If you’re looking for an idea of paddling trip gear required, in this video below I give a paddling gear run down. Everyone will have different needs and preferences for gear, but when it comes down to it, you will need some gear that is cross cutting for paddling.
Over the years, I’ve gone from really roughing it in the back country with no camp chairs, heavy front country tents, sleeping on the ground, to saying, “screw it, I like some luxury” and portaging in solar radios, fancier sleeping pads, lighter weight tents, gravity filters and other “glamping” items.
However, your base gear essentially will consist of:
- Canoe or kayak (and associated items to be legal, ie life jackets, bail bucket, signaling device, whistle, tow line, etc…)
- Map and compass (or some sort of navigational device)
- Packs (hiking packs, food barrels, dry sacks, etc)
- Sleeping Bag
- Tent
- Cook set (stove, pots and pans, gas… etc)
- Water filtration device (mechanical filter, tablets, etc)
- First aid kit
Anything on top of this is going to be, in a way, luxury. Could you cut out anything from this list? Sure, but I wouldn’t recommend it! There are a few items I would add to the list for additional comfort:
- Sleeping mat (some would even argue this should be in the first list)
- Chairs (doesn’t have to be those big clunky camp chairs. There are a lot of stuff out there now!)
- Cards or some sort of game
- Tarp (you’ll thank me when it rains and there’s no communal sitting area)
- Mosquito repellent and/or net
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and again, everyone will have different wants and needs depending also on their comfort level.
In the video, I go through a few pieces that I believe are essentials that I think can be really helpful for your knowledge of getting ready for your adventure! Take a gander below for a paddling gear run down!
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