Kayak Camping Checklist

kayak campingDevelopments in boat and gear technology have made kayak camping, solo or tandem, more practical.  Kayak camping requires more thought and planning than car or canoe camping.  You can’t always just “stick it on top”, when there isn’t room in the boat.  With judicious planning and careful selection of gear, a lot can be loaded into a craft that scarcely looks big enough for the paddler.

Here then are some tips and a few sites for kayak camping.

Kayak Camping Checklist

  • Kayak – Get, borrow, or rent a kayak.  If you already have one, great.  Types range from ocean going to white water stubbies.  The ocean going will carry a lot more gear of course.  Longer and heavier than designs specializing in  white water kayaking, ocean ‘yaks will hold a great deal of gear.  Things you’ll want to look for are:
    • Hatches.  Most have 2, some 3.  Secured hatches, with straps and buckles are better than snap-on covers.
    • Skeg or rudder.  Both help in maneuvering your boat a great deal.
    • A comfortable seat and back rest.  You’ll be exercising in that seat for 8-10 hours, in potentially hostile environments.  Comfort is key.
    • Foot pegs or rests.
    • Easy and safe exit.  If you have to make a wet exit, you don’t want a boat that fits so tightly that you can’t get out.
    • Spray skirt.  There’s a big hole in your boat.  You sit in it.  A spray skirt will help keep water out of your cockpit.
  • Paddles – You’ll want at least 2 per boat.  Most kayak paddles are 2 piece and can be put together with the blades turned ninety degrees from each other.  The purpose of this feature is to allow,  on the return stroke , the paddle blade to be turned edge wise to the wind.  Personally, I have tried to stay off the water when there’s enough wind that I’d even notice whether the blade is edge-on or not.  But there you have it.  And drip rings.  These are little collars around the paddle shaft that help keep water from running down the paddle under your arm in into your boat.
  • Used boats – The most common material for kayaks is plastic, in some form.  It can be a polyurethane molded, single thickness hull, Royalex sandwich, Fiberglass, kevlar, wood strip, or cloth on frame.  If you’ve determined that you’re comfortable with a used kayak, check out every component.  Look for crazing and spider cracks where stress points occur; deck fastenings, foot pegs, bow and stern handles or loops, rudder, if equipped. Look for deep gouges in the bottom.  They can signal weak points and possible fracture lines if the hull is under  stress.  Minor scratches and discolorations are not of concern.
  • Shelter-tent or tarp
    • Small 1 1/2 or 2 person tent, with rain fly.  Always look for a roomy vestibule.  When you buy, keep in mind it has to go through your hatch-but you knew that already, right?
    • Depending on the bug situation, you  may opt for a tarp rather than a tent.  Same caution.  Whatever pole rig you depend on will have to fit through your hatches.
    • Ground cloth – start oversize, then tuck under tent.  An oversize ground cloth allows you to stage the set up process without getting grit and grime on your gear.  A ground cloth helps preserve the floor of your tent.  Even if it doesn’t rain, moisture will collect on what ever is lying on the ground,  Stowing a damp ground cloth is easier than dealing with a damp tent.  The cloth also helps reduce the abrasion that might occur as your floor rubs against roots, rocks and grit.  A suitable Tyvek square will cost a couple bucks at any big box store.
  • mess kit
    • Nesting pots and skillet, utensils, can opener, cooking oil, scrubbing pad, bio-soap, pot lifter, plates, utensils, cups, aluminum foil, zip lock bags.  Don’t use the kind with a zipper pull, they leak.
  • stove/fuel
    • If you use liquid, stow away from food.  Canisters and alcohol are popular.  Wind screen and pot rest.  If you’re a white gas camper, be sure to take a funnel.
  • ground mat
    • Useful when setting up camp.  It’s place to dump your gear as you set up your shelter and kitchen.
  • stakes, poles/ropes
    • 12″ stakes are a good option.  Their extra length is essential in sandy soils. but you don’t have to drive them in as deep for loamy or rooty sites.
  • Fire kit – fire starters, tinder, lighter, matches, sparker
  • Spare paddle
    • Should be lashed on your deck when paddling
    • Can be used as poles to help hold up tarp shelter, if no trees are available.
  • flashlight/headlamp
    • Spare batteries for all lighting devices.
  • Camping food
    • Menu dictated.  Sort food into prepared and needs preparation bags.
    • Condiments-salt, pepper, cinnamon sugar, sweetener,
  • Water container – plan on 1 gallon per person per day.  Use soft bladders, Camel-back, or poly bags.  The bladder in boxed wine works great.  Finish the wine, get rid of the box, clean and use.  They stow great and the mylar construction is very tough.
  • sleeping bag
    • Double bag, inside dry bag
  • Sleeping pad –  Self inflating pads take up less room.  An air mattress is also good.  be sure to take a patch kit.
  • Rain gear – A rain suit is preferred over a poncho.  Frogg Toggs has a nice product that is a good fit for kayak camping.  It is light weight, and water proof.  It’s a little strange when you first put it on, but they work.
  • PFD (Personal Flotation Device) – life jacket
  • Whistle – Shouting for help gets tiresome. A whistle can be a life saver.
  • Safety/emergency bag – Should be stowed in your cockpit or behind seat.  Flare, strobe light, whistle or fog horn, space blanket, signal mirror, bilge pump.
  • Rope throw bag
  • GPS – Compass, not either, both, and maps.  Most modern GPs units are waterproof, but things happen.  Murphy likes to go kayak camping, too.  A low-tech Suunto compass is a nice add.
  • Collapsing saw
  • personal kit – tooth brush, paste, soap, towel, face cloth, signal mirror(doubles as grooming mirror), sunscreen, bug repellant
  • Fishing gear, license
  • Hats – be sure to have good sun protection, especially if you like the billed cap.  A bandana draped on the back of your head and secured by the cap works well, even if it does look…woodsy.
  • Sleeping mat
  • Toilet paper, paper towels.

