A short summer trip needs very little; a multi-day expedition under canvas makes the list grow. The principle, though, is always the same: the important things stay dry and within reach, the weight is spread evenly, and the kayak is light enough to carry at the first portage that comes along. Below I break it down step by step: first safety and how to pack, then clothing, food and small essentials, and finally the list for a multi-day trip.
What to take for safety on a trip?
A buoyancy aid for every person is the one thing you never do without – sized to your weight and done up, not stowed under the deck. On rivers with rapids, add a helmet. A short strap for lashing down the gear and helping at portages comes in handy too, along with a rescue knife within reach in case you need to cut a rope or a tangle of branches in a hurry. A throw bag is a different thing – a piece of rescue equipment for passing to someone in the water, not for towing; you carry it coiled in a bag, and it is worth practising how to use it beforehand. I write more about what to watch out for in the guide on safety on the water.
How do you pack so nothing gets wet?
A dry bag is the basic kit on the water. One holds your documents, phone, power bank and keys (the phone ideally in a case round your neck as well), another your change of clothes, and a third the things you reach for along the way: a snack, sunscreen, a jacket. Assume that sooner or later everything not in a bag will get wet – in a capsize, from splashes or from rain. It is worth strapping the bags to the kayak short and tight – with a strap or a band, no loose loops or dangling ends, and never to each other – so they will not float away after a capsize, while there is nothing to get tangled in; spread the weight evenly and low, because an overloaded or badly balanced kayak becomes wobbly and harder to steer.
What to wear on a kayak trip?
Even in the heat, dress for what happens after a capsize, not for how it feels on the jetty right now. The base is quick-drying kit – never cotton, which soaks up water and chills you – and water shoes that stay on your feet (not flip-flops), because the bottom can be stony, muddy or full of glass. Keep something warm and waterproof in reserve, packed dry. In spring and autumn, when the water can be just a few degrees, a quick-drying top alone is not enough – a wetsuit or an outfit that will not sap your warmth and strength the moment you fall in works well. Add a hat or a cap, sunglasses on a strap and sunscreen: on the water the sun beats down from two sides, because it reflects off the surface.
How much water and food to take?
Take more drinking water than you think you need – paddling in the sun dehydrates you faster than you feel it – and something with energy within reach: bars, nuts, fruit, sandwiches in a box. The first-aid kit does not have to be big, but it should hold plasters and dressings for grazes and cuts (the easiest thing to pick up), something for blisters from the paddle, a space blanket, painkillers and your own medicines. Add a pocket knife, a headtorch, a sponge or a bailer for scooping water out of the kayak, and a length of repair tape – it solves a surprising number of problems.
Phone, navigation and documents – how to protect them?
A charged phone with a map that works even without signal will save you some grief – my map shows the trail, the facilities and the obstacles. Keep the power bank in a dry bag, and the phone in a clear case as well so you can use it without taking it out. Bring some cash for the rental and transport (you won't be able to pay by card everywhere), and before you set off check the water level and the forecast on your chosen river.
What to add for a multi-day trip with camping?
Once you're staying overnight the list grows by a tent, a sleeping bag matched to the season, a sleeping mat and a small stove with a spare gas canister and cookware. Add more dry clothes (a separate, "untouchable" set for sleeping), provisions for every meal, a headtorch with spare batteries and a bigger first-aid kit. Pack it all in dry bags and arrange it so the heaviest things sit low and near the middle of the kayak. It is worth compressing the camping gear – the less room it takes, the easier it is to load stably and the lighter the portage.
What not to take on a trip?
Don't overload the kayak and don't bring things you'd be sorry to get wet or lose. Leave glass at home (bottles and jars break and litter – see the guide on leaving no trace), and likewise everything you can happily do without for a day. A light, well-ordered kayak means less effort at every portage, more stability on the water and simply more fun.