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Sea Kayaking Campcraft: Having Dry Shelter on the Coast

Sea kayakers have to be on top of their skills when heading out on west coast paddle expeditions, especially anywhere in the Pacific Northwest.   The incredible scenery available while kayaking on the coast of British Columbia is paid for with a price of cool and damp, if not outright wet.  Even the sea mists in August can pretty much soak everything.  Managing the wetness is an essential part of campcraft when sea kayaking to west coast destinations like the Broken Group Islands, Nootka Sound, Clayaoquot Sound, or Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands).

A good tent and tarp setup is the primary structure for shelter.  Camping in the forest, off the beach can help provide some shelter, but you lose the magnificent beach scenery with it.  The first step is using good judgment to set up your shelter to manage the wet.  Marine forecasts can help you look ahead to what is coming so that you can decide whether to beach it or head to the forest.  Either way, using a good tent and tarp is the way to go.  Kayakers don't have to worry so much about weight as hikers, so a larger tarp, or combination of tarps is more possible.  Separate areas for cooking and sleeping are absolutely appropriate and easy to manage from a kayak.  That means you can have a dry place to sleep, a dry place to eat, and a dry place to hang out.

Managing your clothing is important for staying warm on the coast.  For that, the tent and its shelter is absolutely critical.  Let's look at what you can do to keep yourself dry and warm by looking at some simple ways to keep a dry shelter.

1.  Pack your tent and its parts into plastic bags to keep everything else dry.

2.  Carry good tarps with enough size to give good shelter.  These are available for between about $35 and $350.  Set the tarp up before the tent, over the tent pad.  If it is raining, or threatening, you have a sheltered place to set up your tent, keeping it dry.  Your paddles can be used as posts for your tarp on a beach, and some tarps even have an attached center sock/stuff sack combination that ties onto your paddle for a center post.

3.  Use your groundsheet properly under the tent to keep moisture away from the tent surface.

4.  Set up on a spot that is slightly above the surrounding ground.  If there is not water pooled in the low spots already, then there can likely be pools later on.  Make sure you are setting up in a drainable position.  Sandy beaches are usually not a problem for drainage unless you set up below the high tide line.  Know where the high tide comes up before you set up your tent and tarp.  Move into the forest if it is unclear.

5.  Make sure your tent is set up properly.  The fly needs to be tight and not touching the actual tent.  Proper staking helps make sure the fly is tight, increasing its effectiveness against rain and wind.  The fly also needs to follow the lines of the tent and poles.  One problem with some tents is splash.  In heavier rains, water hitting the wet ground or tent platforms can splash up under the edge of the fly and right into the tent through the mesh fabric.  By staking fly lines so that the fly follows the contour of the tent, you can minimize this problem.  Staking can be a problem in the sand.  Tying lines to the staking tabs on your tent then wrapping the ties around sticks or rocks that are buried in the sand can get you over the loose stakes in the sand problems.

6.  Set up your tarp/tent before you change into your dry clothes.  Once you have the shelter set up, you can change into the dry stuff in a dry space.  This is part of protecting the dry clothing to make sure it is effectively warm for you.

7.  Keep all your dry clothes in a separate dry bag.  Keep any wet clothes in a different bag. Kayaking is a wet activity, so you are probably wearing some kind of special clothes  on the west coast, just in case of immersion.  You should have a dry set for emergencies and a dry set for camp.  Diligence with keeping a warm, dry set of clothes helps make the trip comfortable in the campsite and on the beach.

8.  After you have set up the tent, move the tarp or tent to have a decent sized sheltered area to enter and exit the tent.  In other words, at least one doorway is well covered by the tarp.  If there are two or more of you with a tent that has two doors on opposite sides, use the unsheltered side and its vestibule to stow your gear and the sheltered side for entry/exit.  With a good sized sheltered entry, you can shake off any water, or remove rain gear before entering the tent, helping to keep the inside dry.

9.  Wait until just before getting into your sleeping bag to pull it out of its protective bag.  The sea air is very wet and sleeping bags can pull moisture out of the air if left out in the tent.  To prevent moisture absorption, leave the sleeping bag protected in its bag inside the dry tent until ready for use.

10.  Open some vent areas in the fly to help reduce condensation inside the fly.  We breathe out a large amount of moisture in the night which can condense and collect on the inside of the fly.  By increasing the ventilation, you can minimize this moisture build up.

11.  Take your tent down under the shelter just like you put it up.   You are still trying to keep everything as dry as possible.  You may have to move the tent or tarp again to cover the whole tent for this, but it is worth it to keep the tent dry.

12.  Change back into wet clothing and gear under the shelter the next day, before leaving.  Your tarp is last to go.  It provides shelter for entering/exiting the tent.

13.  And the last tip is to pack in small bits.  Small bags, either dry bags or small stuff sacks lined with plastic bags, are best for managing dryness and for efficient packing.  Larger bags make packing difficult and increase the possibility of getting wet things mixed with dry things, making them wet in return.

Campcraft is a big part of sea kayaking on multi-day trips.  You want to be warm and dry in camp after your incredible paddle to get there.  Properly using your tent for dry, warm shelter and as a staging area for changing clothes is a good set of skills to develop.   Not only does it help with your comfort, it provides a place to keep things organized, do planning, and to rest.  After paddling through the west coast waters, your shelter is a welcome and necessary part of your trip.

About the Author

Gary Ward has been leading trips and teaching in wilderness areas for 20 years. Having traveled from desert to sea, he spends most of his time now in coastal areas, exploring the boundary between land and sea, land and sky, and sea and sky. He can be found leading sea kayaking tours in the Broken Group Islands, teaching, and writing for his business, Coastal Bliss Adventures

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