Paddle camping gear

Wilderness Tripping
#1

Someone started a thread in the Fishing forum to discuss paddle camping. I’m moving my information over to this forum to perhaps get more dialog going. Info on what gear you use. What you like & find useful. What you’ve tried that was a fail or disappointment. Handy tips. Etc.

Here’s my basic paddle camping set-up.
Kayak - Necky Vector 13 SOT used this past year. Just got an Eddlyline Caribbean 14 SOT. I use a Werner Camano paddle & carry an Aquabound 4 piece paddle as a spare.

Shelter & sleep - Big Agnes Blacktail 2 tent. Exped Synmat 7 pad. Top quilt instead of a sleeping bag. My pad, top quilt, clothes, and personal gear are packed in a Watershed Yukon dry duffel that fits very nicely in the tank well of my SOT kayaks. All other stuff is packed inside the kayak in small dry bags. Everything has a paracord leash on it that carabiners into a lash point inside the kayak so I can reel it in and it doesn’t get lost inside the recesses of the kayak.

Kitchen - MSR Windpro II stove. GSI Halulite 1L cookpot. I also carry a dry baking kit & a mini fry pan at times. Love me a freshly baked biscuit or muffin with a meal, and sometimes some mini pancakes. I carry 2 GSI Micro tables…decadent yes, but oh so handy while cooking. One table for the stove, one for misc. cooking stuff. If I’m paddling at Grand Teton or Yellowstone, my food is in a bear canister. Bare Boxer is the brand of canister I use. The front hatch on my Necky kayak isn’t very big and this was the only canister I found that would fit thru it.

Camp comfort - Travelchair Joey camp chair. I have a badly messed up knee and this chair is comfy and easy for me to get out of. Depending on the trip, I usually bring a hammock for camp napping.

Toilet - I found this great packable toilet that’s easy to use and fits inside my kayak very well. Turbo Toilet. I’ll post pictures of it. Works great with wag bags.

Water filter - MSR pump style or Sawyer gravity. When I have to carry water for trips, it’s carried in rectangular nalgene containers from REI. I also found these cool collapsible containers from Hydrapak that are long & skinny. They fit nice inside the kayak. used them in the fall & had no leakage issues.

#2

Here’s some info on the Turbo Toilet. I bought mine at a Local Emergency Essentials store here in Salt Lake City. I like that is packs flat and fits through the 11X8 hatch on my kayak. Comfy way to use wag bags in the wilderness.

Turbo Toilet is available from Amazon or from the manufacturer Black Pine. It costs about $50. The seat and the bottom are hard plastic. I glued some yoga mat material to the bottom so that it’s not slippery when used on hard pack soil or rocky areas. The zipper case it comes in is ok, but the zipper broke after a couple trips. I carry it in a dry bag anyway, so no biggie. I have used 3 different brands of wag bags in it and they all fit fine. Just overlap the bag over the seat for use. It doesn’t have any kind of lid, so we just drape the dry bag over it as a cover. So far in the desert canyons, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone Lake, no critters disturbed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C20APL7KaS8

#3

I’ve camped a few times out of my kayak and next summer will be doing multi-day trip. These trip are with a few guys with heavy fishing type sit on tops so me and my other buddy have an easier time so I pack a bit heavier. However, I’m preparing for different trips in the future so over time I’m trading things out.

Kayak: 12’ Perception Prodigy, a sit-in. I can’t recall the brand of my paddle but I like it and my main buddy has the same kind. We each carry half of the same type paddle as a spare.

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I’m a heavier guy, and working on it, but for now I’m a bit lower in the rear than most so I pack light in my rear hatch and heavier inside the boat in the front.

Dry Bags: I have a few generic ones but this Christmas I got two SealLine Baja Bags. One is 30L and the other 20L. These seem tough enough to take a bit of abuse but are not the overly thick ones and weigh too much.

Rescue Throw Bag: NRS Wedge Rescue Throw Bag. Fifty-five feet of rope, which will do in the rivers that I normally go on. Another reason why I chose this one over the larger one is that it will fit next to my seat, where I can get to it quickly. The larger one would have to go behind my seat, which is ok, but I never know if I’ve put other things back there and it would make access more difficult. Another reason is that I don’t want to make the decision to leave it behind because it’s too large. The NRS Wedge works well for me.

Deck Bag: I may get a deck bag before my next trip… not sure. I don’t want to accessorize to death yet having maps and other things I want to have readily available is attractive.

