Meet Ryan

RC
About the Author

Ryan Calloway

Watersports writer and gear reviewer based in Portland, Oregon. 20 years on the water across the Pacific Northwest coast, Pacific Ocean, and beyond.
🌄 Portland, Oregon
🚴 20 Years Paddling
🌊 Pacific Northwest
My Story

I bought my first kayak in 2004 — a used Perception Carolina 14.5 that I found on Craigslist for $340. I paddled it on the Willamette River without any real training, capsized twice in the first week, and was completely hooked. Twenty years later I have tested over 500 products on the water and I still get up early on cold mornings to paddle before work.

I have sea kayaked the Oregon coast from Astoria to Brookings, paddled the San Juan Islands in Washington during three separate multi-day trips, run whitewater on the Deschutes, Clackamas, and Sandy rivers, and spent more days than I can count on the Columbia and Willamette. I have also done SUP tours on Crater Lake, wakeboards behind a boat on Lake Billy Chinook, and snorkeled in Hawaii more times than I deserve.

I started On The Water Gear because most gear review sites are written by people who have never actually used the products they are reviewing. Every review on this site comes from real time on the water — real conditions, real failures, and real opinions.

What I Have Tested
🌊
Sea Kayaking
Oregon coast, San Juan Islands, Puget Sound, Columbia River estuary. Multi-day expeditions in conditions ranging from flat calm to Force 5 winds.
🎣
Kayak Fishing
Bass on the Willamette, steelhead on the Sandy, salmon on Tillamook Bay. Pedal drive, paddle, and motor-assisted kayaks tested side by side.
🏄
Stand Up Paddling
Lake paddling, ocean downwinders, SUP yoga on still water, and SUP fishing on Hagg Lake and Sauvie Island.
🏝
Whitewater
Class II to IV rivers in Oregon and Washington. Deschutes, Clackamas, Sandy, and White Salmon rivers tested across multiple seasons.
🏋
Wake Sports
Wakeboarding, water skiing, and towable tubes on Lake Billy Chinook, Detroit Lake, and Hagg Lake.
🥊
Snorkeling
Hawaii big island reefs, Maui coast, and Caribbean clear water. Tested masks, fins, and underwater cameras in real conditions.
How I Review Gear

Every product I review has been used on real trips. I do not accept free gear in exchange for positive reviews. I do not get paid by manufacturers. When I earn a commission through an Amazon affiliate link it does not change what I write — I have recommended against products that pay higher commissions when a cheaper option was genuinely better.

I test gear in Pacific Northwest conditions specifically because they are among the most demanding in North America. Cold water temperatures between 45 and 58 degrees for most of the year, unpredictable weather, strong tidal currents, and exposed coastal paddling reveal problems that warm water flatwater testing never will.

If I have not personally used a product I will tell you that clearly. If something broke, failed, or disappointed me during testing I will tell you that too. That is the only way any of this is useful to you.

Get in Touch

Have a question about a product, a paddling destination in the Pacific Northwest, or want to suggest a piece of gear I should test? I read every message.

Send a Message

“`