gung ho! and costs of kayaking

gps
credit card is ready…gotta have one!

For the home builder, even boats…
…and paddles can be very inexpensive.



Admittedly, I did spend quite a bit of money on gear during my first few years of paddling (with occasional new purchases here and there over the past several years). Even in the beginning, I was lucky, because my first boat purchase was a great deal due to having friends in the kayak rental/retail business (got my brand new, custom ordered CD Caribou for wholesale plus shipping; no retail markup).



All the neoprene and Gore-Tex purchases have been very good values, as they last a very long time if well taken care of. Even my other bits of gear have served me well for many years (dry bags, helmet, bilge pump, etc.).



My evolving tastes in boat design and materials have also, as a happy coincidence, brought me in the direction of spending less and less money for boats and paddles. My second boat is a S&G kit, and my next boat(s) will be not only my absolute “dream boat” type, but also the very least expensive of them all…SOF boats! I’m also getting into carving my own wooden Greenland Paddles, so I’ll be saving a great deal on paddle acquisition as well.



The discovery of my passion for paddling eight years ago also finally pushed me over the edge in terms of finding ways to simplify my life in general, and I very happily moved from living a somewhat extravagant life (living in big cities, traveling a lot, collecting expensive things, etc.) to living a much more quiet, much less expensive, more environmentally reasonable, and best of all, more emotionally/spiritually fulfilling life.



I used to be a fairly typical “consumer” when it came to material things. Even so, I always felt a nagging discomfort with the idea of living that way, so finally, with my discovery of paddling, I found a way to answer the “call of the wild” that had also always been a part of me ever since I was very young (I thank my late father for being such a nature/wilderness enthusiast, and for taking me on all his outdoor adventures).



Some will say that paddling is not a “way of life”, but for me at least, it has been one of the notable things that has taught me a great deal about myself, and about what I value in life. There’s no way (and no reason) to put a dollar value on the truly “priceless” things of life.



Melissa