Anyone go Kayak camping/caching/exploring?

[+lil'hobo]

I have been wanting a Kayak forever and my girlfriend bought me one for my birthday. How cool is that? Anyhow, this summer when it warms up here in Michigan I want to get out and use it to do some day trips, and maybe an overnight stay or two. Anyone have any advice for me?

 

It's not a rapids kayak or anything, just a ten foot pelican with a little trunk on the stern, padded seat, foot pads etc. There seems to be plenty of space inside for me and some gear. And its color exactly matches my Venture HC, however, so clearly it was meant for caching. There are a few caches near me that are accessible only by water, so I plan on hitting those as well.

 

So, any thoughts, advice, warnings that anyone would like to share would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

[+tooiake]

Cool, a kayak! Nice present, I'm jealous. I did a little research on them a few months ago (I wanted one too)...I think the ten-footers are for calm, protected waters. So don't go out on a choppy lake and capsize! That's all I know. Good luck, have fun!

[Roadtorque]

Yeah, I have an advanced element kayak that I like a lot. Dont get out nearly as much as I would like. I would love to camp out of it on a weekend trip. I've been trying to talk some of my friends into renting their own kayak but so far no takers. I have not found any caches in my area that I can do out of a kayak. I guess that really means I need to create one. Not much advise other than take it easy and work your way into it. One thing I usually forget is when you get where your going your only half way! I have paddled until I was way tired because I wanted to see what was around the next bend. Then I realized I have to paddle all the way back out!

[+bwmick]

I bought a Kiwi kayak last fall (mostly cause they look like a nice solid boat and they are made in the town i live in) had some nice trips in it. my camalback wannabe fits great behind the seat holding what i need and the tube comes round me and is in easy reach. a pair of rubberized or neoprene gloves are good for spring and fall as the metal paddle can get cold and pull a lot of body heat out. I figure that when I am going to paddle on rivers it is best to start off by going upstream on the way out if you can so the trip back is all downhill. I will be going after a number of water based caches this summer and can't wait. I will also be taking a lot of trips where a peaceful morning is all I am after.

 

I have to say the world looks different from the water, and I like it.

 

Bryan

[southpawaz]

Yeah, I have an advanced element kayak that I like a lot. Dont get out nearly as much as I would like. I would love to camp out of it on a weekend trip. I've been trying to talk some of my friends into renting their own kayak but so far no takers. I have not found any caches in my area that I can do out of a kayak. I guess that really means I need to create one. Not much advise other than take it easy and work your way into it. One thing I usually forget is when you get where your going your only half way! I have paddled until I was way tired because I wanted to see what was around the next bend. Then I realized I have to paddle all the way back out!

 

I just got a chance to do some kayak caching for the first time last week in a borrowed 9.5 footer, it was a lot of fun but a little tough with that size boat when the wind came up against us for the return trip on the second day. Take a look a the lakes, we did 4 caches at Canyon Lake, and the next day one lakeside and two with a hike at Bartlett Lake. There are also a few at Saguaro Lake that are most easily accessed by boat.

 

Here I've just put back in the water at Bartlett Lake after finding GCWXG1 SB:

 

Edited March 8, 2009 by southpawaz

[+belair56]

If you want to check out a neat cache go to zip 13691, the name of the cache is "Empty Cache" GCJRRY, There's a group of pictures showing the way to the cache, I have a "old town loon" which has the front and rear compartments for storage, It's almost 16ft. I use it in the St. Lawrence River which it's ideal for, I've found the shorter Kayaks such as the Otter require to much effort (they go sideways to much) when paddling.

[Roadtorque]

Yeah, I have an advanced element kayak that I like a lot. Dont get out nearly as much as I would like. I would love to camp out of it on a weekend trip. I've been trying to talk some of my friends into renting their own kayak but so far no takers. I have not found any caches in my area that I can do out of a kayak. I guess that really means I need to create one. Not much advise other than take it easy and work your way into it. One thing I usually forget is when you get where your going your only half way! I have paddled until I was way tired because I wanted to see what was around the next bend. Then I realized I have to paddle all the way back out!

 

I just got a chance to do some kayak caching for the first time last week in a borrowed 9.5 footer, it was a lot of fun but a little tough with that size boat when the wind came up against us for the return trip on the second day. Take a look a the lakes, we did 4 caches at Canyon Lake, and the next day one lakeside and two with a hike at Bartlett Lake. There are also a few at Saguaro Lake that are most easily accessed by boat.

