Looking to plan your first kayak camping trip, but don’t know where to start? No worries, I’ve got you covered! Here, we’ll cover what to pack for overnight kayak camping, how to pack a kayak, the best kayak camping gear, planning an overnight kayak trip, and so much more!

How to Kayak Camp: A Beginner Guide’s Guide to Overnight Kayaking

From how to plan a route to what to pack for kayak camping, here is a beginner’s guide to how to kayak camp!

why me? Hi there! I’m Maddy. You might notice this article is written in first person– that’s because a person is writing it! I’ve got six years’ experience overnight sea kayak camping and kayak guiding, and I’m here to help you get on the water comfortable and safely. This summer, I’ll be in my seventh year as a sea kayaking guide and outdoor professional. Have a great trip!

Note: this post contains affiliate links! That means if you click a product link and were to buy something, I make a small kickback at no additional cost to you.

1) Pack for the weather

This might seem obvious, but one of the best things you can do to have a successful kayak camping trip is packing for the weather. This includes considering the water temperature instead of only the air temp. Here’s a quick guide for what to pack for kayak camping:

Best clothes to pack for kayak camping:

• Wool or synthetic baselayers for camp: the Capilene line from Patagonia is a really great place to start for baselayers if you don’t like wool.
• Wool baselayers for paddling: I’ve used Smartwool baselayers for years now and found they hold up really well to heavy abuse.
• Camp pants: For warmer trips, a quick drying pair of shorts. I use the Patagonia Outdoor Everyday Shorts because they’re high-waisted and long enough to prevent chaffing when walking with wet shorts. For pants, I wear the Kuhl Freeflex Rollups. I was gifted these last winter and used them all summer sea kayak guiding. They’re really flattering, dry quickly, and don’t show dirt (depending on the color, I have gold).

• Fleece mid-layers: you can find decent fleece midlayers at any thrift store near you. You can almost always find a thin Eddie Bauer brand fleece; this makes an excellent cheap midlayer.

read about the best ways to find used outdoor gear here!

• a warm puffy jacket: I have this one and love it
• Raincoat and Pants: This one from Helly Hansen is affordable and great for torrential downpours, and I’ve had this pair of rain pants for 7 years, no complaints.
• A wetsuit or drysuit; if the water temperature plus the air temperature is less than 120 degrees, you’re at a hypothermia risk and should consider wearing immersion gear. For wetsuits, a farmer John or Jane style is pretty typical.
• A small drybag with emergency dry clothes

Best Camping Gear to Pack for Kayak Camping:

• A warm synthetic sleeping bag. Synthetic sleeping bags dry more quickly than down bags, which can be completely ruined by water. Check out the Sea to Summit Traverse Bag (unisex) for a warm and versatile synthetic bag that packs down small enough to easily pack. Alternately, I just switched to the Nemo Disco down sleeping bag. Bringing a down bag is always a risk (I store mine in this compression sack/ dry bag 20 L) as a wet down bag can ruin a trip. That being said, spending more nights out guiding than in my home, the extra comfort of a warm down bag was life changing. I let my sister (an occasional car camper) borrow this bag when she visited Washington and paired with the right sleeping pad she reported back the best sleep she’d ever had outside.
• A sleeping bag liner basically works as a sheet for your sleeping bag, and can provide a lot of extra comfort and warmth. I’ve had my Reactor Extreme for six years now and it makes a huge difference for camp comfort.
• A sleeping pad. There are a lot of excellent sleeping pads on the market, but for kayak camping you want one that packs down small, and ideally inflates. I like to look for pads with a 4 R-value, or rated for three season use like this one. You do not want a folding sleeping pad for kayak camping. This will take up too much space.
• A tent or hammock camping set up! For helping choosing what tent is best for you, read this article. For sea kayaking, keep in mind that many of the available campsites are on sand or hard rock, and a freestanding tent often makes the most sense.
• A camp stove, cook kit, and meal plan. Most guided tours will take care of this part for you!
• A Water Dromedary: are you island kayak camping? Keep in mind that water might not be readily available.

For a detailed guide to managing your period while camping, click here!

Kayaking Gear to Pack for Kayak Camping:

This will depend on your trip, and for guided trips your outfitter will likely provide all the required equipment. At minimum, the average kayak camping trip you should have a kayak, a buddy, a PDF or life jacket to be worn at all times on the water, local weather reports, a first aid kit, spare paddle and paddle, bilge pump, THREE ways to signal for help not including a cell phone, and a throw line or tow rope.

Have more questions about what to pack for your kayaking trip? Check out this detailed guide to how to pack a kayak!

2) Dress for immersion when kayak camping

One important thing to remember when getting ready to kayak camping is to dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. This includes wearing a wetsuit or drysuit when necessary!

This also includes wearing your PFD on the water at all times. It is almost impossible to put on your life jacket after you have already capsized, and in many kayaking and canoeing deaths the victim is found in the water without their lifejacket on.

