.
What is material of SOAR? Its rubber or pcv? And what is pressure in chamber?
From the SOAR FAQ page: 30 oz. hypalon coating on the tubes and the top of the floor surface. The bottom of the floor is coated with 40 neoprene coating. An 840 denier nylon base fabric all over provides excellent puncture and tear resistance.
@@benlzicar7628 Thanks. Its a upper class equipement ;)
Hypalon and Neoprene - no rubber or PVC!
@@wesscott401 but neopren and hypalon are rubber...
I own a Soar 14. I've had it for ... 7 or 8 years. I've used it in Virginia, Maryland, Florida (Indian River), and Idaho waters (St Joe and South Fork of Snake). I moved to Tennessee recently. Gonna have to take it out here too. BTW, you can use them standing up with a 10' 6" kayak paddle too. Pros: Easy storage; good in whitewater, versatile; great weight capacity; durable. Cons: Heavy, are tough to paddle in winds. Still, it maybe the most versatile boat on the market. You can even rig a motor on it.
Glad you love your boat Gary! IMHO for their actual cargo capacity they're probably one of the lightest weight options out there :D I've actually debated picking up a squirt to have something fun and lighter weight for day trips, even 2-3 night trips would be great in that boat.
Ben, great video. This run has been on my list for several years and I will plan to do it in 2021. Did you do any fishing or see Salmon or Steelhead? What was the name of the last big rapid in the video?
Don't normally fish on my river trips, since I can't be bothered to get an out of state and pack the poles :D We didn't see any salmon on our trip, I don't think we lined up with the spring run which is typically April-May, we were just too late. The rapids don't have any names to my knowledge, they're all of such low technicality and consequence I'd be hard pressed to name them :D
@@benlzicar7628 ok this is good intel. I have a Strike by the way. It is an amazing boat that I've had in big water, flat rivers and lakes. Thanks for the incentive to run this. SG
@@samgarrison5329 we did the float with two tandem Strikes ;) great little boats, perfectly comfortable in these sort of rapids.
This is our kind of traveling. K&J
Well, that was lovely. Great music! Looks like a cool trip. Did you set shuttles yourself or was there a service that would run cars?
Self shuttled, it's about a 3 hour round trip shuttle from in-out. High clearance vehicle with good tires is a must, you're about 6-8hours at least from a recovery vehicle assuming you have some sort of satellite messenger, there is no service anywhere out there :D
Great video. Thank you. I’m in Boise and a hard shell kayaker. Been looking at one of these. Would love to meet up sometime and check it out. I’m on the fence about which size. I’m also always down to join on some overnight trips. Email me Gwar17 at MSN dot com. Cheers
Def should meet up :D I got a summer project which has mostly kept me off the river, but I'd love to do a mild fall float. Feel free to add me on Facebook if you want as well, me and all my river buddies have groups on there for planning trips :D Hoping to do Dirty Devil or Muddy Cr in spring 2021, gonna be a perfect trip for the boat :D
Great job showing the versatility, I have had my S-14 for 12 years it’s still like new and she has been all over the state of Florida from springs to being dragged on lava coral in the keys. They are special boats and always have a place in my life.
Always great having a boat you can abuse the crap out of and it will still take you where you want to go :)
Great gear, I was a kayak-er back in Europe.
It's the Middle Fork of the John Day, there is no east fork of the John Day, it's North, Middle, Main stem and South.
Thanks for posting. I own 4 hard shell canoes that I have used for some extensive Alaska back country tripping. I am considering picking up an inflatable to extend my options for remote tripping that requires fly in drop offs.
Their expedition is rated at 1500lbs, seen pictures of people hauling out Kodiaks or a large bull on them :D
Thanks for the review! Looking at the Pro Pioneer!
Loved the video!
I just picked up a SOAR Canyon, haven't gotten it out yet, but looking forward to it.
You got any questions about rigging and such let me know!
@@benlzicar7628 I picked mine up for a screaming deal but it is sans seats. Thought I would fashion some from some marine plywood and lacquer (like my rafting table). What are the seat dimensions?
@@TK-vs2sn 19"x9" is the rough dimension. Should be pretty straight forward to fab. Good luck!
Love my Canyon had it for three years and gets used more than my Kayaks also just bought a Buffalo Canoe got to say it is nice sometimes not having to inflate
I haven't use my Aires at all since getting the Canyon.... lets just say paddling on your butt all day is just boring to me now :D Being able to haul the kitchen sink on trips as well is bonus.
