Inside Passage Expedition Gear List

Quality equipment is one of many components to a successful expedition. My advice is to not skimp—your life could depend on it. While planning for my journey, I often agonized over exactly what gear to bring, but in the end, my painstaking choices paid off. My most important pieces of equipment were my seamanship skills, my brain, my sense of humor, and a good dose of common sense. I tested all of these to their limits a time or two on this endeavor and occasionally misplaced my sense of humor!

Safety Gear

In addition to my SPOT satellite tracker, I packed a GPS, a VHF radio, and a cellphone. I had cellphone service regularly on the first third of the trip. After that, it was intermittent, with my longest stretch out of communication lasting for about ten days. I was able to recharge most of these devices with a compact, battery-operated charger made by a company called Tekkeon. It worked wonderfully. I carried a spare paddle and all the normal self-rescue equipment. I always wore my PFD (life jacket) while on the water. Attached to my PFD was an emergency bail out kit. In the event I became separated from my boat, I had the necessary survival equipment. In my kayak I carried, among many other items, a comprehensive first aid/trauma kit and a boat repair kit, which included copious amounts of duct tape. I had a mini arsenal of flares and various other signaling devices in the event I needed to be seen, heard, or found in an emergency situation. I wore a wetsuit nearly every day. This was a good choice as I believe I would have shredded a drysuit. I wore my dry top on stormy or colder days. Although they are not safety gear, both a deck-mounted and handheld compass were important pieces of my kit. My 32 charts were divvied up by sections, and mailed to me as needed.

The Other Stuff

Kayak and Camping Gear

Books & Related Resources

Electronics

Clothing

... While paddling

... On land

Kitchen Gear