On 21 Dec 2003 02:54:22 GMT, Drew Cutter wrote:

I live in the great lake area. The sleeping bag concern me because of
its bulk. Do I carry more water for hydration ? Also my winter jacket
when and if I'm spending the night on a island. The tent would have to
be a 4 seasons tent. I would imagine the length of time I can be out is
limited , Less room for a week stay out. I been ready the article in sea
kayak magazine (summer trip packing )to get an i idea of what i might be
running into . So i need more hints on what can or can't pack. My boat
has 7' of storage space.

There are many classes on winter camping which you might benefit from.
There are many skills you need to learn, and a newsgroup is not the
best way to learn so many things at once.

Bulk of a winter sleeping bag is a concern, especially a synthetic
material. Down would be better, but if it gets damp at all, it loses
significant insulation value for the rest of that trip.

Water needs do go up somewhat, as your respiration loses a great deal
of moisture as you breathe out warm moist air. Below freezing
temperatures limit your purification options.

There is more to winter clothing than a warm jacket. Same principles
as warmer weather, you you would add more layers and a few specialty
items.

You do not need a 4 season tent unless you are camping in areas with
significant winds or snow loads.

Before you take on a one or two week winter trip, you need to learn a
great deal more, as well as doing a number of shorter practice trips
with backup options. What you bring for gear is only a small part of
the package.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

....stuff deleted

Bulk of a winter sleeping bag is a concern, especially a synthetic
material. Down would be better, but if it gets damp at all, it loses
significant insulation value for the rest of that trip.


I put the down sleeping back into 2 dry bags. I stuff the bag into the nose
of the boat about as tightly as I can. This seems to do the trick, so far,
although getting to it often means a certain amount of unpacking. For this
reason, I tend to stuff the food and camping gear in the bow as well (at
least the stuff I'll be using that evening). Anyone have a better
method/location for theirs?

Rick

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 15:18:24 GMT, "Rick" wrote:

I put the down sleeping back into 2 dry bags. I stuff the bag into the nose
of the boat about as tightly as I can. This seems to do the trick, so far,
although getting to it often means a certain amount of unpacking. For this
reason, I tend to stuff the food and camping gear in the bow as well (at
least the stuff I'll be using that evening). Anyone have a better
method/location for theirs?

Think about your stuff in three groups:

A) What you only need in camp, which can be tucked far inside the
kayak. When you get to camp you would completely unload. For bad
weather, the tent might be one of the first items you want to pull out
of the boat at camp.

B) What you need during the day, which whould be easily reachable.

C) Emergency gear, which should be both easily reachable and extremely
secure if you dump.

Geometry may force you to modify this a bit.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

....stuff deleted

Think about your stuff in three groups:

A) What you only need in camp, which can be tucked far inside the
kayak. When you get to camp you would completely unload. For bad
weather, the tent might be one of the first items you want to pull out
of the boat at camp.

B) What you need during the day, which whould be easily reachable.

C) Emergency gear, which should be both easily reachable and extremely
secure if you dump.

Geometry may force you to modify this a bit.

Gary,

Good advice and this pretty much sums it up. Still, with the down bag, I
really didn't want it wet. Putting it up, off the bottom of the boat, and
limiting the exposure of the top of the bag to water were pretty important
to me. I would put most of the soft stuff I'd need in camp into the bow
(clothes, food, bag, and water, which I located on the bottom, down near the
bulkhead). Stuff that I'd need only occasionally would tend to be in the
back. I'm probably a bit out of trim (light in the bow) as the water is used
up, but this isn't as much of an issue with a kayak as it is with a canoe.

And yes, geometry is, at times, an issue, but if you apply the old
backpackers draconian rules of what to bring and how to pack it, you are
much better off. People in canoes can be a bit more cavilier with their
gear.

Rick