A nine because nothing's perfect but the Traveler is near perfect only surpassed by wood canvas canoes. I use this canoe on a lake near my house when I try to Freestyle and it works lovely. I find the Traveler, which I could buy of a friend who couldn't paddle anymore, very responsive and very fast (with the right paddle, a Shawn & Tenney). Indeed without load and with wind it is more cumbersome to steer but with enough technique it surely can be done. This boat is however no beginners' canoe because the demand on your technique is formidable. It is truly a pitty that Mad River Canoe does not continue to build this canoe (but that is also valid for the Slipper old model, pre-1995).
