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Jennifer Kleck - I have a somewhat bulky, synthetic sleeping bag that I've found packs best in a standard nylon compression sack. To waterproof it for kayaking, I simply place a heavy-duty garbage bag (trash compactor bags are excellent) inside the compression sack, then stuff the sleeping bag into both. I twist the top of the garbage bag a few times, and synch down the compression straps. I've never had a damp sleeping bag and the outer nylon compression bag slides easily into my hatches. The same trick works for tents in their original stuff sack (don't put the poles in the garbage bag - just the tent and fly) and makes a much smaller package than a dry bag would.
Tom Camp - Use your float bag for a pillow.
Marie Humphrey- use a strap on the small dry bags that get stuffed into the bow or stern or attach the cord of one bag through the clasp of another. Then when you pull out one bag the other slides out with it. You can use the straps to easily unload your bags. Buy different colored dry bags so you know what is in each one; pack like items together, clothing in one color; dinners and lunches in one color; breakfast, snacks, coffee in another. When paddling into the wind, packing more of the weight into the front of the boat can help. Take special care to tie down your water bottle. They tend to get lost easily when entering through small surf.
Bagology - The science of packing a kayak
by Chris Ladner
Kayak trips are an exercise in organization. It is always amazing how all that stuff ever fits into that tiny kayak. Bags are the essence of finding what you need without frustration. "Bagology" is my term for the careful science of grouping articles into appropriate bags.
There are many schools of thought for bagology. Over the years of kayaking my bagology philosophy has changed. In fact, with each trip I have gained insights.
Grouping of articles is the first step. I tend to group my things into the following categories: camp cooking, camp clothing, food, paddling clothing, safety gear, boat gear, plus some other odds and ends. A consideration is who you are travelling with and how organized they are. You need to carefully delineate who is bringing what, especially if you have no option to stash stuff.
We use a variety of bags for different things. Many things do not even need a bag. I have never put my tent into a waterproof bag, for example. Yet my sleeping bag always gets the best waterproof bag. Food can be put into nylon stuff sacks with garbage bags inside. (Remember that some green garbage bags have a heavy duty toxic substance coated on them making them unsuitable for food). I have used geological survey bags (available from mining supply houses) but these are difficult to close completely. Mesh bags are handy for keeping things together like pots and pans. A canvas or burlap bag is handy for your fresh catch of the day. Keeping the bag damp with the occasional paddle splash will keep your fish fresh for days, even in the tropics.
Waterproof bags come in either nylon or vinyl (or derivatives of these). Nylon is more puncture resistant than vinyl but does not seal as well. Nylon bags are especially leaky if the opening is more than a foot wide. Vinyl bags ("dry bags") are the most popular. These bags seal well and come in a wide variety of sizes. The 20 litre size is the most popular as it fits a sleeping bag. (The trick for getting your sleeping bag into the bag is to hold the bag upside down and push the foot of the sleeping bag well into the bottom. Make sure the bottom of the waterproof bag is well packed before packing the balance of the bag.) Be careful not to step on your bag or leave it within spark range of a fire. It helps to write your name on the outside when part of a group to minimize confusion over otherwise identical bags. But I recommend not writing the contents on the bag as the insides will invariably change.
Colours and labels play an important role in bagology. Waterproof bags should be purchased in as many different colours as possible. We try use colours logically. With food bags we use green bags for go (breakfast), yellow for lounging in the sun (lunch), red for stop (dinner), blue for adding spice and mood- lifting things (spice kit, beverages, goodies, etc.). We also pack our food bags by meal. A complete dinner will be in its own bag labeled "Dinner #1" (you can make laminated tags). If you have leftovers from one meal, you can always throw them into another bag with complementary ingredients.
Transparent or translucent bags have great advantages when looking for your clean clothes a couple of feet down inside. I use three 20 litre bags for the sleeping bag, for camp clothing and for paddling clothes (cockpit bag). Your needs will of course vary with your choices in gear.
Any discussion about bags cannot go without some mention of rigid containers. Rigid plastic containers are tough to pack in kayaks, but a Pelican case for camera gear is a must. Never trust a fabric bag to your precious camera. With your Swiss Army Knife you can put small holes in the flanges at the back of the box. You then thread a 3 mm static cord through these holes and the holes in the handle to tie it down to the deck eyes in front of the cockpit. This makes the camera ready for action shots. While I try to keep rigid containers to a minimum, there are some uses for them. Nalgene containers (500 ml) are great goodie containers for the cockpit. Fishing gear fits nicely into a compartmentalized plastic lure box. Spices work best in screw top containers (film canisters are not waterproof for spices). Cookies hold together better in a Tupperware container.
I left out olive barrels for a reason. The small ones work well when full. Just remember to keep them full, otherwise there is wasted space. I am a firm believer that as you eat into your boat, the bags should diminish in size. With hard containers they maintain their size and do not make packing easier. Also, since olive barrels are often hard to fit into your hatches they tend to wind up on deck. This creates enormous windage and balance problems. When a wave catches the gear on deck, it really pushes you around. I’m speaking from experience, having slipped in surf from my deck-mounted Pelican case.
When all my gear is finally in the kayak I stuff in an extremely large spinnaker bag. This is a light-weight bag that stuffs down to nothing yet can hold more than I can carry. This means when I arrive at a campsite and the tide is way out, I pull out this bag. Into it goes everything from the kayak that we need for the night. I usually get someone to help carry the load (it has a sturdy handle on the bottom). So when everyone is going back and forth through the mud with bag straps digging into their shoulders, you can offer some assistance (usually earning you a reward from the treat bag!). One final tidbit - a contradiction to what I said about not carrying things on deck - I have a habit of securing a kitchen dish drainer to the deck behind me with shockcords, just perfect for giving easy access to my fishing gear, water bottle, kite, fish glove, fish bag, cup, etc.
Bagology is an ever evolving effort. I invite you to send Wave~Length your packing secrets.
Chris Ladner owns & operates Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Centre on Granville Island, in Vancouver, B.C. He can be reached at 604-689-7575, e-mail: cladner@direct.ca.
