A trip of several days follows a different logic from an afternoon outing. Added to it are overnight stops, food for days on end, drinking water and luggage that must survive the heat and an accidental dunking. The principle is much the same as on a cycling trip or a mountain hike: the better you space out the stages and the less you carry, the more energy is left for the river itself. Below I break it down – from planning the route, through legal camping and fire, to loading the kayak.
How to plan your stages
Plan the daily distance more cautiously than on a day trip, because tiredness builds up – a sensible figure is 15 to 25 km a day, less when there are children in the group or plenty of portages. Divide the route into stages set by the places where you can put in, take the kayak out and spend the night, and leave a margin of time for stops and the weather. Check in advance where the portages, shops and campsites lie along the way. Plan a shorter day than you are able to paddle, too – it is better to arrive calmly than to race the sunset on the last day.
Where you can legally camp
Camping by the water has its rules, and it is worth knowing them before you leave. Within a national park or a nature reserve you may pitch a tent only at a spot designated by the management – anywhere else camping is forbidden. Outside protected areas, some of the State Forests are covered by the "Camp in the forest" (Zanocuj w lesie) programme: in the designated zones you may spend the night without notice in a group of up to nine people and for no more than two nights in a row, while a larger group or a longer stay must be reported in advance by email to the forest district. This applies only to the areas covered by the programme, not to every forest. On private land, an overnight stay needs the owner's consent. In practice the simplest option is to use the campsites and water stations along the popular trails.
Fire and cooking within the law
Fire is a separate matter from where you sleep – permission for one does not mean permission for the other. In national parks and reserves a campfire and open flame are allowed only at spots designated by the management. In a forest and within a hundred-metre strip of its edge you may not light a fire anywhere other than the places set by the forest ranger. Importantly, even inside a "Camp in the forest" zone the overnight stay itself does not legalise a campfire – you may light one only where the ranger has designated it. For cooking on the route a camping gas stove is more convenient and cleaner, but it too has a flame, so in a protected area and in a forest assume it falls under the same restrictions, and when in doubt ask the park management or the forest district.
Drinking water on the route
You do not drink water straight from a river or lake – any surface water is treated as microbiologically contaminated, however clean it looks. The most sensible thing is to carry drinking water with you and top it up in the towns along the way. When you do have to use water from the route, the simplest method is to boil it for at least five minutes; portable filters and disinfecting tablets help too. Bear in mind, though, that these methods reduce the risk of microbial infection but do not remove chemical contamination – which is why you do not draw water below villages, farmland or industrial plants. Do not skimp on your supply, especially in the heat.
Packing: drybags and how to split the load
On a multi-day trip everything that has to stay dry – clothes, sleeping bag, electronics, food – goes into drybags. It is better to take several smaller bags than one big one: they pack more easily into the narrow bow and stern, they load the kayak evenly, and you find what you are looking for faster. Stow heavy items low and close to the middle of the kayak, so it does not lose stability, and keep what you need during the day – snacks, water, sunscreen, a rain jacket – within reach rather than at the bottom of the hold. Pack the sleeping bag and your night clothes double, because those are the things that must reach the evening dry. Always carry your luggage inside the kayak, never loose on the deck.
Food for several days
On a longer route what counts is weight, shelf life and how easy things are to prepare. Dry goods, tinned food and freeze-dried meals that only need boiling water work well, along with dry rations and energy snacks for the day. Do not assume you will buy food along the way – village shops tend to be small and close early, so carry a basic supply with you. Exactly what keeps without a fridge and how to spread it across the days I set out in the guide on what to eat on the water.
Plan B and safety on a longer route
The longer the trip, the more important the contingency plan. Carry the phone charged, in a waterproof case, and have a rough idea of the places where you can get off the water and reach a road – those are your evacuation points, should the weather turn or someone run out of strength. Leave the route plan and approximate times with someone at home. Every morning check the forecast, especially the wind and thunderstorms; on large, open water a wave builds fast, and paddling during a storm is dangerous. When conditions deteriorate, it is better to wait it out on the bank than to stick to the plan at all costs. The rest of the rules on the water I have gathered in the safety guide.
In brief: before you set off for several days
Spread the route over calm stages with time to spare and check where you can legally spend the night – in parks and reserves only at designated spots, in a forest within "Camp in the forest" zones or at campsites. Light a fire only where it is allowed. Carry drinking water with you, choose food that keeps and is light, and pack everything vulnerable in drybags, heavy items low and central. A charged phone, known exit points off the water and a daily forecast are your plan B.