first yak camping trip - tips, please

[caught2]

Hi all

I am finally venturing away for a weekend with some (non-fishing) yakking friends. We will paddle/pedal for a few hours and set up camp on an island and then venture out and explore for the rest of the day and the following day before paddling back to base on Sunday evening.

I have done heaps of backpacking and multi day walks thru wilderness areas, but haven't kayak camped before. I have all good lightweight gear (tent, sleeping mat, trangia, etc etc).

How to properly load a yak tho? Are dry bags necessary? How important is weight distribution across the length of the yak. Is it better to have more in the front/back? Where do I put the heaviest items etc.

Any (good) advice would be most welcome.

Kim

[hairymick]

Hi Kim,

Your back-packing/bushwalking kit should do you fine.

A rule of thumb for packing a kayak is heavy stuff towards the bottom and middle of the boat and the lighter stuff towards the ends. Generally pack so that your boat is trimmed so that it floats as near as possible to level. Ya don't want either the bow or stern to be weighed down too much.

[TonyG]

hey caught2,

I have done heaps of camping trips in the kayak and one thing that i would recommend to anyone is abundant use of dry bags. Anything you dont want getting wet should be covered. Things like tents and tarps can be wrapped in a garbage bag, but everything else needs to be in good quality dry bags. Obviously things like canned food are fine, but remember you need to bring it home with you so it is best to wash everythign after you cook, even your empty cans and plastic wrappers.
you'll find you can actually carry about 3 times the quantity of gear you could hiking, just bear in mind the extra weight.
As for water, assuming your trip is on the brine, then you will need to take a heap with you. We found the best method for carrying large volumns of water was to carry it in those black shower bags on the deck. You keep your water for the day in a camel bag in your life vest (or just under your legs) and refil at night out of the shower bags (when the water has cooled). They carry around 15ltrs and take up very little room and are made of a strong plastic which didnt give off any foul taste.

Best of luck with the trip, make sure you have told someone at home about your plans. And if you have mobile phone coverage, send a text when you get to your destinations.

[Astro]

i have done many camping trips in yaks....although many moons ago......tony g is spot on with what he said

the only other advice i would offer is that when exploring stick together as a group

[aleg75]

Kim

I have two dry bags, one 50 litre and the other a 30 litre, you can borrow both if you wish. They are quite handy.

Ash

[arpie]

Hi Kim

Have a great time out there & take lots of pics!!! Make sure you have enough batteries for everything ... camera, headlamp etc, or perhaps invest in one of the smaller solar rechargers.

Take care

Roberta

Look forward to reading your report!

[hairymick]

[Lazybugger]

My tip, don't forget the aeroguard & aveagoodweekend.

Actually bushmans & some others might be better, but make sure you take a full can or bottle with ya.

[fishingchap]

i havent done any yet but wouldnt it be esier to wrap up ur food in paper as u can burn it each night

just a suggestion

[caught2]

Thanks guys - all sounds like useful info!!

Thanks for the offer Ash but have a couple of Hobie ones and bought a 30lt one the other day.

My old computer crashed and burned on Tuesday and I have just got a new one working properly and so have only now read your tips etc. I appreciate them and yes, Roberta, I will take lots of pics - have a new 250Gb hard disk to fill. I am hoping the techos can recover all the stuff from my old hard drive, tho!

Now the computer is sorted, must go out and do a trial pack of Chicca - at a glance it looks like I'll be able to fit in heaps of stuff - more than I ever could into my backpack!!

cu

Kim

[kingfisher111]

Have a great time Kim, kayak camping is just the greatest fun of all especially on islands. You tend to feel like you own them for a short while. All important points have been covered and with your hiking experience its just time to get out there and start taking photos to show the rest of us! Have fun Steve.

[ManjiMike]

Have a great time Kim,
Empty wine cask bladders are good for water (and good fun emptying).
I would list water as one of the heavy items and store it on the bottom. They are also silver so will reflect the sun's heat. Of course if you are going 5star and wanting a hot shower then black ones on the deck will work!!!

Enjoy !!

Cheers Mike

[matheolo]

Thanks guys - all sounds like useful info!!

I appreciate them and yes, Roberta, I will take lots of pics - have a new 250Gb hard disk to fill.
Kim

did you forget to post some pictures?

[kayakone]

Packing camping gear is less of a challenge into a sea kayak (SIK) then a SOT..cause a SIK is all waterproof storage. SOT's are wet, and reqiure dry bags. While dry bags are essential, they are bulky. So for a SOT, may I suggest you consider the use of a medium backpack over your PFD, for light but bulky gear such as a sleeping bag.

If it's not really windy, drybags/gear tied to the deck should not radically alter performance.

Trevor

[mingle]

My Revo was pretty much water-tight for the Snake Island trip I did a few weeks back, but I had dry-bags for all the gear.

I managed to fit everything inside the hull (via the front-hatch), each of the following were in a separate dry-bag:

tent (including all poles and pegs)
sleeping mat & pillow
sleeping bag & liner
spare clothes

I also had one of those plastic tubs (with lid) in which I put all of my cooking gear, food, toiletries & first aid kit.
I think it's around 25lt capacity and fitted nicely inside the Revo's front hatch.

I also took 2 x 1.5 litres of bottled water, which fitted nicely inside the hull, just under the seat-area.

The all-up weight of all the camping gear (including water & food) was 15kg. The only time I noticed the extra weight was when dragging the Revo up the beach.

While out on the water it didn't feel any heavier or slower.

Cheers,

Mike.