2 Months….

Officially (if all goes as planned) I’m on a two month countdown to my trip.

I did go up north last weekend and stopped in at Swift Kayak, I brought all my gear and was hoping to get a test pack of the kayak in but alas… the weather didn’t co-operate and there was a massive storm on Saturday. I did finally get a chance to see the actual kayaks so it wasn’t totally unproductive. I have a new appreciation for kayaks now and must say, they have a great selection of boats and gear. Will reschedule the test pack for a day with some sun.

Took advantage of the bad weather to try out my tent for the first time. Figured rain, blowing wind and cold temperature would be as good a test as any i will come across on my trip. Seeing as I was up north for Mothers Day, I set my tent up in her backyard (she thinks I’m crazy BTW) Rain actually stopped before i set it up but was still cold and windy. After dinner and some conversation, headed out to my accommodations for the night. Had my IPOD hanging from the room and watched a movie while I relaxed all comfy in my tent. Slept like a baby and was warm and comfortable. Works for me.

I only had two issues, my mother has an outside cat and the thing kept walking under the vestibule rubbing up against the tent where my head was, note to self… bring slingshot for annoying pesky critters (lol)

Second, my brother who lives down the road popped over and decided it would be funny to rap on the top of the tent for kicks, I was just drifting off when that happened and it startled me pretty good. note to self… use slingshot on brother next time too…

I think he felt justified because his son is learning to play guitar and i taught him to play the intro to “smoke on the water” and gave him an amp, he plays it over and over and over and over, including 6am in the morning. Only fitting that I taught him a few more equally annoying riffs to “entertain” mom and dad go Noah go, keep it up bud.

Packing it all up

Something I’ve been concerned about ever since I started planning this trip was how everything was going to fit. When you look at a flat list of gear it looks overwhelming (mine included, 100+ items so far) and not ever having packed a kayak before you’re left scratching your head.

Once it’s all packed up, it’s not actually that bad, here is how what I have so far breaks down.

• Sleeping pad double bagged with contractor garbage bags, didn’t see the need to buy a dry bag for this
• Tent is also double bagged with contractor garbage bags for the same reason.
• 10L dry bag to store cooking equipment
• 10L dry bag to store most of the personal equipment
• 10L dry bag to store pillow/towel, also double bagged inside
• 20L dry bag to store sleeping bag, was just a little too wide to fit in a 10L but it doesn’t take up 20L, if i compressed a little more it would probably fit, didn’t want to mess with it
• 5L dry bag to store First Aid Kit
• Ditch Bag (did a post on that one) stores most of the stuff I need while paddling and will be in the cockpit behind the seat
• Waterproof Bag which stores all the electronic equipment, items inside are also in separate waterproof protection just in case, hopefully will fit behind the seat as well.

Next weekend I will figure out where everything goes in the kayak (generally) and post an update.

Final Gear List

Everything is packed up and ready to go, I will be going to Swift Canoe/Kayak next weekend to do a test pack to make sure everything fits into the kayak and guage how much room is left over for food/clothes. Tried to keep everything as compact as possible.

There are two items on this list that I don’t have yet because I can’t find them, may have to order on-line. Deck Compass and Waterproof iPod case.

Excluding food and clothing here is a consolidated list of my gear.

KAYAK

Kayak

Spray Skirt

Throw Bag

PFD

Main Paddle

Spare Paddle

Paddle Float

Bilge Pump

Paddle Leash

Sponge

NAVIGATION

Lock Pass

Charts

Waterproof Chart Bag

Binoculars

Deck Compass

GPS

SAFETY ITEMS

Handheld VHF

Waterproof VHF Cover

First Aid Kit

Flares

Signal Mirror

Strobe

Whistle

Ditch Bag

Waterproof Matches/Box

Fire Starter (Swedish FireSteel)

Cotton/Vaseline Tinder

Headlamp

Muli-tool Knife

Duct Tape

SHELTER

Tent

Tent Repair Kit

Tent Footprint

Pillow

Sleeping Bag

Silk Liner Bag Insert

Sleeping Pad

WATER ITEMS

Water Transport

Hydration Pack

Water Bottle

Water Filter

Water Bucket (collapsible)

COOKING

Compact Stove Fuel Bottle (30oz)

Spare Fuel (32oz)

Mini Funnel with Filter

Pots/Pans (MSR)

Plate/Cup/Untensils

Cutting Board

CAMP GEAR

Folding Chair

Rope

Mini Trowel

Mini Umbrella

Mini Broom/Dustpan

Waterproof Flashlight

Garbage Bags

ELECTRONICS

Waterproof Box - Wallet/Camera

Waterproof Bag - All Electronics

Waterproof Case - Blackberry

Spare Batteries

Portable Battery Chargers

Blackberry

Ipod

Digital Camera

Digital Video (Waterproof)

Digital Audio Recorder

Wall Charger/Phone&Ipod Cables

Ipod Waterproof Case

Ipod Waterproof Headphones

PROTECTION

Waterproof Dry Bags (5)

Advil

Lip Balm

AfterBite

Solarcaine

Bug Repellant

Mosquito Coil

Sunscreen

PERSONAL ITEMS

Waterproof Sports Watch

Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Floss

Tums

Deodorant

Q-Tips

Toothpicks

Biodegradable Soap/ Shampoo

Toilet Paper

Towel

Razor

Playing Cards

Sudoku Book

Sunglasses

Sunglasses (spare)

Sunglass Neck Strap

Log Book to document trip

Pen/Pencil/Pencil Sharpener

Books - Paperback

Gear Update

Thought it was time to give an update on where I stand on gear. I’ve been stockpiling, organizing and packing for a few weeks now and I would say that I’m almost to the point where I could go on my trip, could definetely go camping with what I have now. Three months until my trip so I'm on track.