Cooking: I have a 750ml titanium cookpot and use an alcohol fuel stove that I made myself. I also have a generic canister stove that I usually don’t take with me. I use a windscreen that I bought from a local outdoors place. I have an insulator for my cookpot that I made out of reflectix, works great.

Food: For breakfast I usually have an oatmeal concoction that has a bit of powdered milk, dried fruit, nuts, etc. in it. I have the portions already in their own little ziplocks so I don’t eat too much on any day and leave the last day too light. For lunches and dinners I USUALLY use dehydrated meals. I like CampChow.com or PackitGourmet.com. They are rehydrate in-bag if you want and I also have a pouch made from reflectix to put the bag in to maintain heat. That’s good for colder weather.

Chair: Right now I just have a small foldout stool. It does the job but it’s not comfy, and sometimes I want comfy. I’m looking at the chairs like the Joey Chair that someone already mentioned.

Sleep: I sleep in a hammock so I have a Warbonnet Traveler with there are no skeeters, and another with a bugnet sewed in when skeeters are out. I use a tarp for my roof and a small piece of blue tarp as my floor. If it’s chilly or cold I have an underquilt which keeps me toasty warm and a top quilt which keeps me even toastier.

Water Filter: I use a platypus 2L gravity setup. I like that as I like to go into camp with 4L of water. This is for kayak AND hiking. It’s a larger setup but worth it to me. The 4L gets my cooking and evening hydration going as well as cooks breakfast and enough to get going down the river or trail.

Water storage: I have one 1L bottle, and a 2L collapsible. When filtering my water I filter into the 2L and 1L containers then carry 2L of unfiltered water in the “dirty bag”. While cooking, etc. I filter the rest and have a bit left over to backwash my filter to keep it working.

Electronics: I carry my phone, turned off. I also have an old phone that is only for playing some music if I choose to listen to any around camp. If on anything other than a trivial trip I have a Delorme GPS system that works very well. I also have an external battery that I charge at the house though I’ve never had to use it. I have a cheap solar charger thing (Upow brand) that also has a battery and it’s done well to keep my small needs going.

Lighting: I have an inflatable solar lantern that is really cool. I carry two headlamps, but Teac brand. Extra batteries, etc.

Toilet: Right now I use a luggable-loo. It’s a seat that fits on a bucket. Yep, a bucket. I keep all necessary items in a dry bag inside the bucket. I also may keep other things in there, in a trash bag or whatever, and lash it to the rear of my kayak. It’s large but handy. I’m on the lookout for alternatives but on multi-person outings it is very handy.

#4

@Raftergirl said:

Kitchen - MSR Windpro II stove. GSI Halulite 1L cookpot. I also carry a dry baking kit & a mini fry pan at times. Love me a freshly baked biscuit or muffin with a meal, and sometimes some mini pancakes. I carry 2 GSI Micro tables…

I like that stove. I don’t think I’d get the one that has the separate canister and instead get the one that screws right to it, but that’s just my choice. Your kind would be more stable but since I also backpack camp I’m trying to be conscious of the volume of my pack. Weight as well.

I’ve never used one of the micro tables. I’m afraid to try them as I may like them and it’d be one more thing I’d carry.

Camp comfort - Travelchair Joey camp chair. I have a badly messed up knee and this chair is comfy and easy for me to get out of. Depending on the trip, I usually bring a hammock for camp napping.

This is the kind of chair I’m considering. My friend has one that is very close to the ground but I don’t feel like hauling myself up from the ground as many times as I get up right when I’m at camp and getting food ready.

Toilet - I found this great packable toilet that’s easy to use and fits inside my kayak very well. Turbo Toilet. I’ll post pictures of it. Works great with wag bags.

I’m concerned with the durability of this. No particular reason but I’d have to do some research.

Water filter - MSR pump style or Sawyer gravity. When I have to carry water for trips, it’s carried in rectangular nalgene containers from REI. I also found these cool collapsible containers from Hydrapak that are long & skinny. They fit nice inside the kayak. used them in the fall & had no leakage issues.

Both great choices.

#5

Are you a member of Hammock Forum??? If you use a WBBB hammock and an alcohol stove, I’m guessing you are a member already. If not, it’s a great forum.

Since I don’t backpack, the remote canister stove works well for me. I’m a klutz, so I wanted a stove that’s super stable with a larger cooking surface. I see that MSR has come out with a direct canister connect stove. They’re getting in on the JetBoil craze I guess.

