"riverman" wrote in message ...
I guess there's also a factor to carrying something explosive and
potentially dagerous in your boat. What type of alternatives could there
be..?

According to the regulations, the alternative is to carry an Electric
Distress Signal.

The only product I am aware of which meets these regulations and would
be appropriate for kayaking (i.e. easily attachable to a PFD) is:

http://www.cmcrescue.com/product.php?dept_id=1345

Would still be interested in learning about others...

Greatland Laser (http://www.greatlandlaser.com) has told me that they
plan to release one at some point (if I understood them correctly) or,
at least, when they release a 'green' rescue laser, it would likely be
a very nice thing to carry as well. The reason 'green' is nice is that
I believe the entire beam is visible in the air rather then just the
dot where it would hit something.