Would that be your digital cell phone?
Naw. I think it’s something else.
There’s only 3 esentials for paddling
1 your boat
2 your paddle
3 your pants
everything else is optional or dictated by where you are paddling.
Nice to have lists
Just got back from a weekend paddling to Cape Lookout and now we are changing our lists. I always like tweeking the lists.
Right
– Last Updated: Apr-04-10 10:16 PM EST –
and a good point.
I have my first aid kit in a small canvas day pack I ALWAYS carry. (And thanks for the reminder. Its a new season and I need to get more gauze & tape.) Also in there is a candle lantern, knife, lighters in ziplocs, TP, compass, headlamp, and rain poncho, and some p cord. Worst case scenario... not drowned but boat lost, wet cold, getting dark... I could get by (hungry and perhaps uncomfortable) for a couple days with just that. Its enough to allow me to hike out of most places.
I don't know if I'd cancel a trip if I'd left it behind accidentally, so maybe not exactly essential, but darned good to have.
I bet there are a lot of folks here who paddle kayaks or canoes in places where a helmet might well be considered an essential, and also not yet mentioned.
perhaps you could mention
WHAT TYPE OF PADDLING.
Perhaps your type is the only type?
Gawd, I love the one dimensionalness of earth people.
Digital?
It’s a digit me thinks. 
pants?
Wouldn’t it really just be your boat and paddle? Just sayin…
Another Essential
I would also include at least 1 competent partner.
whistle
– Last Updated: Apr-05-10 12:06 AM EST –
- spare paddle
Hell, just wear a spray skirt and
forget the pants! Nobody will ever be able to figure out what you’re smiling about.
(Be sure to have a good roll down, however.)
Naked Ed would disagree !
Cheers,
JackL
essential 5
It was drilled into me when i was learning whitewater to make sure you always have the essential 5
1 boat
2 Skirt
3 Pfd
4 Paddle
5 Helmet
Some (most) trips require more or optional items, but i still wont leave my driveway without seeing each of those essentials in the truck… because without them paddling is not going to happen.
I Always keep a whistle attached
to my PFD.
I don’t leave home without the PFD even though most of the time it is on the back deck.
Cheers,
JackL
somehow I missed that thread
thanks, that was priceless! 
Can be argued not
I usually carry those items, but I am guessing that you don’t roll. Bowrudder does, and maybe paddles in a group of similarly skilled paddlers, so you will find arguments that those items are not as critical in those situations.
In a group, an assisted rescue should always be possible if someone gets blown out of their boat. It should also usually be the first resort because it’s faster and less wearing on the paddler than most solo alternatives.
The Great Hudson River paddle doesn’t even have people carry paddle floats. Everyone who goes on it is expected to be able to handle an assisted rescue, and they drill on it to make sure this is so before the paddle starts.
Someone who has a solid roll is relatively unlikely to come out of their boat in reasonable conditions. If they are incapacitated so they can’t roll, there is a good chance the same problem could challenge a self-rescue with paddle float or a cowboy as well.
As to emptying the water from the boat, if you are talking a sea kayak with bulkhead front and back and not-huge cockpit, as is bowrudder, there is often little need for a pump. The swimmer flips the boat in the water, which empties out the cockpit, and there is usually little enough water left that it is no problem for paddling. One of my sea kayaks goes almost bone dry after I flip it.
So - your points are well taken for things like rec boats or those without two bulkheads, which tend to resist such simple solutions as above. But bowrudder is writing from the perspective of sea kayaking, so that list can be argued to be reasonable.
I carry both of the above and practice with the stuff for demos, but for garden-variety kayaking it’s been years since I used them for myself.
That list is too short
After getting lost on a large lake after dark last year, in addition to the standard kayak safety gear, I now carry a basic survival kit with me—the same kit I carry for hiking—in case I have to spend a night outside. Spring and fall are especially dangerous because of cold water and cold nights.
space blanket
duck tape
headlamp
flashlight
batteries
first-aid kit
2 large garbage bags (orange is best for visibility)
chemical handwarmers
fire starter sticks
matches in waterproof container
lighter
compass
candle
20’ of cord
extra food and water
extra clothing, including rain jacket
For day trips in remote areas I would like to get a bivvy sack. If you had to spend the night in the woods in April you would be exposed to cold, biting insects, possibly rain.
Good Judgement
The one thing people often leave at home (I assume they possess it somewhere).
jim
And as far as the original list goes
In the summer, there is rarely a need for special immersion wear around here. Swimsuit is good enough.
I paddle SOTs a lot, so I don’t need a spray skirt, paddle float, or pump. Flares and VHF would very rarely be useful on the small rivers and even in the inland lakes. That takes the list down to about 4 for me, plus add the whistle, first aid stuff, painter line, knife, leatherman, and DUCT/DUCK tape.
If I know the trip lead is bringing those items, I can get by with less, but I often bring them just in case. I do bring the hat, sunglasses, chums, and sunscreen. I might also bring an extra shirt or shell.
jim
I did not know that…
what type of signaling device is required?
Keep the Open Side Up,
Pagayeur