You are 100% correct on the GSI Micro tables. A luxury for sure, but really nice. I started with one and now have two. One for the stove, one for food prep. My friends who have their stoves on the ground/rock/tree stump are envious of my tables. They do pack down very nice, small, and skinny so they fit well inside the kayak.

I tried out a lot of chairs before getting the Joey. There are a lot of similar chairs, but the Travelchair Joey is 1-2 inches taller than the other brands (Heliox, REI, etc.). The other feature it has that the others don’t is the No-Sink feet. They really work!

The Turbo toilet has proved to be very sturdy. I have used it for two summers with groups. I like that it packs down flat so it fits well inside the kayak. We use the bucket system for whitewater rafting, so I’m super familiar with those. Can’t beat them for comfort/height, but they don’t pack as well. The fold-up PETT type toilets have always been a pain to fold up for me.

#6

I am a member of hammock forums! Been there for a while, in and out as the mood strikes.

The Joey chair is made of steel, which is good for kayak. There are other brands with that height but I’d have to see if they are also steel or aluminum. That height, along with the height of the bucket bathroom, is a big deal as I’m taller. I was actually thinking that I could take the Turbo toilet and just raise it up by sitting on something but I don’t know if that is a reality or not.

#7

I like the GSI table as it gives a bit of civilization to the trip.
Plus it keeps my food and stove on a level area and off the dirt!

The thing is that the top is slick so stuff slides off. So I covered the top with painters tape to provide friction then use a plastic mat.

But if space is a concern, I carry this home-made table made from an auto sunshade. It still provides a stable place for my stove and clean place for my dinner but at a lot less weight and bulk.

I like tables simply because I have had my Jetboil fall over on rough ground because of an accidental nudge or sudden wind. The table keeps the stove upright.
Plus my dog considers anything on the ground to be his, but won’t touch what is on a table.

#8

@WonderMonkey said:
I am a member of hammock forums! Been there for a while, in and out as the mood strikes.

The Joey chair is made of steel, which is good for kayak. There are other brands with that height but I’d have to see if they are also steel or aluminum. That height, along with the height of the bucket bathroom, is a big deal as I’m taller. I was actually thinking that I could take the Turbo toilet and just raise it up by sitting on something but I don’t know if that is a reality or not.
My Joey is aluminum, not steel, so it’s lighter weight and won’t rust. The No-Sink feet were a game changer for me. Most of the chairs of this type have the small feet that post hole in soft sand or dirt. The Turbo Toilet is only 11 inches tall, so I usually place it near a tree or rock to aide in getting up off of it. Putting it on something to elevate it would be potentially unstable, depending on what it is. It has a very flat base, but might be tippy. I haven’t had much luck finding a spot to elevate it on in camps. The base is a hard plastic, same material as the seat, so I glued some yoga mat to the bottom to prevent any slipperiness on rock surfaces.

#9

Ah. I must have looked at that incorrectly. Chances are high I’ll purchase a chair like that prior to my trip in June.

I did read about your yoga mat glue trick, that was a good idea.

#10

There are steel versions of the Joey on Amazon. Make sure you get aluminum and with the No-sink feet. The feet have a wide flange type on them and aren’t just the little rubber tips.

If you backpack and hammock, then you’ll have a nice compact set-up for kayak camping. The only dry bag I’ve had that I wouldn’t recommend is those see through ones. What ever it is they are made of doesn’t slip well into the hold of a kayak. It kind of sticks. I have a bunch of medium weight bags in small to medium sizes that I like. I have a lot of Watershed bags that I use for rafting. The Yukon is the perfect size for the tank well of my SOT kayaks.

You’ll really like having a deck bag for all those things you want close at hand.

#11

I have a Mad River Explorer that I usually use for paddle camping, even solo, because I don’t go light. I also have a Swift Keewaydin 15, but I have to pack that a lot lighter so it usually stays home.

