I also use a Werner Kalliste (bent shaft), although at a normal length because I'm using it with a kayak. I've had it for years and I'm not particularly gentle on it in the backcountry, but I trust it enough that I don't even carry a spare. I'll use it to pole myself along in ultra-shallow water, to push myself off the bank (even when that takes most of my strength), and as an aid to getting out of the kayak (behind me, lying across the bank and my kayak, so I end up putting my full weight on it to get out of the cockpit). I'd say "When I finally need to replace it I'll buy the same thing", but I already own two of them!

If you're comfortable / experienced with using kayak paddles, I'd recommend bent shaft for sure. 

Oops. Fixed!

@MartinG: There's a simple reason why part two is going to be the other 5 days in a single video - for three of those days I didn't leave Round Island, and for that matter barely left my tent. It doesn't exactly make for exciting footage. I'm glad you enjoyed part one but let's not go crazy here - I don't think HBO is going to be worried about losing subscribers to me any time soon. Don't forget you still owe me a video of your own!

@AlgonquinLakes: Yep, like I said via private message you definitely made the right decision on not heading to Round Island (especially since you'd have had to push on in the Friday rain). What a hellish slog to get there. And then with the weather being what it was, I really can't even claim that I've seen Round Island Lake. I cowered in my tent for three days and then paddled out while it was snowing. 

@oldboyscout: I rarely get to the point where I'd think or say "I don't want to be here", but the combination of that awful stretch of portages, and the knowledge that miserable weather was going to be the encore just had me super down. In hindsight I'm glad I went, and I'm even glad the weather was terrible - it made for a camping experience that I won't soon forget. 

@spicol: Thanks. I mostly make my videos for me - it's fun to make them, and it gives me something I can go rewatch to keep the memories of a trip alive, but I really appreciate the likes and subscribers I get on my channel. It's nice to know a few other people are enjoying them too!

@RCShevalier: Finally someone mentions the hat! I was super jazzed when that hat showed up in the mail. It's going to be with me on every camping trip until it falls apart. At which point I'll probably order a new one ;)

@Russ S: Yep, that's it exactly. The rules are different when you're alone, even more so a couple of weeks after ice-out. In summer, with friends waiting downstream and actual knowledge of what I was dealing with, that same stretch of rapids would have been super fun. 

It was originally booked to start yesterday (May 11th) but then a month or so ago I bumped it up by a week. Sigh - hindsight!

 

Congrats on your first solo! For some people, it's hard to go back to camping with others once the solo tripping bug strikes. 
 

If you prefer more stable kayaks then that means you prefer shorter and wider kayaks, so your storage options are going to be limited. I saw an Old Town kayak that Solo Lesta is using where he's strapping his canoe pack onto the back, which might be an option for you (if you don't know him, just look for his YouTube channel). 

If you're looking for an actual sea kayak, look at Delta kayaks. Big hatch openings and lots of storage space. I used the Delta 14.5 for a few years (might fit your stability needs) before moving on to the Delta 16, and I love(d) both of them.
 

I hear you about staying dry. I just got back from 6 days in APP and I guarded my dry clothes like my life depended on it (which it did!). My tent, fortunately, performed like a champ and I managed to stay pretty cozy the whole time. I threw in a second warm top almost on a whim in the last minutes of packing, and that seemingly inconsequential decision made all the difference in the world. 

Trip report to come (once I write it) but the portages, at least the ones I was on, are both flooded and littered with blowdowns. 

Cans and bottles are prohibited. Would a keg be considered a large can? My guess is "probably".

A quick google found a long thread on the topic from... guess where... HERE! Conversation from 2010, so it's from the previous AA forum. I even posted in it myself! Lots of opinions in that thread but no conclusion. 

Edit: link in case you want to read it: http://www.network54.com/Forum/352882/thread/1270152462/Heinekin+cans

I've picked up the occasional piece of gear at SAIL. The stores are big and they carry lots of quality equipment. Their website I find a bit of a mess - it can be hard to find what you're looking for. 

I just went into the new North York MEC for the first time yesterday. The most shocking change from the downtown location was that it was virtually empty of people. Granted I was there at 9 AM on a Sunday, but at that same time the King street store would already have 50+ people in it.