Equipment for a self-supported kayak trip
...lessons learned from the Zanskar Expedition

by Colin Irvine

Equipment choice for self-support kayak trips centres around the "light and fast" principle. Advances in equipment design mean it is now possible to carry less and achieve more. When planning for the Zanskar Expedition, we tried to identify gear that scored high on 3 categories:
minimum bulk, minimum weight and maximum versatility.

Nothing made its way into our kayak unless it delivered on all three, because excess weight means an increase chance of missing lines and getting into trouble. I have entertained lots of questions about what to bring and what not. I definitely don't claim to know all the answers, but this is what we did - I hope it's of some use...

(Click on the logos to get the manufacturers' info.)




Kayaks:
I paddled a Dagger Nomad 8.5, Keogh was in the LiquidLogic Gus and the rest of the team were in Pyranha H3 245's. All boats performed well when loaded, although this was largely due to careful packing. Jam was the heaviest of the Pyranha paddlers at 13 stone and could probably have done with the larger size as he was occasionally a little tail heavy. I was sceptical of a round hulled boat on a big volume river, but the Nomad came through with flying colours and is now my definite choice for everything but playboating!

Most of us had to make adjustments in the outfitting. I had to remove the central foam (still leaving the plastic pillar) to enable the daily removal of the foot-plate, so i could retrieve my sleeping bag from up front. Careful packing was key, ensuring even weight spread left and right and as much weight as possible in the front of the boat. Kipper cut a space for his fuel bottle in the front pillar and I strapped water bottles down between my legs. I carried my large throw bag around my waist and put my cameras on my lap. Basically, every bit of available space was used up.






Apparel:
The thing to get right here is to choose really good base layers, and keep them dry. For base layers, I can reccommend the Reid transpire fleece range. The lads all used the Nookie range of outer wear and I paddled in Palm-Equipment. For colder locations the dry suit is the way forward, but it offers little versatility when temperatures fluctuate as wildly as on Zanskar. All of us went for the Dry-top / dry-pant combo. For PFD's we chose full rescue vests with maximum pocket space from Palm and Nookie.


Kayaking Footwear:
Strong footwear is a must. Several of us went for the TEVA gamma shoes. A boot version would be even better, but hard to fit into the boat.

Paddles:
The Rough Stuff Zanskar was designed especially for the trip. The idea was to create a blade that would minimise strain associated with powering heavy boats over long distances, while at the same time providing enough power to cope with some meaty rapids. The result was a touring / freestyle hybrid shape, with a narrow tip and a powerful mid section.

Initial loading of wrists and arms is greatly reduced, with power coming on later in the stroke. The blade is also well suited to river runners who have little interest in freestyle and who are looking for a smooth stroke, rather than the jerky power sometimes associated with the traditional freestyle oriented blade shapes.

Rescue Equipment
A long self-supported trip demands a fairly substantial rescue kit, much more than for road-side creeking. Every member of the team carried a personal throwline of about 20m, for swimmer rescue. In addition, we carried a thicker line to assist with awkward boat recovery. This was appreciated during one of our portages, where the thin lines were struggling to cope with heavy boat hauls. Everyone carried at least 2 HMS style screwgate karabiners and a sling of about 10 foot (un-sewn). Within the group we had pulleys, prussiks and extra slings. Everyone wore a full rescue vest with integrated chest harness. Of course, all of this kit is worthless unless you know how to use it. Consider going on a kayakers rescue course or the more technical Swifttwater Rescue Technician training. The ICU level 5 training is also worthwhile and covers many of the basics.

Off-River Clothing:
We expected night time temperatures to drop to around freezing point, and a good chance of rain. We needed clothing to sleep in, eat in, hike in, that would keep us warm and dry but take up minimum space in the boat. We turned to the leading mountaineering brand, Berghaus, who were facing similar demands from their climbers.

We used a lightweight but extremely warm base layer, the X-static T and a super light goretex shell from their paclight range to keep us dry. Traditional choice of mid layers has been between fleece (functional, versatile, ok when wet but very bulky) and down (very warm, very compact, disaster in the rain). However, Berghaus provided us with a third option in the Infinity-Pro jacket - a pertex shell with a primaloft fill. Primaloft is a synthetic alternative to down that continues to preform while wet. The jackets compacted well and were possibly the best equipment find of the trip. On our trek to Stok-Kangri, this gear allowed us to execute a fast, lightweight ascent while other tourists slogged with mules trains for their heavy packs.