Accommodations: Warbonnet Blackbird XLC hammock, with Mamajamba tarp. (I also have solo, 2, 4 and 6 person tents but haven’t used them since I bought the Warbonnet 5 years ago). A bunch of sleeping bags of a variety of temp ratings… Which one I take depends on the season.
Chair The standard folding chair that you see at every youth soccer game and backyard party
Stove I usually bring the two burner Coleman propane stove. Sometimes I will also bring a portable Weber propane grill. I also have a MSR Whisperlite and Pocket Rocket, but they generally stay home unless I’m packing light.
Rainy Day Shelter Kelty Noahs Tarp 16
Cook kit MSR Alpine cook set. I also will throw in a 12" frying pan from my kitchen.
Water filter Katadyn Hiker
Light Black Diamond Storm headlamp, Black Diamond Apollo lantern, Fenix PD-35 flashlight
Electronics Garmin Map 64ST GPS, my iPod and a mini speaker (SCOSCHE BoomBottle at the moment). Sometimes I enjoy the sounds of nature, but sometimes a little background music in front of the fire is nice. Smart phone usually stays off, in the bottom of the dry bag. Various cameras depending on the sort of photography I expect to do. Everything from point and shoots, to DSLRs
Dry bags I have accumulated a bunch over the years. SealLine, Sea to Summit, LL Bean, REI, Seattle Sports and who knows how many others. They range from 6,000 ci down to about 500 ci. The 6,000 usually comes along and carries most of the gear. A few smaller ones for food, electronics, camera, etc.
Food I usually bring a dozen eggs, oatmeal and Spam for breakfast. For lunch usually a hard, dry sausage such as chorizo or soppressata, cheddar cheese, crackers, canned tuna and sardines, trail mix. For dinner, chicken, steaks, pork chops, burgers, kielbasa or bratwurst, pirogis, pasta, basically anything.
Drink Usually some beer (Dales Pale Ale is my go to camping beer, but nearly any canned craft pale ale or IPA will do) and perhaps a pint of Irish whiskey. Some OJ or V8 for breakfast and black tea.
Other things. Rtic 45 cooler (my latest addition. It’s amazing), Nikon 10 x 42 compact binoculars, Roll-a-Table (this is incredibly useful at wilderness sites with no table), fishing gear (usually two rods, a net and a mini tackle box), Schrade SCHF10 knife, Leatherman multi tool, plenty of cigars, ENO Single Nest hammock (I don’t necessarily lounge where I sleep. This is for hanging around in).

#12

Tent. MSR Hubba Hubba.
Chair Helinox Ground sheet for it that keeps legs from sinking. Its got pockets in each corner for the feet.
Table ( if not too many portages) Helinox
No booze. Its too heavy
Food. Dehydrated. No cooler. Never have taken a cooler on any canoeing trip even in Florida
Sleeping bag. Down. in Dry bag… Either a 40 degree Marmot bag with liner or a 15 degree North Face.
Map and chart.
Electronics. PLB.
Kindle.
No cell service so a cel phoneis a brick.
Sometimes a GPS in mangrove country I know my cell can do GPS but I can plug in AA batteries to my dedicated GPS.
Extra batteries and a Black Diamond ReVolt ( though I don’t take rechargeables)
Water filter… MSR Gravity filter.
Stove MSR Windpro and one caniseter per each 3 days ( I like to bake…also an Outback Oven)
CCS Silnylon tarp 10x14 Plus rope bag!
Throw bag , bailer, ( required in Canada).
PFD
Spare paddle
Pot. Coffee cup ( MEC). Long handled spoon and some utensils.
Here is the kicker. Camera. Depending on the trip it can be a 1450 Pelican Box with tripod and lenses… many or a small Pelican Box with a bridge superzoom.

#13

BrianSnat - Another hammock user! I also have a full set-up - Hammeck Breezy & Wilderness Logics Big Daddy tarp. I had a WBBB in the past. Unfortunately I find myself using my tent more often than my hammock these days. But I often bring my hammock for lounging, and my tarp always comes along.

I see most folks bring some sort of electronics along - Ereaders, iPods, GPS, cameras. I almost always bring my Nook & a GPS. I used to bring my iPod on rafting trips, but found that I didn’t use it much so I quit bringing it. I have a GoPro with mounts on the kayak & a remote, plus a Fuji waterproof P&S camera.

Looks like everyone carries some sort of headlamp, and a few bring extra lighting. Someone mentioned the inflatable solar light. Those look cool & seem to be quite popular now. I carry a little Black Diamond Moji light for inside the tent/hammock lighting.

Coolers - I haven’t quite hit on the perfect little cooler yet. So far, I haven’t had the need for one. I bring non-cooler food, and if I do bring a canned beverage, it can usually chill in the lake or river in a drag bag.

I have thought about a PLB. I may start doing some solo paddling at some point and I suppose a PLB would be a good thing to have.

#14

Kayamedic, In Canada, are both a throw bag and a bailer required, or just the bailer?

