Below is a list of kit that we brought along to our recent canoeing trip. The list will no doubt evolve over future years and trips. They represent what we think are necessary for our safety, comfort and survival in emergency situations but please note they are non-exhaustive and represent suggestions and reminder of things that you may need only! The most important thing to consider is to carry sufficient but not too much gear. Remember, a lot of the items can be shared between people!
Sleeping/ Camping stuffs
- Rab sleeping bag - preferably down but synthetic ones (Primaloft) are good if wet
- Thermarest inflatable roll mat (3/4 or full length)
- Sleeping bag liner
- Rab pertex bivvy bag (this is mostly for preventing the sleeping bag from condensation)
- Tent (preferably with a decent porch for cooking in the rain)
- Tarp and parachord
- Snowpeak spork
- Light my fire firesteel or disposable lighter (keep in ziplock bag)
- Stove (we have a Triangia with gas converter + MSR whisperlite)
- Fuel (don't forget to allow for extra days)
- Pots and pans, metal canteen and lid
- Bowls/ plates/ mugs (we use foldable ones to save space)
- Platy
- Water filter or KMnO4 to purify loch/ stream water
- Pocket knife
- Flat wooden spatula (for cooking and scrapping porridge off the pan)
- 5L water container
- Spare shopping bags to put rubbish in
- Wellies
- Neoprene gloves and socks
- Knee pads (Beaver caving knee pads seem to do the job well)
- Spare clothing includes tech T-shirt/ thermal/ underwear/ trousers/ fleece
- Fleece and sun hat
- Sunglasses (sun cream may be more useful as UV light reflects by water)
- Appropriate active clothing for paddling
- Buffalo or Montane Extreme smock (Hilary and Dave swear by theirs, apparently very windproof and keep them nice and toasty even when wet)
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Buoyancy aids
- Black Diamond Moonlight and Petzl Myo XP headtorches
- 80L Nookie dry bag (unfortunately the side panels of ours delaminated from brand new only after one trip... but the back straps on the bags were good for lugging them around during portaging)
- Survival bag or liner (this is to go into the Nookie bags as an extra layer of protection)
- Ortlieb 35L dry bag (as day bag)
- Loads of various sizes Exped dry bags (they are used to 'group' similar loose items together e.g. spare change of clothes/ underwear/socks, wash kit/ towel
- Exped waterproof compression bag for sleeping bag
- Waterproof barrel(s) for absolute dryness
- Eckla canoe trolley with stand
- Roof rack straps and quick release straps
- Holdall or rucksack to hold clothes/ extra stuffs for before and after the paddling trip
- Waterproof bags for camera and mobile phone
- Palm safety throw line 18m + karabiner
- Roll of duct tape
- Technical bailer (used bleach container with bottom cut off) + sponge (preferably tied together with 3mm cord)
- Paddles + spare paddles
- Canoe (of course)
- Whistle
- Waterproof map case + map
- Compass/ GPS
- Shewee (for women only)
- First aid kit and survival blanket
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Moisturiser/ cream
- Wash cloth/ towel
- Soap/ shampoo
- Loo roll
- Nailclipper (you will be surprised how quickly your nails grow)
- Porridge + raisins for breakfast
- Pittabread + filling (tuna packets/ cheese & ham spread) for lunch
- Chorizo
- Oak cakes
- Some fruit for the initial day or two
- Chocolate and Werthers original for energy boost!
- Various snacks (welsh cakes/ dried fruits/ jerky/ pretzels/ nuts - these are particular good for between meals and when setting up tents for the night)
- Dehydrated food packets (or alternatively prepare from scratch, you just need to work out a system) for dinner
- Tea bags/ coffee/ milk powder/ sugar/ cup-a-soup/ hot chocolate
- Whiskey/ brandy/ wine - optional of course
- Hammock
- Basha
- Saw
- Axe
- Small shovel
- Poncho
- Sit mat
- Candle lantern
- Fishing gear
- Spare 1L platy with cap for wine or whiskey/ brandy
- Bigger tent and/or towel for day before and after the paddling trip
- Mountain bothy shelter as sail
- Wet or dry suit
- Spare cash in your car
- Wet wipes
- Cable and lock for the canoes
- Straps for glasses
It's worth thinking how you are going to organise the stuffs and how they are packed into the Nookie bag. Similar items should be grouped into Exped dry bags. These then go into the Nookie bag, think about which items you wish to avoid getting wet and group them, say near the clear panel of the Nookie bag. You can then place the Nookie bags with the clear panel facing up in the canoe and if water did manage to get into the bag, only the items near the bottom would get wet hopefully.
Also consider how the various bags and barrels are tied together when placing in the canoe. Position of these would obviously be different if you were soloing or doing it in tandem. Bags and barrels should be tied together but not strapped to the canoe itself. This will make turning a capsized canoe over much easier.
Any comments are welcome. Happy canoeing!
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