Hi, I’m relatively new to the forums and I’m looking for some fairly specific advice regarding prep for longer solo wilderness excursions in a kayak.
A bit of background: I’ve taken my Prijon Seayak deep into the Canadian bush on several occasions. As I gain experience, I crave longer trips, but at this point the most I have been able to pack–even loading the yak’s two large dry compartments and the cockpit crannies, plus a bag on the rear deck–has been gear for 17 days. My food has been exclusively dehydrated bag meals and dry trail snacks, i.e. nothing fresh or canned that would take up more volume or demand more prep than boiled water. Without belaboring the point, I feel like I already lean minimal.
I am currently considering purchasing a crossover boat like the Dagger Katana 10.4, which has substantially less storage volume than my Seayak does, but I have heard at least two reviewers mention that they took this far smaller boat on 16-day self-supported trips with plenty of food, and–if they’d used all the Katana’s available space–they could have gone for 28 days. Now admittedly they were both paddling the Grand Canyon, so maybe they didn’t need the cold-weather clothing and 3500+ calorie days I do. But still. After my jaw closed back up, I found myself wondering what food packing strategies I have missed, and perhaps packing strategies in general.
Can any of you longtime forum members point me to threads, websites, books, etc. with advice that might help me? I’d like to take a smaller crossover boat like the Katana on long river trips where the whitewater might preclude my paddling the Seayak, and (while I’m at it) also figure out better Seayak packing strategies as well.
Thanks in advance! And for all you canoeists out there, I already know the first thing you’re gonna say, so save some virtual ink.
Sounds like a good topic that I will follow for advice.
Even for my shorter trips of a few days I should be able to learn something and keep building for bigger trips.
You sound like you pack pretty lightly already. Figure out what you need to bring and what you are willing to leave behind. if you are willing to wear the same clothes for the whole trip, it is down to just food, water, sleeping system, and gear needed for paddling. Whitewater folks seem more willing to dirt bag than I. I still to at leadt day touring kayaks and can carry a bunch more.
It might not be the food you need to shrink. You may need to acquire more compact gear to make room for more food. Smaller tent, Fewer clothes with plans to do laundry along the way. More compact down sleeping bag. All that ultralight stuff is expensive.
Also, you might plan a trip that passes through a place you could mail a food box to, like the Appalachian Trail thru-hikers do.
I have to trust that if you’re in the Canadian “bush”, you aren’t dragging your own water in with our abundant, clean, accessible fresh water sources (and if you’re experienced at all, you already know to filter/treat/boil/whatever despite how clean it seems).
I have faced a similar problem, though with an even larger boat. I find that with a kayak, as compared to a backpack, things that used to be luxuries tend to become “necessities”. Age also plays a part in this… I’d be very curious to know what your base setup is before the food. As mentioned, going with smaller and lighter stuff here is where you’re going to save the most space (and weight if you’re portaging - god forbid). I’ve maxed out at just over a week hiking with a backpack near Killarney, ON. At 2 lbs per day, and losing some weight throughout the hike due to insufficient calories (very acceptable for this duration), food weight is considerable from the beginning.
I’ve considered setting up caches, but then I think about getting deep into the wilderness only to find that the cache I planned to rely on has been raided by people or animal.
So… maybe not much help, but I’m also interested in some of the unconventional options that may be presented here. If I ever get my TRAK 2.0, I’m going to be downsizing somewhat from the gear I can carry in my Impex Assateague.
No advice on packing, just to say I hope you carry a PLB so in case something does go wrong out in the wilds, you can summon help. Ocean Signal makes one that’s 3" x 2" and works on land and water. Fits in a tiny pocket of your PFD.
I have faced a similar problem, though with an even larger boat. I find that with a kayak, as compared to a backpack, things that used to be luxuries tend to become “necessities”.
That’s the truth! I decided my Chesapeake didn’t cut it for camping when I ran out of room before I got the coffee pot in!
Depending on many factors, these boats let us have a pretty good comfort level in camp with the loads that some of them will carry. Only going for a few days at a time I bring a propane stove (single burner), a lantern, a chair, a cast iron fry pan, extra food, water and clothing, and of course the coffee pot!
The backpacking gear is a great way to maximize what you can pack, but like you said it’s expensive… It’s also needed if you are planning on three weeks plus.
I’ve watched several shows on youtube with people taking long kayak trips. The common theme I’ve seen on most of these trips is that they have re supply points along the way. Most of these trips are coastal and you can’t really go a week of paddling without finding some sort of town along the coast.
Thanks to everyone for so many responses already! Glad the discussion seems useful to several of us.
