Kayak Gear I Keep In My Kayak All the Time

A quick discussion about items that I like to keep in my kayak all the time. I've used them or lent them unexpectedly many times, and I was always thankful they were there already.

Gear I Always Keep In My Kayak

I went fishing yesterday so I I had to wipe off some of the mud from the kayak, and I was thinking of going through some of the items that always stay inside my Kayak and other people can chime in with the things they usually keep in the kayak. Depending on the style of kayaking you do and the places you go, you might have different gear just stowed away, but these are the things that I always like to keep in my Kayak.

1. Contact tow rope – this never comes off my kayak, I always have it in case of anything. Super useful. I like to use the setup according to Gordon Brown. He’s a fantastic instructor.

2. Bilge pump – You never know when you’re going to fill up with water and need to pump it all out. Even if you don’t end up using it, it might come in handy for other people you’re kayaking with. In my old kayak, I would store it behind the seat, sometimes there’s bungees under the deck. On mine I have an opening on the side of my seat. That’s the perfect spot for me to slide it in and keep it.

3. An Old sponge – I always keep an old sponge to clean my kayak or get some water out of the cockpit.

In My Day Hatch

1. Storm cag – A storm cag is essentially a big jacket that can also be used on the combing of your kayak. If someone in your group is cold or it’s raining a lot, you can put it over your PFT and skirt. It goes straight to the combing and is super useful and warm. I’ve also lent it out a lot to people. Let’s say we’re taking a break during class or we’re stopping somewhere for lunch and they’re not dressed for the weather. Putting this on just cuts the wind and helps you warm up. There was this one time there was a rainy and chilly day and we were doing a lesson in Maine. We were dressed up appropriately under the dry suits but we had to wait for a shuttle and it was chilly, putting the storm cag on really helped me stay warm. So it’s not necessary but it’s useful for someone in your paddling group to have one.

2. Extra hatch covers – These always come in handy. I’ve let people borrow them many times in the past. Let’s say a wave knocks one off or you lose one when you’re traveling or you have the kayak on top of your car, there’s different ways of having emergency hatch covers. I have a full video on this right here if you would like to learn more about it.

3. First aid kit – all the usual things are in here

4. Paddle floats – I used to keep this behind my seat in my old kayak but in this kayak the seat goes a little further back. As long as you have easy access to it that’s great. It can be useful if you need it on an assisted rescue or a buddy might need it on the water.

These are the things I like having in the Kayak at all times and depending on the activity, I also like having other safety things on my pfd. But the reason I like having this stuff on the kayak is because there have been many times that I’ve used it when I wasn’t expecting and instead of having to always remember to pack it, it’s nice knowing that it’s always there whenever we need.

I’d love to hear if you have any other set ups depending on the type of paddling you do. Same things go with questions, please leave a comment. I hope this has been helpful. Subscribe if you’d like, I’m always trying to put these videos out as always.