After deciding on the boat, the rest of the equipment seems easier, though still not as straightforward to me as packing for a hike. I didn’t want to take my down sleeping bag onto the river so I tried to decide between a fairly heavy fiberfill bag or a lightweight pile blanket. In the end I decided on the down bag because size and compactability became my most pressing issue. It all has to fit into a tiny compartment in the boat. Both the fiberfill bag and the blanket took up too much space. For this same reason I decided to bring my really light weight hiking pad vs a slightly heavier one which can double as a seat and is a bit more comfortable to sleep on. I will double dry bag the sleeping bag and hope to keep it dry.

I have a light weight Z-Packs tent made of Dyneema which I love but it requires my hiking poles to hold it up. This was not an issue when hiking, but I had to decide if I really wanted to carry the hiking poles in my boat. I have a heavier, much older nylon tent which does not do as good a job of keeping out the rain. But when it comes to compactability the Dyneema tent wins. I can stash my hiking poles inside the bow of the boat in front of my feet.

I contemplated bringing my lightweight, full size backpack to aid in portaging, but it took up too much precious room in the boat. This sealed the deal for me to bring a kayak trailer to aid in portaging. That means I have to figure out how to tying a seventeen pound trailer to my boat. But since it looks like I will have a dam a day to portage around the trailer will be well appreciated. I will carry enough rope to throw out a rescue line, tie up the boat, or line the boat through a rapid if need be. For a view of lining go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMj1XiW6MW4

I will use my lightweight propane backpacking stove and bring a two-quart pot, one lightweight plastic bowl, cup and spork, which is a combination spoon and fork made for hiking. I will have an inch long knife, a tiny pair of scissors, two small cigarette lighters, a one inch long can opener, a water filter and a number of water storage containers. This will all be stashed in the non dry spaces in the bow of the boat along with my hiking poles.

I am dehydrating food as I write this. I thought of taking a cooler and eating fresh food, but then decided it would be too much of a hassle to portage all of that. Plus, with the kayak it would be too bulky. I am counting on being able to do some calorie loading on fruit and ice cream in towns when I do some of the portages. I am drying everything from fruit to nuts with yogurt, eggs, oranges, tomato paste, cooked noodles, beef stew and chili and rice in the mix. I will add some snacks such as Annie’s fruit bunnies and natural power bars, bread and tuna, cheese or nut butter for lunch and home made granola to mix with the dehydrated yogurt for breakfast.

For clothes I will bring mostly wool. I have wool long johns, one pair of smart wool underwear. and a heavier ancient wool shirt for sleeping in. I will bring two pair of Darn Tough wool socks, one to wear in the boat when it is chilly and one to keep dry at all costs for sleeping in at night. I will wear a silk short sleeved shirt, a quick drying pair of shorts, sandals, paddling gloves, sunglasses and a hat. I will bring a long sleeved smart wool shirt, a wind/rain jacket and wind/rain pants for paddling in cooler temps. Having my legs inside the kayak and wearing my life jacket will provide additional warmth.

I will have my kayak paddle, and for space reasons I have decided not to carry a spare. I will bring a large boat sponge and container for bailing water out of the boat. I hope the spray skirt prevents the need for too much bailing.

I will bring some non Deet, essential oil bug repellent, and a non oxybenzone and octinoxate sunscreen. Those common sunscreen ingredients kill coral reefs and are quite toxic in the environment. I will put together a very small first aid kit/repair composing of some pain killers, items for blister and cuts, something to stop diarrhea, a needle and thread and some gorilla tape. I will have a pee jar to keep from having to get out of my tent at night, toilet paper, a rechargeable headlight and my phone. A well protected mini iPad, a pen, waterproof pad and small digital recorder will come along to aid in blogging. I will carry a small 10,000 amp battery bank to recharge these things.

I will not have a comb or brush, though I will have my toothbrush, toothpaste and floss. I will bring no soap or shampoo but will bring a small pot scrubbie. I might bring a book to read. I will have the map for the sections I am doing as well as a written description. I have an app with a GPS on my phone to show me where on the river I am in relation to the portages.

All of this will be packed into plastic bags and then put into dry bags, which are made to keep items dry when traveling on water.

As I write this it seems like a lot of “stuff” though compared to what I live with at home it is nothing. I will wear the same clothes every day for at least a week. I can rinse things in the river as need be. My “household and kitchen” items will be stripped to the bare necessities.

I love the simplicity that these trips impose on me and seldom miss having more “stuff” when I am out there. I have heard it said that if we all went back to living like we did in the 1950’s we would have a huge, positive impact on global warming. When I realize that 1950’s living would still be extremely luxurious compared to what I carry on these outdoor adventures, that doesn’t seem like much of a hardship to embrace. It is certainly well worth the “sacrifice” when compared to the disastrous environmental alternative.