What are your favorite accessories when paddling?

[jm0278]

Time to pick your brains again.

So...I now have one canoe, one paddle, one PFD, and a bailer/rope-in-a-bag thing with a whistle as part of the buckle. I've had the canoe out a number of times on local lakes and am looking forward to my first real trip in a few weeks. (Probably 3-5 days in Algonquin where I'll pick up a second paddle before heading out.)

My question is what "accessories" are your favorites when actually out on the water paddling? I've got a pretty good kit from my backpacking for when I'm ashore, but I strongly suspect there a few key lightweight items that might be really nice and/or essential to have.

Back in my kayak days, I had a paddle leash, float, hand pump, and spray skirt but none of that seems like it would be all that helpful in a canoe used on lakes. The only real complaint I have so far is my drinking water quickly gets hot. I've been using a plastic Platypus "bottle" that lays nicely in the bottom of the boat without rolling around, but the clear plastic soaks up the sun better than my old solar shower.

Comments? Suggestions?

Thanks!

Jim

 

[Odyssey]

That's tough question Jim, or maybe my brain just makes for lean pickings.
Just the basics of PFD and paddles pretty much completes the canoeing portion of our accoutrement, I don't really have any accessories. Except for one I guess; my wrist compass. Wearing it makes it easy to keep an eye on general direction though it's not as accurate as maps & compasses that come on trips.
Everything else between the gunnels pertains to the camping portion of our trips. Now those accessories are another story.

 

[Canotrouge]

Soft cooler would work to keep things cooler....
I like a sponge to clean up the boat.
I also like knee pads( fixed in the boat) I kneel, no sitting for me.
A fishing rod.
binoculars and field books.
When in season, my rifle and hunting gear.
My pole.

 

[sweeper]

Hands down hot coffee well into the morning

https://www.hydroflask.com/20-oz-wide-mouth#92=60

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

In addition to all of the above: bailer made from 1/2 gal milk jug; river knife that attaches to my PFD; small dry bag for munchies, sun screen, bug dope; just enough TP for sudden urges (ya never know when)!.

 

[latremorej]

Diy yourself a platypus coozie from some reflectix. Or windshield solar shade. Helps ALOT!. (For the soft bottles I would just make a large envelope to stick it in)

Another accessory I often use on fishing trips is a stainless beer coozie, I attached some Velcro to the underside and the soft side to the thwart in front if my seat... no spills when setting the hook on that lunker bass!

I like a shamwow to mop up the mess in the bottom of the canoe, also good layed across the shoulders on a hot day, lightly wrung out.

Other than that, like Odessy says, everything else between the gunnels is geared towards the camping part

Jason

 

[Kmcmichael]

Wine and cheese.

 

[lowangle al]

Here's what you need. A Tilley or other wide brim hat, the older the better. A pair of LL Bean Hunting boots. A wool shirt or sweater and at least a five day growth of whiskers. Oh, and don't forget an easily accesible knife worn on the outside of your clothing. Dressing for success is not only for the corporate world, if you look the part your half way there. Eventually you will need some sort of canvas packs also. If you follow these tips it won't be long and you will feel like one of the more informed people out there, just because you visited this site, and you will probably have strangers asking you for advise.

 

[Magnus919]

Wine and cheese.

The wine goes into a PFD-mounted hydration bladder, right?

 

[deerfly]

Here's what you need. A Tilley or other wide brim hat, the older the better. A pair of LL Bean Hunting boots. A wool shirt or sweater and at least a five day growth of whiskers. Oh, and don't forget an easily accesible knife worn on the outside of your clothing. Dressing for success is not only for the corporate world, if you look the part your half way there. Eventually you will need some sort of canvas packs also. If you follow these tips it won't be long and you will feel like one of the more informed people out there, just because you visited this site, and you will probably have strangers asking you for advise.

^this^

only thing I would add is you have to stare intently into the distance and from side to side occasionally as you paddle forth with purpose. Doesn't matter what you're looking at or whether you can even see that far, you just want to look like you know what your doing...

