I’ve been paddling sea kayaks for decades but only recently bought an open-top pack-boat which is more akin to a canoe (but paddled like a kayak and has more of a kayak hull). Anyway, in assembling my grab-and-go gear bag, I’ve been thinking about what I should and shouldn’t have with me and how that compares to my kayak kit. Should I take my hand pump, or buy a bailer? Would an electric pump make more sense? And what about rain? In my sit-inside kayak, I’m pretty well protected…especially if wearing a rain hat and doubly so if I take my Kokatat Cag. Do canoers typically take a poncho if rain is in the forecast, or just get wet? Since I’m not rolling my canoe, I’m inclined to take a bigger, more reliable anchor (i.e., if I’m rolling, I don’t like the idea of a big hunk of metal clanging around inside my hull) than I would in my kayak. For my canoe (er…packboat) I purchased a small claw anchor which I’m very happy with.
Spray cover for the pack canoe. Or just wear a rainsuit. No poncho… That is a safety no no… You can get entangled in it.
Never taken an anchor… If you want a bailer make one out of a Clorox bottle.
My canoe gear is minimalist but the pack is bigger… not a bunch of little bags in the hatch… A bunch of little drybags in the big canoe pack and I am ready to carry that pack and the canoe over portages.
Many whitewater open boaters have installed one or more electric bilge pumps to quickly empty their boats. The can be run off of small sealed lead/acid batteries or even smaller and lighter lithium batteries. If you anticipate paddling in conditions that might put a lot of water in the boat quickly you might consider that option.
The manual bilge pumps that many sea kayakers use also work fine for canoes. You can carry a sponge if you want to get the last traces of water out of the boat.
Any gear you carry in an open canoe is not going to be contained as it would be within a compartment of a sea kayak. I would consider installing some anchors to the floor of your hull so as to be able to restrain gear within the hull.
As for rain, I carry a Gortex splash jacket and a pair of splash pants within a small roll top dry bag.
I am usually kneeling in a canoe and the footwear that I use in a canoe is often different than what I might wear if I was sitting in a kayak or planning to exclusively sit in a canoe. When kneeling with your toes pointed back you want footwear with a fairly flexible sole. You also don’t want something like a toggle on the front of the shoe that would press against the top of your ankle when kneeling. When kneeling with your feet under a seat, you don’t want to be wearing shoes with a big protrusion of the sole at the heel that would hinder extracting your feet from underneath the seat.
My canoes nearly always have grab loops front and aft with a painter attached. I don’t use painters on kayaks. I always carry a spare paddle in a canoe and almost never do in a kayak. If you are paddling primarily with a double-bladed paddle I would consider taking along a single-bladed paddle as well. This could be a relatively cheap variety that could come in handy if you need to push off the bottom or if you loose or break your double-bladed paddle.
Quite different actually. Kayaks require small pieces of equipment to fit in hatches. Spray skirt, bilge pump, paddle float kayak paddle.
Canoes can handle dogs and 2 burner Coleman stove, canoe paddles, throw lines.
I like to have a Clorox bottle type bailer and sponge. My kayak pump is too slow for my taste and doesn’t get it all out. A dry pack or box for the gear with a short length of rope tied to the thwart when paddling slow water not white water.
I think you mentioned beach umbrella in another thread. Made me think of this photo taken on the Suwanee River.
