Pack by Numbers

Loaded and trimmed for 3 1/2 weeks

As with all things kayaking, folks have found different solutions that work for them and have differing opinions.  Sometimes the solutions are well conceived and other times not-so-much.  I’m going to discuss my method of packing for a kayaking trip for a single overnight or for a month at a time.  Since I’ve never been out for more than a month my experience hits a wall at that point.  This is what works for me.

My first rule is no deck loading.  The only kit on the deck will be a spare paddle, chart case, GPS and helmet.  Nothing but navigation and safety gear.  There is an issue with windage that comes with deck loading but for me it is about safety and deck access.  When things go sideways that deck may be your only friend and savior.  If it is cluttered with bags, carts and furniture safety can be severely compromised.  My helmet is the only item on the back deck and it is attached in a manner that allows it to be easily removed and discarded if in the way.   

Basics: 

• Take only what you are really going to need.  
• Know what every item weighs and distribute the weight so that the boat retains its empty balance.  In other words, it is not stern or bow heavy unless you know from personal experience that it performs better in ALL conditions when loaded in an unbalanced state.
• Place heavy items closer to the cockpit with lighter items towards the bow and stern. 
• In your kit selection prioritize packed size over weight. 
• There should be no unsecured gear in the cockpit. 
• If you can’t fit it in the hull set it aside for now as you probably don’t need it. 

 

Take only what you need:

•  Bring basic clothing.  No extra stuff.  This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no fooling around.  Don’t worry about having the perfect layer. 
• Choose clothing and gear that serves multiple purposes when possible.   If you have a Storm Cag you don’t need a separate raincoat and how many different shoes do you really need?.   
• Don’t try to pack clean clothes for each day.  That takes up too much space. 
• Accept that you are going to get dirty and you are going to stink.  Wool stinks less than synthetics.
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Gear weight: 

• Some folks try to color code their drybags or label them with hangtags that describe the contents.  Good ideas and those are nice-to-haves but not gotta-haves.  The gotta-have is how much does each bag or loose item weigh.
• I use mostly small and/or compression drybags with two tapered bags with purge valves for bow and stern.
• Once you have all of your necessary gear assembled and bagged, weigh each item and record that on a spreadsheet. 

Start packing it into the boat where it makes sense to you while being mindful of “heavy-to-the-center-light-to-the ends.  Did it all fit INSIDE the hull?  Check your spreadsheet to see how close to balanced are you? Start figuring out what items need to go fore or aft based on weight, size and shape to achieve balanced trim while fitting INTO the hull.  It may take you a while to get the weight properly placed to achieve trim. 

• Didn’t all fit?  OK, start figuring out what your nice-to-haves are and set them aside.   Keep working at it until you have fit all of your gotta-haves INSIDE the boat in a balanced fashion. If you find room for a nice-to-have that’s a score! 
• Figure out how much water you REALLY need to carry and put it into bags.  I prefer the MSR Dromedary Bags but others work well and they conform to available spaces.   Plastic water bottles are inefficient as they don’t conform and take up as much space empty as they do when full. 
• Don’t carry more water than you need.  I seldom carry more than I will personally need for two or three days though I take a 10-liter, 6-liter and 4-liter bag for clean, filtered water.  With my filter I pack two dirty-water collection bags which combined packs smaller than a 2 liter Nalgene bottle.
• Know that a 10-liter bag holding only 4-liters will fit into spaces that a 4-liter bag will not. Empty Dromedary Bags take up very little space, essentially the size of their non-conformable cap.  Water weighs about 2 pounds per liter and bags can be moved around to balance your boat.  It’s a puzzle.  It’s all about space!

It all fits INSIDE the hull

Practice!!!!!: 

• Now that you are balanced and have fit your gotta-haves INSIDE the hull start practicing packing and unpacking. 
• Have two beach bags.  Large Ikea bags are great as they are cheap, light and take up nearly zero space when empty.  Use one for the cockpit forward and one for behind the cockpit.
• Practice until each item is always in the same place and you can pack fast with or without daylight.  When you have performed enough reps to be efficient you will know exactly what is inside every bag by location and feel and won’t need color-coding or labels.  Once you have practiced enough that you know what each item is and where it lives, practice some more. 
• Have some spare time before dinner?  Great! Go out into the garage and practice some more.

Stages of packing

You never want to be the last person packed and off the beach because you are fidgeting with your gear and trying to figure out where everything goes.  There are many people that you don’t want to be in this life and the last person off the beach is one of them.