Gear List - 3-day, 2-night Sea Kayaking Trip
The gear list below is what I packed for a 3 day sea kayaking trip on Georgian Bay in Ontario.
The weather was expected to be nice and typical of an Ontario August weekend - warm days and cool nights. Rain was not forecast but, as always, was planned for.
Outerwear:
- Wide-brimmed hat with neck strap (A Tilly Hat is a good choice.)
- Neoprene paddling gloves
- Waterproof-breathable windproof shell jacket or paddling/splash jacket
- Fleece jacket
- Waterproof/breathable rain pants
Stuff:
- First-Aid Kit
- Headlamp
- Eating Supplies (plastic cup, plastic plate, Lexan utensils)
- 1 litre Nalgene Water Bottle
- Sun Glasses
- Lip Balm
- Knife/Multi-Tool
- Whistle
- Compass
- Map Case & Map
- Butane Lighter (Wind-proof/Water-proof)
- Pencil/Notepad
- Zip-lock bag for wallet (safer with me than in the car)
- Utility straps (x2) - for holding snowshoes onto backpack
- Self-heating "Hot Pad" foot/hand warmer (x2 for each night at least)
- Coffee filters or cheesecloth. Water from melting snow invariably contains all sorts of leaf and pine needle debris. Although harmless once boiled, these bits are easily removed by straining the water first.
Toiletries:
- Hand Sanitizer
- Toilet Paper (in zip-lock bag)
- Flushable Wet Wipes (in zip-lock bag)
- Paper Lunch Bags (x2+) and large zip-lock bags - for transporting and burning toilet waste in areas where there is little top soil
- Toothbrush/toothpaste
- Small hand towel
To Wear:
- Underwear - Quick Dry
- Shirt - Quick-dry, long sleeve to protect against sun
- Shorts or quick-dry pantsFleece Pants
- Water shoes, sandals or neoprene paddling booties
- Ankle Socks - optional, to reduce chance of getting blisters while wearing wet shoes/sandals
Sleeping:
- Camping Mattress
- Sleeping Bag (Summer or 3-Season)
- Compression sack for sleeping bag
- Expedition weight (fleece)long underwear (for sleeping)
- Expedition weight (fleece) long sleeve undershirt (for sleeping)
- Wool socks (two pairs)
- Pillow Case - stuff with extra clothing to make a pillow
One set of extra clothing:
- Pair of Socks (1 or more extra pairs)
- Underwear (1)
- Pants (wool or synthetic quick dry)
- Shirt (wool or synthetic quick dry)
More thoughts on preparing for a sea kayak trip...
Because you'll be bringing a large number of small items instead of one big backpack or canoe pack, what is really handy to have is one or more Ikea shopping bags for transporting the items from your car to the kayak and then also from the kayak to the campsite. The Ikea bag (or equivalent) is large enough to carry quite a bit but packs up really small and takes up virtually no space in the kayak.
When packing your tent, you will be better off separating the parts. The fly, tent, and poles can all be separated and packed on their own. This way you'll have 3 smaller packages rather than one big one. It will be easier to find space in the kayak to put them. The poles can be protected from breakage by placing them in a packing tube or wrapped in a piece of cardboard formed and taped into a tube-like form. I wrap the entire packing tube in packing tape or duct tape to give it strength and The poles, protected in their packing tube, will be able to placed far up into the bow of the kayak where it is very narrow and not much else will fit there.
