go light go light = go more
Lightening your load is just one step toward doing more paddling, more often. You will be more organized, load up faster, be able to make quicker getaways and squeeze in more and better weekend trips. Once you’ve got your gear dialed, follow these time-management tips to streamline your prep time.
#6: Measure your food. PHOTO: DAVE QUINN
4 5
Prioritize your gear When packing, divide every- thing up into “must bring” and
“would like to bring if there’s room” cat- egories. Leave the “would like to bring” items home. If you really needed it, you would have moved it into the “must bring” category in the first place.
Make a packing list Making a packing list will force you to organize and think about
what to bring, rather than just throwing things in just in case. It will also help you speed up the process next time.
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1. Make a where-to-go list Spend less time dithering about where to go. You’ve made a list of what to bring, now make a list of places to go.
2. Keep it local Put aside the epic two-week journeys. Have a list of local camp- ing spots you can paddle to for a one- or two-night weekend.
3. Plan Wednesday Wednesday’s the day to lay plans and armtwist your friends, so you can…
4. Pack Thursday Thursday night after work is pack- ing time, so you can…
5. Paddle Friday Take advantage of long summer nights to paddle for your first camp. Leave from work, hit the water, and treat yourself to a sunset paddle. Your weekend trip will feel twice as long if you spend that extra night out.
6. Organize the garage Easier said than done, but spend as little time as possible finding and sorting your gear. Get a system.
7. Keep the pantry full Food planning and shopping is the thing that will slow you down the most, especially if you’re rushing to the grocery store on your way out of town. Keep a stash of pre-packed non-perishables (pasta, oatmeal, coffee, tea, etc.) with your camping gear. If you dehydrate your own food, dry and bag extra for future trips. Then you just add the fresh ingredi- ents and you’re on your way.
Fast Gear Lightening
Big Agnes Insulated Air Core Pad This pad has the best warmth-to-weight-and-packability ratio of any sleeping pad we’ve found. It’s a cushy air mattress stuffed with PrimaLoft synthetic insulation, which means it has a higher r-value (4.1) than a Therm-a-Rest while inflating thicker (6.3 cm; 2.5”) and packing smaller—about the size of a Nalgene bottle. The mummy shape trims fat where you won’t miss it. It’s not self-inflating so it takes a little while to blow up but the comfort is worth it. 595 g (1 lb, 5 oz). $70 US
bigagnes.com
8. Take less stuff Remember, go light! Camp chairs, charcoal, and three sets of clothes will just slow you down. Pack like a backpacker: take only what you re- ally need, plus the bottle of whisky and a good book. Then there’s less stuff to futz with in camp and more time to admire the view.
9. Go solo Got flakey or busy friends? Bob really wants to go, but he has tuba practice on Saturday morning? Paddling solo can free you from the search for the perfectly coordinated schedule. It takes some self-reli- ance, but the rewards are many and deep.
10. Butter up your boss Haven’t you been working late a lot? Hey, don’t you have a meeting with someone out of the office Friday afternoon? —NEIL SCHULMAN
Jetboil GCS This stove-and-pot system has an aluminum heat exchange coil, called a FluxRing, built into the bottom of the pot to double the surface area and absorb all the heat that would otherwise leak out the sides; proof is in the plastic lid and neoprene pot cozy that don’t melt when you cook. The result is a super-efficient system that cooks up to twice as fast as conventional stoves with half the fuel. One 100-gram canister boils 12 litres of water—perfect for a long weekend’s worth of hot chocolate and dehydrated curry. You may have guessed from the name that the Jetboil’s forte is fast boiling, not gourmet cooking. It boasts a one-cup-per-minute boiling speed. Everything fits inside the 1.5-litre pot, ideal for minimalist meals for one or two. The plastic heat exchanger protector and lid double as plates. A FluxRing frying pan is sold separately. 540 g (19 oz). $145 Cdn, $120 US
jetboil.com
Outdoor Research Helium Dry Sacks If you’re like us you’ve got a Rubbermaid tub full of bulky PVC vinyl dry bags that you’ve been using and repairing for years. But the outdoor industry is moving away from environmentally questionable PVC to much lighter, eco-friendly dry bags made of coated nylon or polyester. OR’s translucent silicone-treated, urethane-coated, ripstop nylon Helium Dry Sacks are the lightest they come, nearly one-eighth the weight and bulk of your old-school vinyl. These paper-thin sacks are fragile, but are perfect for packing soft items like clothes and sleeping bags. Six sizes from 6.5 to 55 litres. 44–106 g (1.6–3.7 oz). $14–$22 US
outdoorresearch.com
48 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SUMMER 2008
PHOTO:
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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