I have a detailed spreadsheet for tracking all the items and costs for this trip. Once I have the list completed I will post list of everything together. I’m currently running ~$300 below my original estimated cost for the items I’ve purchased so far so that’s good.

My remaining items list is getting smaller, few I haven’t picked up yet or undecided if I’m going to at all.

• Kayak – Still renting and will pop into Swift Canoe next time I'm up north so I can figure out what is included in the rental. Think I will have to pick up a couple minor items like extra skeg cable and kayak repair kit, that should be about it
• Lock Pass – Will purchase at the lock in Port Severn when i'm closer to the date
• Charts – Undecided, might not need
• GPS w BlueChart maps – Undecided, might not need
• Compass – Deck mounted, haven’t found one yet
• Sleeping Bag – Have one but don’t think mine will fit in kayak, think I will have to buy a new one and will go with a compact synthetic
• Sleeping Pad – Have a perfect self inflating one and it's very comfortable, not sure if it will fit, think so, it's about the same length as the tent but a little higher and thicker. Will find out when I do the first trail pack in a real Kayak
• Water Transport – Have water filter but need to carry some, how much or soft vs hard shell container, not 100% sure, thinking 2x2.5 gallon soft water containers. More flexible for getting into kayak
• Compact Folding Chair – Luxury item but want something to sit on
• Spare Batteries – Flashlights and VHF, bunch of AAA
• Solar Charger – Not sure yet, lots of places to charge along the away and have read many mixed reviews on these for extended trips, they require direct sunlight for a day before they hold the charge, I can't really leave it out on the kayak while paddling so may be useless.
• Waterproof Headphones/IPOD case – Undecided, bringing IPOD for campsite use just not sure about while paddling yet, had a discussion with someone about other boats not seeing kayaks well and don't want to have my hearing impared.
• Dry Bags – Have 2x10 liter and a 5. Need at least 3x20 liter for tent, sleeping bag and clothes, will pick them up as needed
• Food - Planning Breakfast, Lunch and dinner meals, will start to put some stuff together that isn’t perishable and fill in the rest before the trip
• Clothes – Probably need a few things, hat, shoes, synthetic stuff etc, haven’t done a list yet but budgeted for it

Window Shopping

I’ve spent so much time planning, reviewing articles and watching videos, thought it was about time to get my butt off the couch and make a trip to an outfitting store and check some of this stuff out for real.

I was going to a watch a buddies band play on St. Patricks day and had to drive by Coast Mountain Sports at Markville Mall in Unionville. As I was a little early, figured I would stop in and see what they had, was impressed with this store and selection, not everything was on display but seemed as though you could order whatever they didn’t have in stock.

I’m more of a “Hands On” type person and total impulse shopper, was difficult not to start buying stuff but figured it was the first outfitting store I’d been in so wait and compare another day, was cool to walk around and go, need it, need it, need it. Yup, I’m hooked so far.

Was a productive trip from one aspect, they had a number of polycarbonate (fancy name for plastic) recreational kayaks and I spent some time looking them over, realized a number of things that were just guesses up to this point and now have validation of sorts. They only had up to 14 foot kayaks and they looked like a canoe with a top on them with very little storage room, definitely going with 16-17 foot and plastic is out, just looks too fat, heavy and meant for what they are, paddle around for a day here and there. I’m sure there are high quality versions out there and no offence to anyone who has one, just not for me.

The Gear

I still have no idea how you are suppose to fit all this stuff in a kayak, oh well, it seems you can if you pack it right, which I gather is appropriately placing the heavy stuff for balance and then stuffing everything else where it can fit without throwing off the balance. Only way to know for sure is to actually pack it up and see.

Until I know otherwise, this is my running list of items. The pain seems to be you have to unpack this stuff every day and then pack it up again in the morning, oh well. Once I know what can fit, I will create a specific packing list, everything has a place and I hear you don’t want to go searching a different place every day.

CAMPING GEAR

Tent
Ground Sheet
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad
Folding Chair
Mini Table – First to go if no room
Waterproof Lighter/Matches
Fire Starter
Lantern
Compact Stove
Stove Fuel
Cookware/Plates/Utensils
Garbage Bags
Waterproof Dry Bags

WATER

Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink. July heat, need to bring enough clean water, doesn’t need to last the whole trip at there are many places to fill up, want to store at least 3 days worth and will bring water purifier/filter as backup. Will also have a water bottle handy, this is where I hope the day hatch comes in handy for accessibility to more water. Do not want to get dehydrated.

PERSONAL ITEMS

Toothbrush/toothpaste/Floss
Deodorant
Biodegradable Soap/ Shampoo
Toilet Paper
Towel
Razor
Advil
Lip Balm
Bug Repellant
Sunscreen
Log Book to document trip

FOOD & CLOTHING

Haven’t given much thought to this yet, obviously I will be needing some, how much and what specifically, remains to be seen.