I had this idea that I might be able to use my Pungo 120 as a shelter on multi-day excursions on Florida rivers and beaches. I figured I could unscrew the footrests and the seat and remove them from the kayak for the night, then slip inside and use a kayak cover to shelter myself from the rain and other elements.
If the cover doesn’t breath well for oxygen flow, I could buy a second one and modify it to where it has a large mesh vent and sew in a sort of bow shaped canopy over it so air can flow freely while still keeping out the rain.
It would act much like a long, narrow backpacking tent, with a padded roll to sleep on. Call me paranoid, but the idea of sleeping in a tent near a Florida river in a rural area where gators thrive doesn’t sit well with me. I imagine my body heat or the warmth of a recently put out fire would attract them while I slept and a tent may keep out the rain, it won’t keep out a hungry and curious gator.
Maybe someone here has another suggestion or does the “kayak as an overnight shelter” idea seem plausible?
Your being just a bit paranoid
Gators do not seek people out
Now raccoons and rats do
You will be hot in your coccoon and startled when a raccoon licks the cover for dew (water)
Never had a gator bother me in the tent
been camping FL for 15 years
do be on the lookout for pythons
One was on a. Everglades potty once
Do not dangle toes or fingers in the water a gator brain is the size of a walnut and if it looks like a fish its fair game
Jacl L i believe had a saltwater croc in camp
I have had a gator jump on my boat and quickly off ;they do not like surprises and tend to flee
You might think about how you will arrange your in boat bed if you get lost in the mangroves and sre benighted
This requires doing without getting out of the boat
Its much easier in a bigger craft
fun fact. Gator closes mouth with 2000 psi force
Your kayak will be bent
Get a hammock tent if a tent on the ground scares you. Sleeping in the boat is dumb …too small, not bug proof, WAY too hot. Skeeters will be your #1 threat. Raccoons second. Unless the pythons ate all the raccoons. The raccoons crave water and will break into your boat and chew into fresh water bottles.
Note tents work since many camps don’t have trees at right intervals or size.
Get a back packing tent like the rest of us wilderness back country explorers.
Just starting to get the stuff together now for next week in the Everglades National Park.
You’ll be much more comfortable and safe from the no-see-ums and skeeters
A swamp story.
A guy I know was an EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) officer in the Army . I thought Bill might have a screw or 2 loose. Bill always carried a 45 ACP on camping trips. He and another guy were camping in the Glades. Bill woke up in the wee hours of the night and saw two eyes looking through the mosquito netting. After he blasted the eyes dead center, it was a raccoon.
I don’t know what kept the other guy from having a heart attack . Maybe he was in EOD too.
Bill went on to become an FBI agent.
Makes you feel safe , doesn’t it?
@string said:
…………………… I don’t know what kept the other guy from having a heart attack . Maybe he was in EOD too.
If EOD he likely had hearing problems.
I worked with one of those Army guys. He was in Nam. They had rats as big as ……… well, BIG. One night he woke up and saw eyes looking at him. He pulled out the .45 took aim, but decided to turn on a light. It was a huge rat standing between my friends feet. Rat left…………and Bill didn’t shoot his feet either.