Here’s a nice tutorial about kayak camping in the Everglades.

 http://www.youtube.com/user/mechanicmike69?feature=csp-in-feed

And some more tips for kayak camping.

http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?317

Kayak camping: Packing strategy.  

Keeping stuff dry

Assume your hatches will leak.  It is almost guaranteed that you will ship some water.  With the additional weight of your gear, your decks will be lower to the water’s surface and the skin of your boat will be undergoing torques because of that additional weight.  Dry bags are the critical piece of gear for a kayak camping list.  There are several kinds available.  We recommend the rubberized type.  These are more durable and come in a variety of colors to assist you in organizing your gear.  The clear plastic ones are economical and allow you a slight view of what’s inside.  But they are fragile and puncture easily, especially if cold.

Double bag your sleeping bag.  Use a good dry bag and stuff your sleeping bag inside a garbage bag or 2 before you put it in it’s stuff bag, then the dry bag.  Don’t put anything else in there with it.

Balance your load

Heavy stuff as low in your boat as you can get it.  And to the center.  Balance left and right, too.

Filling the cracks

This is a personal preference.  As you pack, you’ll find gaps between the bundles you’ve stowed.  Some like to fill these gaps with items that are pretty well protected, like cans of food.  This makes for a full boat, but also time consuming to unload and repack. If you plan on portaging at all, like the Trail of the 7 Carries, in upstate New York, this may not be the best approach.  The opposing approach is everything in containers, so you end up with a dozen or so brightly colored bags that you have to then coax through the hatches and into your boat.  While this may not be the most efficient use of your cargo space, it is much easier to load and unload a kayak so arranged.

Floating Yard Sale

(I love this description) Basically, the only things you should have lashed to your decks is your extra paddle, and bilge pump.  If you can’t get a piece of gear through  the hatch, don’t take it.  No lawn chairs, no coolers, no beach umbrellas, please.  Oh, your spear and atlatl can go on the deck, along with the bladder float.

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