 

[JackL]

We always take our hand held GPS units.
I have made mounts for them on the thwart in front of our seats.
It is always interesting to keep track of you mileage and all the other good things they can do.
You could start with a cheap one and then when you get proficient with it move up to a higher end one.

Also a few different sizes of dry bags comes in handy

Jack L

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

I understand you are asking specifically for accessories for the time of the trip when you are in the canoe paddling.

Map case (or laminated copies of maps)
Painters
Bungee dealy bobs or some such for attaching spare paddle, painters, and map case
Thwart bag (sun screen, bug dope, sun glasses, camera, water bottle, steri pen, GPS, etc.)
Seat pad

On the portage:

Portage pads

 

[Guest]

My $.79 stick on ball compasses I mount in the bow of all my canoes. I use then a lot on lakes, and sometimes it's just fun to see how much a stream meanders.

 

[Guest]

My question is what "accessories" are your favorites when actually out on the water paddling? I've got a pretty good kit from my backpacking for when I'm ashore, but I strongly suspect there a few key lightweight items that might be really nice and/or essential to have.

As a single category of “accessory” items my favorite is quality sun protective gear.

Sun glasses. Good quality polarized sunglasses, well fitted to your head shape so they won’t blow off in the wind. I used cheap sunglasses for too many years. One I got some quality sunglasses I never went back

Sun hat. My preference incorporates breathable UV material, an oversized bill with a dark underside and a French Foreign Legion drape that covers my neck and ears.

Quick-dry UV clothing. A shirt at least, preferably with long sleeves that are designed to be rolled up when desired.

 

[frozentripper]

I'm with Canotrouge on binoculars... taking time to simply look around more closely is often time well spent.

 

[bcelect]

What kind of paddle do you use? Are you sit and switch, or correction stroke? If you are putting on a lot of miles, the paddle is the one thing you are getting the most use out of. A good lightweight paddle is always a luxury. A Carbon fiber paddle weighing in at less than 12 ounces is great on the shoulders if you are putting on the miles. Yes, they are expensive but are worth every penny. Be careful though, putting them across the bow if you are taking a break from paddling, they will fly away in a breeze.

 

[Guest]

My $.79 stick on ball compasses I mount in the bow of all my canoes. I use then a lot on lakes, and sometimes it's just fun to see how much a stream meanders.

I’m with you on the compass, but I’m not sure my eyes are good enough to read something like this 9 feet away on the bow.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/232244213181?chn=ps&dispItem=1

I have the front thwart in our canoes rigged with a couple deck hooks to hold a bungee-on kayak deck compass. Stream meanders, holding steady on a wind ferry angle or sailing on open water. Route finding especially, with the map case attached to that thwart beside the deck compass for at a glance calculations.

Suunto Orca. A pricey solution, but I put that deck compass on the thwart every trip, so I’ve amortized the cost down to twenty cents a trip and still falling.

http://su.factoryoutletstore.com/de...er.html?category_id=32779&catalogitemid=54324

Lose the clips, shorten the bungee and stretch it between two J hooks atop the thwart.

Some other little things I find invaluable.

A bailer and a big sponge. It’s not belt & suspenders; each of those is better at different jobs. It’s tough getting mud or sand out with a bailer.

Water shoes appropriate for the season. And for the venue; shoe sucking mud has different requirements from sandy beaches from rocky ankle twisting shorelines. Shallow gotta-wade-the-boat streams with small pebbles are the bane of most footwear that isn’t calf high.

Minicel or other padding. Anything from a simple kneeling pad to my preferred Barcalounger seating with minicel or other cushion installed everywhere any part of my body touches the boat.

Some way to securely restrain a spare paddle. And primary paddle too, when launching or landing. There are a dozen different methods to accomplish that, any of which are superior to no way at all. Along those same outfitting lines some way to secure painters so that they are easily and quickly grasped.

