What else do you take every time you kayak?

Advice
#61

So this may be overkill but I haven’t seen these things mentioned and they’re in my pack lists.
They’ve come in handy at times.

  • LED Flashlight (even when I am not planning to be out after dark)
  • Small air horn
  • First Aid kit should include salt and sugar packets - your can make your own with an elecrolyte ratio and make sure it’s watertight. They’re super useful in case you need them and lighter and cheaper than carrying or buying a sports drink. And of course if valid a set of Epi pens.
  • Paddle Leash
  • Sunblock
  • Toilet Paper - and a zip bag to carry it back out in
  • Microfiber Dry Towel - a special kind of small towel that packs small and light and can absorb crazy amounts of water quick if ever needed. Sometimes it just comes in handy to protect my car seat after a day out on a lake. :grin:
  • Cooling towel - a different kind of small microfiber towel that when it’s wet it stays really cool. Great for when you get caught in more heat than you expected.
  • Anchor sometimes if I’m going to be somewhere it would be useful
#62

For my typical trip up the Huron River and back in winter I pop a Tylenol, wear sunscreen, don a pfd and a baseball cap. I pack lunch, water, a big sponge, phone (with Geotracker turned on), and for downed trees I take pruning shears and a folding saw. If its cold (30’s or lower) I wear gloves or pogies and pack an extra jacket and warm hat just in case.