Tents:
A good nights sleep is key to a successful self-supported kayak descent. The Great Outdoors kindly supplied us with North Face Tadpole tents, a 2 man lightweight wedge-dome design that served us well throughout the trip and on the trek to Stok Kangri mountain later in the month.

Sleeping Bags:
The big decision is whether to go for down or synthetic. Down generally offers superior thermal performance from a lighter, more compact bag. As space in our kayaks was at an absolute premium, we went for a 2 season down bag, the Vango Venom 300. It's thermal performance was excellent and it packed into a tiny space. We made sure to keep it well wrapped in the boat though as wet down is a nightmare.

Sleeping mats:
The Thermarest ultralight 3/4 length is the lightest, most compact mat we could find and was enough to keep the ground chill off our upper bodies at least. For more comfort the heavier versions would have been better, but we just couldn't afford that extra bulk.


Dry Bags:
Sealine provided us with a range of transparent dry bags which worked extremely well. Their Heavy-Duty models are stronger than the SEE bags, but do not form as good a seal. 20 litres is a good all-round size. For smaller items, consider an Aquapac or miniture peli-case. For camera equipment, use a peli-case or watershed bag.


Camping Stoves
We used 2 MSR dragonfly stoves. They can burn a variety of fuels and perform well at altitude. They also break down easily and take up little space in the boat. Maintaining them can be a little tricky and you need to take care to keep sand and silt away from the fuel lines. Apart from that, they were superb.

We had considered taking a pressure cooker to enable easier cooking at high altitude, but decided against it due to its weight.
(Pressure cookers are basically a saucepan with a seal that traps steam and causes the atmospheric pressure inside to rise. The problem being that low atmospheric pressure associated with high altitude means a low boiling point - water is allowed to evaporate at a lower temperature and your poor spuds end up with more of a luke-warm bath than a proper boiling!)

In retrospect we should have packed more soft foods that require less boiling - our peas were like gravel and basically a waste of space and weight. For the next trip, I will definitely look at some specialist expedition ration packs, despite the cost.

Medical Kit:
For pre-trip vaccinations we visited the Tropical Medical Bureau who have clinics in Dun Laoghaire, Grafton Street and Blanchardstown. They offer more than the average doctor, due to their expertise in travel medecine and their comprehensive database. The computer showed a wide range of potential health risks associated with travel to India, some of which are adequately dealt with through vaccination.
Malaria was a risk in the lower altitudes, especially due to the monsoon season - most of us took anti-malarials to minimise that risk.

In our medical kit we took all the usual bandages and dressings as reccommended by our fist aid training. If you haven't done any first aid training then the REC courses (contact Tiglin) are very suitable for paddling trips. Our medical kit was backed up by a splint, lots of duct tape and a range of drugs. We took some strong painkillers and a few antibiotic variants. These can be purchased very cheaply in India, due to the large pharmaceutical industry in the country. Extreme caution is required when administering any drugs so I'm not naming them - get some training!


Sunglasses:
Shading the eyes from high altitude rays is a must. Check out the CEBE range:



Off-River Footwear:
Gore-tex trekking shoes got us from Delhi to the summit of a 6,000m peak - truly a versatile piece of kit. A sports sandal was first choice for off river wear whilst on the river itself. Thanks to Colombia:



General Tips:

Try to do a trial run with your boat fully loaded before heading off. See how the fully loaded boat performs, tweak any weight distribution issues and test your camping equipment.

Consider every bit of space and how to best use it. I strapped a Dominoes Pizza bum bag to my central pillar to hold my stills camera and remind me that no matter how tough it got on the river, it was still preferable to that damned delivery job!

Do a capsize drill to ensure you're not trapped in the boat by your gear.

Do not compromise the boat's structural integrity. I removed some foam from up front but made sure to leave the plastic pillar in situ.

Get as much weight in fornt of the foot-rest as possible - the boat will be tail heavy anyway.

Take a set of 2-way radios - we didn't and we missed them.

Remember spare batteries for cameras and conserve battery life on the river (avoid playback, turn off lcd screen etc)

Keep in mind that you are going to make a tonne of mistakes - we certainly did. The important thing is to plan as carefully as possible, because as Keano puts it: "fail to prepare - prepare to fail"! Carefully assess each piece of kit that goes in your boat. Try not to choose your equipment solely on price but analyse everything and try to figure out what will actually work. Remember that to succeed on remote trips you need to match the right gear with carefully planning and a high level of skill - good luck!


More questions - email me...