For all of that the piece of gear that will most aid and abet your paddling is, and always will be

the paddle is the one thing you are getting the most use out of. A good lightweight paddle is always a luxury. A Carbon fiber paddle weighing in at less than 12 ounces is great on the shoulders if you are putting on the miles. Yes, they are expensive but are worth every penny.

And then you’ll really want some paddle restraint available on the canoe.

 

[gumpus]

My short list for day paddles includes kneeling pads (one for me, one for dog), mini milkbones (for dog), 2 paddles, 2 rags, and gloves...usually fingerless bicycle gloves.

 

[jm0278]

Thanks folks!

Lots of good input here. I can check off a few items right now:

• Tilley hat -- just a couple years old, but aging nicely
• Foam pad -- I have a three foot section of a Therm-a-rest Ridgerest that fits perfectly under the seat almost from gunwale to gunwale. The ridges let water flow through and then the pad does double duty when I get to camp as a seat or extra insulation
• Quick drying UV shirt and sunglasses -- I tested my Marmot Windridge today (SPF 50) and, as always, it was great. Sunglasses are prescription.

I will add the sponge; I have a nice one from when I did some tile work. As for a bailer, I'm going to start a new topic in Techniques about my day's lesson first.

Love the idea for a Reflectix DIY cozy for the Platypus bottle...and I just so happen to have some Reflectix left over from making my cooking cozies. It also sounds like I need to add a thwart bag of some sort to hold stuff: sun screen, smaller bags of stuff, etc. I've got some "pack mesh" and some nylon tape and I may well get out the machine and see what I can create.

And I've got an excellent hand bearing compass left over from sailing that is easy to read at arm's length which will now get attached to the forward thwart somehow. (Probably some hefty velcro, possibly adhesive backed.) I had wondered about a compass since so much of the navigation I've seen looks like straightforward visual stuff, but I had not considered the winding creek aspect and I've lost view of the sun on more than a few cloudy days. I do like to factor in sunset and/or sunrise views when choosing a campsite and an onboard compass will definitely enable me to know beforehand.

For securing paddle(s), I've just ordered two Nite-ize 12" Loopable Gear Ties from Amazon for under $8. I really liked the loopable aspect because it will keep the gear tie secured to the thwart even when it's not securing anything else.

And then there's the over $200 carbon fiber paddle -- someday, but not yet. I know I need to have one of these, but I don't have enough experience yet to be confident I'd make the right choice vis-a-vis length, shape, blade-size, etc. My one and only paddle is a straight-shaft 60" Grey Owl Pathfinder. Sometimes it feels like it's too long and my shaft hand is 6"-8" above the water during a stroke. Other times, I'm dragging my shaft hand through the water a bit. My next paddle will be bent and made of wood, but that's all I know for sure right now. I may well decide to try and make my own carbon fiber paddle(s). I've seen that I can order carbon fiber tubing on Amazon in a variety of lengths and thicknesses and I have done a bit of work with epoxy and fiberglass.

I am also holding off on a GPS right now. My Domestic Management (aka Luvly Wife) really wants me to have something with EPIRB-like functionality. I really want her to have the ability to tell me if an emergency arises at home and that suggests satellite messaging. The two potentials are the SPOT devices which I don't care for or the Delorme which I do like. What's holding me back is that Garmin bought Delorme at the start of 2016 and they haven't yet introduced any new product combining their technologies. I think Garmin does new product releases around the start of the year so I'm going to hold off until then and hope they make something really compelling. Besides, I have the Gaia GPS app in my phone and it works quite well -- when I'm on land and willing to use it.

Thanks again!

Jim

 

[GRS Riverrider]

Don't forget a neckerchief/wild rag/buff/shemagh. Useful to dip in the water and cool you down when you're hot, stop sunburn on the back and front of your neck where the hat shadow misses, keep you warm in the morning and during shoulder seasons, allow you to breathe comfortably in high winds (the sand/dirt blows around here), and doubles as a sweat/sneeze/wash rag.