Gear Review: Esquif Pocket Canyon Canoe

The Esquif Pocket Canyon is a joyous and lively canoe that is immensely capable and will leave you and your canoe partner dreaming of more river time. This canoe is the little brother of the world-renowned Canyon and shares some similarities, though it definitely deserves its own spot in your quiver. At fourteen and a half feet long the Pocket Canyon is compact and will provide technical maneuvering that larger tripping canoes can’t. The length alone will allow you to fit into tighter eddies and even catch some glassy surf waves on the fly.

The Pocket Canyon was designed as a tandem playboat and a compact backcountry traveling vessel. This compact size makes it ideal for weekend whitewater trips where you wouldn't need the carrying capacity of a larger canoe. I could see this canoe going on longer trips, though you might need to pack wisely and leave the cast iron at home. That being said, I’ve had the most fun in this canoe running it empty on day runs and raft supported trips. On your local rivers you’ll find the Pocket Canyon quick and maneuverable. The rocker on this canoe is the same as the Canyon so you have plenty of lift to skip over waves and holes. It does leave the bow paddler with a bit more splash than the Canyon at times just based on the length and how it may fit in the crest of trough of a wave train. You can however pull off a much more technical line in this canoe which may lead paddlers to push themselves and progress their skills.

Another great feature of the Pocket Canon is that it can be run with a solo paddler. This makes the canoe a very versatile option.  As a solo paddler you could pack a ton of gear and even your favorite four-legged friend. This canoe would be great for backcountry exploration or just paddling down to your favorite fishing spot. Weighing only 59 lbs this canoe would be easy enough to transport on your own and would require little effort to portage. As with all Esquif canoes, you’ll be pleased for years to come with the T-Formex hull material.

To sum it all up, I’d have to say the Pocket Cayon is my favorite tandem canoe. This is because I can get the same joy and fun of nimble design typically found in a solo boat, yet share I get to share it with another paddler. With how light weight and versatilely it is, adding this canoe to my quiver was a no brainer.