r/KayakCamping

Just completed first multi day / night Inflatable solo Kayak trip on a wilderness river in the Northern Rockies. Lessons (positive and negative) learned (NOT a paid seller):

+ The Aire Outfitter 1 is a super stable boat. Evenly loaded with 65lbs of gear and it still handles well;
- its stability, especially with me (195lbs) and gear, is a tradeoff for agility. Quick, whippy changes of direction, IE in a ripping small feeder river are next to impossible. Scouting becomes a non-negotiable as reaction times and execution slow way down;

+ My UL backpacking gear( Durston, Therma, Nemo, MSR, was awesome in packability and stow ability; BUT
- what can be crammed into dry bags and stuff sacks in the garage using every mm of space becomes next to impossible to make that small or packed in the field. Especially when it’s wet. Need to give myself just a little bit of margin in every bag. Can’t be skintight to start;

+ Merino and synthetic blends still rule.
- Dry suits, even high-end, with zippers across the back shoulders suck.

+ Proper nutrition and hydration are essential, give up weight and space for too many, not too few dense, caloric snacks.
- I’m always surprised how much food I can mow down between meals

+ clearing first time rapids is a great feeling;
- not so great: immediately relaxing and not keeping my head up for next set. Didn’t swim but panicky paddling ensued.

Even mild exhaustion and hunger slows thinking and decision making. Need to slow down and double check things that matter (eg accessibility of safety/comm gear, etc).

No matter how ventilated a tent, if you are camped in a damp spot and the temp drops there will be condensation. A rag or two to wipe down the interior would have improved a damp quilt and improved comfort.

Looking forward to next month’s trip.

I bailed on my trip after only 2 nights instead of 3. I was really looking forward to a full day of relaxing & enjoying my campsite, but I made the call to leave early because of weather. There was no guarantee that I would have good paddling conditions on the day I was supposed to leave. On top of that I would have needed to weather a storm on the last night, which is always stressful. Quite frankly, I'm sick & tired of there usually being some type of horrendous storm when I camp.

I'm classifying it as a failure because if my kit were lighter, then I wouldn't be as picky about paddling conditions. Between some added gear & a slight personal weight gain, total weight is ~12 lbs heavier than previously. Apparently, those 12 lbs are the tipping point 😫. 76% of the boat's max capacity doesn't feel as comfortable as 72%.

Another reason why this feels like a failure is because I overdid it paddling yesterday & my heart condition started acting up. The condition is new & still being evaluated by the doctor. If my dicky ticker had behaved I wouldn't be as worried about the stress of weathering the incoming storm.

Now I'm at the cabin that I used as a staging area, just a day earlier than planned. I'll have a couple nights here & head for home.