 

Here I've just put back in the water at Bartlett Lake after finding GCWXG1 SB:

 

 

Cool, I will have to find some of those before the lakes get to crowded with summer boaters. What did you do with your boats as you hiked up for the cache?

Edited March 9, 2009 by Roadtorque

[+lil'hobo]

Thanks for all of your inputs, now I just have to wait for it to warm up. Although it has been raining really hard lately and my backyard has a lot of standing water in it. Hmmmm

[+Ralfcoder]

Lil Hobo, if you haven't kayaked or canoed much before, I have 2 recommendations.

 

First - get a good quality PFD/life jacket that fits you well. Take your kayak with you to the store, pick out 3-4 PFDs that you like and that fit, and sit in the boat to see if they interfere with the seat, the coaming of the boat, your stroke, etc. You probably won't be able to do this at the local Meijer's, so you'll have to go to a decent sporting goods / outdoor store that will let you take the jackets out to your car or truck. But you're buying life support gear here, so in my view, it's worth a bit extra to take the time to get something that fits and is comfortable. If it's not both of those, you won't use it, and it won't do you much good when it's in the garage and you're upside down in the rapids.

 

Second - consider joining a paddling club or kayaking club, and get some experience before you try anything more than a very easy cache. It's easy to just jump in and head downstream or across the lake, and you'll probably have no troubles. But you can always learn more about the sport, and just one of those things might save you in a tight spot, or keep you from getting into that spot in the first place.

 

Now that the safety lecture is out of the way - take a look at this bookmark list. It's Michigan Canoe and Kayak caches. One of them should be near you.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...47-863e92e3b5da

 

And if you're interested, contact me offline - I'm considering going to GCF829 - Reeds Lake cache - this weekend, on the east side of Grand Rapids. I'd be glad to have someone go with me.

[+lil'hobo]

Lil Hobo, if you haven't kayaked or canoed much before, I have 2 recommendations.

 

First - get a good quality PFD/life jacket that fits you well. Take your kayak with you to the store, pick out 3-4 PFDs that you like and that fit, and sit in the boat to see if they interfere with the seat, the coaming of the boat, your stroke, etc. You probably won't be able to do this at the local Meijer's, so you'll have to go to a decent sporting goods / outdoor store that will let you take the jackets out to your car or truck. But you're buying life support gear here, so in my view, it's worth a bit extra to take the time to get something that fits and is comfortable. If it's not both of those, you won't use it, and it won't do you much good when it's in the garage and you're upside down in the rapids.

 

Second - consider joining a paddling club or kayaking club, and get some experience before you try anything more than a very easy cache. It's easy to just jump in and head downstream or across the lake, and you'll probably have no troubles. But you can always learn more about the sport, and just one of those things might save you in a tight spot, or keep you from getting into that spot in the first place.

 

Now that the safety lecture is out of the way - take a look at this bookmark list. It's Michigan Canoe and Kayak caches. One of them should be near you.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/view.a...47-863e92e3b5da

 

And if you're interested, contact me offline - I'm considering going to GCF829 - Reeds Lake cache - this weekend, on the east side of Grand Rapids. I'd be glad to have someone go with me.

 

Ralfcoder, thanks for the PFD advice. As it turns out I have been looking at jackets lately. I didn't really give any thought to how it would feel in the boat. That makes a lot of sense. I had only really focused on it fitting and not being under my arms to interfere with my paddling. And thanks for the bookmark list too, I appreciate it.

[1mastermind]

Great advice on fitting the life jacket with the kayak. I did just that. I bought my vest at Bill & Paul's in Grand Rapids where the staff are experts in kayaking and other outdoor adventure activities. The vest I bought ($75) has mesh on the lower half of the back instead of floatation all the way down. Very comfortable for kayaking as the vest isn't pushed up by the kayak seat.

 

Another bit of advice... holding the GPS in one hand makes it difficult to use two hands to paddle. I bought an extra mounting base for my GPS at Gander Mountain ($15) and attached it just forward of the cockpit opening on my Old Town Voyager. I can now easily snap in the GPS (or remove it) and use both hands to paddle relatively straight.

 

1mastermind

Rockford, MI