SOAR owner for 20 years here. I've run some bigger class IV with it unloaded and it handles it like a dream. Love this boat.
what brand kayaks are those?
Aire Tributary Strike II
Looks like a great trip,I’m envious
Ken Burns eat your heart out!!!
Nice video So many questions; Where did you put in at, Wiseman crossing? How did you get landowner permission? I assume you took out at Rickert crossing. What time of year? What was the water flow?
I forgot the name of the crossing, but here it is on google maps. The Stanfords own the ranch you have to drive through, the put in is on their property. Their number is 208-583-2442, Mike is the old man, but I got his wife last time I called. Certainly add me on facebook or email me at lzicar1337@gmail.com if you're planning a trip. We did get out at Rickert Crossing, this was end of May 2017. Rome gauge showed around 1500 I think, I probably wouldn't do it with anything lower that 1200. It's hard to gauge since Rome is far away and on the Owyhee. We had really good water flow, but there were some rocky sections that were really tough, an a few willow banks that required exploring to find exits. But I would totally take kids and un-experienced people on the trip. The most important thing is being in decent shape, and planing everything accordingly. One party member should carry an SOS beacon in case of a real emergency, there are rattlesnakes and a bite there could be killer without a heli evac. www.google.com/maps/dir//42.3870643,-116.65313/@42.3867536,-116.6537429,1820m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!4m1!3e0
@@benlzicar7628 Thank you for your reply. Yes water flow and timing is critical; 2017 was a good water year.
Nice, I have done that exact same float, except about 35 years ago.
It's the perfect time of the year to do it right now!
Great job Ben!!!
Nice night photography! Thanks for noting the cfs.
What if I.....Just love the fact you went on a water adventure....and I was even more AMAZED, that your less experienced (girlfriend?) (WIFE?) didn't,complain,cry,bitch,piss,moan..........not once.......WOW....IF YOU DON'T MARRY HER I WILL
hahah, yea she had a ton of trust in me on this trip, I was certainly pushing the boundaries of our new marriage, we had only been married for a week when we went on this trip. We did another multi night trip this year an even more remote and dangerous river, be sure to subscribe so you can see that video when I have it posted.
best video i have seen !!!! love the personality of you 4 except for kingsley. I have a cocker spaniel and i don't allow her to behave like that. like all cockers she is lazy and doesn't like the water but i take her with me because she cant be separated LOL. anyway i loved the trip, your set up and how you guys did it. i have a regular kayak but i am thinking about buying an inflatable one. i did a lot of research last night and the ones i read most people reported they deflated rather quickly and were a pain. what do you have and how was your experience. i am looking for something that will hold me and my girl, lucky (the dog) make sure you talk about your gear and cover a little more of the area you are in. i would like to duplicate your trip because it seems safe and secure and FUN and NO PEOPLE OR NOISY BOATS!. THANK YOU BOTH for posting. :)
Thanks for the awesome reply! We used Aire Tributary Strike II kayaks, they're around $1100 new, but if you search around on craigslist after floating season you can pick up Aire kayaks for as little as $300. They're fairly heavy, but a single person can carry one no problem, and they're double walled, so they're tough as nails. Aire is also an Idaho based company, so can't go wrong there :)
Nice videos. I really enjoyed both river trips. Are you thinking of floating the Weiser again this spring/early summer? Currently flow is at 3200 and will be coming down into the 1500 to 2500 range soon. I would like to join you if you do. Nice to go down with someone who has done it.
Sorry for the late reply. I wanted to float it again this year but didn't get round to it. I'll keep ya in mind for next year, looks like the river is too low right now for anything, and at 100 you would be baked alive lol
Ben, are you thinking of floating the Weiser again this spring/early summer? Currently flow is at 3200 but will be coming down into the 1500 to 2500 range soon. I would like to join you if you do. Nice to go down with someone who has done it.
The world needs more of your videos
elrohirthehasty thank you so much! I plan on making more
Fun!
Couple clarifications you might be interested in: "first to float at 350-400CFS" nope, not all that has been done is on the internet. On another note, Chinook (spring Chinook in the John Day), migrate into the river in spring to early summer, but spawn (i.e. breading season referred to in the video) from August through September up river from where you were floating. Also, June 2016 was quite low, but did not experience record low flows. Record low daily mean flows are in the 250 to 175 cfs for June based on the USGS Monument gage. Mid June was generally over 400 cfs in 2016. Also you refer to the East Fork John Day. There is no East Fork, that tributary on your left was the Middle Fork John Day. nice vid though, thanks for posting. J