I don’t recall taking a throw bag to Quetico.

#15

Here’s a link to a simplified (believe it or not) version of the regulations:
https://aceboater.com/en/canoes-kayaks-rowboats-rowing-shells

When kayaking, the practical bare minimum for legality would be:

  • PFD
  • Whistle
  • 15m floating rope (throw bags usually meet this requirement, despite not being overly useful on flat water)
  • Bailer/pump (kayaks are actually exempt if they have sealed bulkheads, but you’re silly to omit a pump - even sillier to carry a bailer!)
  • Flashlight (or headlamp, and only required when dark, but you’re also silly not to have one of these)

There are some exceptions depending on where you paddle and when, but this covers 95% of the situations most people get into.

#16

Sparky has the regs. No matter if you are in a canoe a kayak pump is so much more practical. Yes even on the Yukon you need this stuff.

#17

With a canoe, paddle camping is simple.

#18

For typical 3-7 day trips, base-camping and fishing:
SLEEPING
Eureka 2man four season tent
Or Moss Solet one man bike tent
Next year going Dream Hammock
Several sleeping bags but usually North Face, Cat’s Meow down in summer and REI -20 down bag in shoulder seasons.
Started using a low cot… pretty nice. Doesn’t fit in my small tent.
10x13 tarp, Amazon Chinese special
COOKING
generally small folding micro stove, isobutane…Brunton. I like the remote cannister types because the stove is more stable with lower center of gravity, and the cannister can be inverted to “liquid feed” when temps approach freezing.
MSR Stowaway stainless pots…2 sizes, nesting.
Chinese twig burning stove for backup fits inside smaller of the MSR pots
Primus Campfire 12" stainless frying pan
Spice kit made of film cannisters and an old CD holder case
Utensils in a wax canvas roll
Melita plastic cone coffee drip
Small dishpan
ZOMBIE KIT (Catch all emergency kit)
Ferro rod
Lighter
Small folding knife
Razor blade
Magnesium fire starter
Fire starter tabs
Matches
Signal mirror
Dental floss
Compass
Micro fishing kit
Micro flash light
Light stick
Snare wire
Flare
Tape
Safety pins
Etc
FIRST AID KIT
The usual stuff…plus Zip Stitch
MISC
ThermaCELL Backpacker
Estwing 24A hatchet
Agawa Boreal 21 folding saw
Bunch of Paracord and climbing rope
Homemade “coffee table”… legs found at camp
ENO Double Nest hammock for hanging out
Eveready headlamps
Primus Micron isobutane lantern
MoraKniv Companion knife Carbon steel
Victorinox Explorer Plus SAK
Bic lighter with Xotac cover
Maratec brass lighter

FISHING
Too many lures
One to two bait casters
One to two spinners
Landing Net
Fish grips
Pliers
Small anchor
SAFETY
Air Horn
Flare gun
VHF radio/weather radio
Onyx AM24 inflatable PFD

#19

On a no-portage canoe trip this spring we stowed sleeping bags and food in 5 gallon buckets. Worked great - waterproof seal to keep them dry plus they become camp chairs and table.

I very much appreciate being able to stow a cooler on a canoe, something I haven’t figured out how to do with my kayak hatches. Suggestions?

After witnessing a scary jetboil tip-over disaster I got one of these Odoland stoves. Nice wide stance and low center of gravity. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0829RKQXZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I’m impressed with the quality and the price is right.

Sawyer water filter: fittings are perfect with two Smart Water bottles - squeeze one into the clean one, very handy.

Two cameras: cell phone (Galaxy, waterproof to 3 feet) and Panasonic FZ300 on the deck (only splash proof, alas).

Personally I go for comfort, this is not backpacking. Cushy air mattress, big tent, Balvenie Doublewood, and no freeze dried. Need to get me one of those chairs…

1 Like
#20

Sometimes it is backpacking in canoeing! Some of us who do long trips in Northern Ontario ( say two weeks) aim for lightweight as the portages are sometimes more of bushwhacks.
Minimal tent for the environment and all freeze dried… The Helinox chair is the one luxury. Small tent for cold nights. Layers of clothing. One to wear one extra outfit. Four pairs of sox for two weeks. Tarp is a necessity. One pair of shoes to wear when paddling one pair of camp shoes. Never carry water. Always a water filter.

You get the idea. All canoeing and kayak trips are different. Having stuff that can do double duty as in the five gal buckets for food storage and seats is always a goal