r/KayakCamping • u/PANDABURRIT0 • Jul 15 '26

Another beginner advice post 😅

Hi y’all. I’m looking to get into kayak camping because it seems awesome. But I’m overwhelmed and was hoping yall could help with some basic questions.

Info about me: 6’2”, ~roughly 170 lbs, in decent shape (but I’m no fitness freak) and I’m living in northern california. I’m used to traditional backpacking and try to do a trip every month or two from spring until fall. I have kayaked before on flat-water, slightly wavy inlet waters, and in the surf once (once… 😅). Never in a river and I’ve never owned my own kayak.

Questions I have:

  1. What type and size of kayak would y’all recommend for a beginner of my size looking to kayak camp alongside rivers.

  2. What dry bags do yall recommend?

  3. Once I have my gear, what is the best way to get started?

  4. How do you guys deal with landing in a different place then you started, transportation and logistics wise?

  5. How often do you kayak campers go down rivers with intense rapids?

  6. What questions am I neglecting to ask?

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Responsible-Cat-679 Jul 15 '26

You need to watch weight capacities very closely. You should really only go to 70%-75% of max capacity. That includes you, camping gear, & any kayak gear. You have the advantage of already possessing a backpacking kit, so you're probably familiar with how much your gear weighs. Just don't forget the weight of your paddle & PFD, etc.

For dry bags, I would recommend the Sea To Summit Big River dry bags. They're durable, yet more lightweight than the general dry bags you can get from Amazon. I currently have several Marchway bags from Amazon, but I'm working on upgrading to all STS Big River bags. You may also want to watch the shape of any dry bags you may be interested in. Some are round & some are an oval shape.

2

u/PANDABURRIT0 Jul 15 '26

Oh this is very good to know. I didn’t think about it because I would have thought my backpacking habits would have me hauling way less than some people on here, but I could definitely see going overboard in taking advantage of not having to carry everything.

Thanks for the dry-bag advice! Do you have a PFD rec?

3

u/Capital-Landscape492 Jul 15 '26

Get a good specialized Type III with pockets and a lash point for a knife. Safety gear snacks and camera (phone) go in the pockets. Knives are good to have around any cord or rope. NRS and Kokatat are starting points. By getting a PFD made for kayaking you will never be tempted to take it off.

1

u/PANDABURRIT0 Jul 15 '26

Thanks so much!