Before casting off

Loading your kayak

Whether for an expedition of a day or a week, it is important that you place your gear in dry bags. Use several small bags (21 L maximum) rather than one big one, because small bags are easier to store in the compartments and balance the load throughout, increasing kayak stability.

See the table

Balancing the load in a kayak is very important. Your kayak must not be heavier at the back than in the front. Store long, light objects such as tent poles and ground mattresses at the stern and bow of your kayak. Tie them together with pieces of rope; then you need only pull on the end of the rope to retrieve them. Place the heaviest bags as close as possible to the centre of your kayak in the compartment behind the paddler. In tandem kayaks, heavy objects can be placed in the centre compartment.

If you are leaving for several days, here are some helpful tricks:

- Separate you food into meals, for example, one meal per bag. When you load your kayak everything needed for your meal will be easily accessible because you will have placed it on top.

- On expeditions, share baggage evenly among the paddlers.

- Always try to carry the same baggage. Remember where bags are stored, making it easy for you to balance the load in your kayak every day and speed up the loading process.