I’ll be happy to offer a detailed base setup at some point as @Sparky961 requested. For the moment I’ll answer a few other questions I have read above:
I do filter my water with a ceramic system. I fish when I must, though cook gear demands extra space/weight and fishing itself has so many variables that I’d rather treat fish as a bonus calorie source than one I have to depend on without fail. Portaging is becoming unavoidable, hence my search for a capable lighter boat that still has ample storage.
Last year I soloed in Nunavik and next time I plan to run a river above the tree line, so I’ll need to take along at least a few fuel canisters. I do take along a Garmin InReach PLB, which has treated me well. There’s no one where I go for the most part…I am considering routes that have a fishing camp along the way that could serve as a food drop, but for purposes of the discussion let’s please focus on the packing strategies themselves.
I’m not sure how to fit say a months worth of supplies in the boat without planning on a resupply or some harvesting of something along the way.
If we look at an MRE as a baseline of light weight food, they average about 1 1/2 pounds each. With the calories you would be burning I would think you would want to plan on two per day so three pounds. In 30 days that’s 90 pounds plus a ton of room.
I know MRE’s aren’t the only option but it’s a good light weight baseline.
I would like to see what food gets packed for an extended stay to make it work.
To me, some dehydrated foods and maybe some rice and or pasta along with a plan to forage, hunt or fish is about the only option I can think of. No matter what you are eating, after two or three weeks it adds up to a lot of space and weight.
@SharpsRifle said:
I’m not sure how to fit say a months worth of supplies in the boat without planning on a resupply or some harvesting of something along the way.
If we look at an MRE as a baseline of light weight food, they average about 1 1/2 pounds each. With the calories you would be burning I would think you would want to plan on two per day so three pounds. In 30 days that’s 90 pounds plus a ton of room.
I know MRE’s aren’t the only option but it’s a good light weight baseline.
I would like to see what food gets packed for an extended stay to make it work.
To me, some dehydrated foods and maybe some rice and or pasta along with a plan to forage, hunt or fish is about the only option I can think of. No matter what you are eating, after two or three weeks it adds up to a lot of space and weight.
The boat you are looking at has a volume of 105 gallons. I just paddled the Inside Passage with an 85 gallon boat and only had a small snack and sunscreen sized deck bag. On my longest leg I had food for 24 days so this should be possible for you!
Clothing- as a previous commenter said, plan to wear the same clothes every day. Your outfit for your coldest situation should be wearing everything you brought with you.
Food- If you are bringing the prepackaged dehydrated food, that is not the lowest volume option. Instead try planning on eating the same meals more than once and packing the ingredients in bulk for multiple meals. For example: purchase 5 meals worth of macaroni, unbox at home and put it all into one ziplock. Try to bring foods with a high calorie to volume ratio. Peanut butter, cheese etc. If you use a canister stove, try switching to a white gas or alcohal stove instead.
Packing- A common thing I see is putting everything in a dry bag. It doesn’t all have to be. Shoes, sleeping pads, rain gear, certain prepackaged foods etc can be tucked into nooks and crannies instead of in a drybag. Don’t be afraid to start off disorganized. When I started the 24 day leg I had bags of granola, crackers, and cheese stuffed into every space I could find in my boat. After a few days of eating I had room again and it all became reasonably organized. If you have drybag of odds an ends, like a toiletry bag, try putting in a trash compactor bag and a stuff sack that is larger than the dry bag you took it out of. It will be malleable so you can spread it around, make it flat, stuff into crevasses or the point of your bow or otherwise unused space.
I have a complete gear list at:
My partner had a larger boat than me which is why things like chairs were able to come with us, but all of my gear and half the food fit in my boat. All the luxuries went with my partner.
My long trips have been through the Everglades, so the clothing issue is much different.
I take a mesh hammock, tarp a couple of Mylar space blankets, and 65 feet of paracord for sleeping and sitting. I also take one of the filtering water bottles, it makes me feel safer. There are powdered electrolyte packages that keep you better hydrated.
Since I am in somewhat familiar waters I rely on fishing to supplement the food I carry. I also use a one burner camp stove because dry firewood is in short supply in the Glades.
Instant coffee can be a lifesaver.
I also pack four pairs of high tech latex underwear. They dry quickly so they can be washed.
A couple of dehydrated survival dinners can also perk you up when it starts to get to you.
The good thing about dry storage bags is that you can strap them on the deck and use all of the nooks and crannies for the sugary stuff that can seriously bolster energy when it runs low.
A combination spot and bench lamp. Rechargeable batteries and a solar recharger.