Most kayaking deaths are drowning by way of hypothermia, as in after multiple failed attempts to reenter a kayak, the victim looses motor function and eventually becomes unconscious and drowns. You may have only minutes after a capsize to successfully reenter your boat before hypothermia makes it impossible to move your body well enough. For this reason, it is very important to dress for the water temperature (buying you time), wear your PFD, and practice assisted and unassisted rescues.

I use an Astral Bowen which is low profile with plenty of pocket storage. For a more entry level alternative, the NRS Ninja is a great choice.

Keep in mind: If you find yourself floating in the water next to your boat DO NOT let go of your boat and attempt to swim to shore! The coast guard finds your boat first, you second.

Looking for a beautiful kayaking destination? Check out the best things to do in the San Juan Islands!

3) Bring smaller gear to fit more easily in hatches

Wondering how to pack a kayak for camping? Packing for overnight kayaking can be difficult, but packing smaller units can make that easier. Instead of bringing three large drybags, pack six smaller ones. Keep in mind that weight doesn’t really matter, but size sure does.

One thing that I’ve found makes packing a lot easier is Sea to Summit’s compression Evac Drybags. I use an 8 L and a 20L, and put my clothes in the 8L and sleeping bag in the 20L. These drybags syntch down very small and do a deceptively excellent job waterproofing.

Kayak Camping Pro tip: pack some Ikea bags to help you carry gear from your landing point to camp!

Do I need to distribute weight evenly for kayak camping?

In general, most kayaks have so much buoyancy that it does not matter how you pack them weight-wise, especially if you’re using a tandem sea kayak (if you’re reading this blog I recommend using a tandem sea kayak and a guide probably!!)

If you are kayak camping out of a small, sporty kayak in high wind and waves, you’ll want to pack your kayak a certain way to optimize your paddling experience. Generally, the person who is paddling a boat like this is probably not seeking out packing advice on the internet.

Again very generally, you want weight evenly distributed throughout your boat. If you will be paddling downwind, you might want to pack your stern more heavily to prevent the bow diving into the waves.

These photos are from Desolation Sound, British Columbia. Learn all about kayaking Desolation Sound here!

4) Pick the right kayaking route for your skill level

A big part of a successful sea kayaking trip is choosing the right route for your skill level. Open coastal routes (think: any area where the coast you’ll be paddling is exposed to more than a few miles of open water! This can include large lakes as well as the ocean) pose more of a hazard than protected lakes, and while inlets and channels on the ocean may be protected from open swell, they may see large tidal currents due to the narrow passageways between islands.

Long lakes flanked by mountains (or inlets flanked by mountains) will likely experience katabatic winds as the air above the water warms and rises causing cooler air from higher elevations to gust down; katabatic winds can gust in excess of 50 mph and pose a major hazard to kayakers of any skill level.

When choosing your route, research local hazards including weather patters, tidal currents, access to fresh water, possible bailout points, and other factors. A great place to test out your first kayak camping experience is a local lake or calm river with access to municipal or state or national forest campgrounds. Look for a place with cell service for easy bailout (but don’t necessarily rely on cell service, because cell phones tend to work poorly from the bottom of a lake).

Best beginner kayak camping destinations:

Note that this list is Midwest centered, because I am based in the Midwest!

• the Manistee River in Northern Michigan has several national forest campgrounds along the river making for a pleasant beginner friendly kayak or canoe overnight trip.
• North Cascades National Park on Ross Lake: a good rule of thumb is anywhere good for flatwater canoeing with no portages is good for beginner kayak camping! Watch for katabatic winds on mountain lakes like Ross.
• Several lakes in the Superior National Forest outside of the Boundary Waters in Northern Minnesota have beautiful, free first-come, first-serve island campsites that make for a great place to test skills
• The Sylvania Wilderness is another excellent beginner kayak or canoe camping destination.
• For detailed route plans and many more beginner kayaking and canoeing routes in the Midwest, download the Midwest Adventure eBook bundle.

All of these routes are suitable for most kayaks and most do not necessarily require a sea kayak, or a long kayak with sealed bulkheads, or pockets of air, at either end usually using a spray skirt. All coastal trips including open lakes such as Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie are considered coastal kayaking trips, and I would recommend tackling any trip with more than two miles of open water in any direction as if it were a coastal trip, especially as a beginner.

Check out the ultimate guide to buying your first kayak as a beginner!

5) Find a guided kayak camping tour for bigger trips

Looking to tackle a coastal kayak camping trip, but don’t have the experience to do it alone? When in doubt about local weather patterns, trip planning, or your own paddling experience, it’s best to book a guided tour! Here are a few destinations and outfitters I reccomend:

• Lost Creek Adventures in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore: beautiful cliffs and sea caves, sandy beach campsites in. the outer islands. The Apostle Islands in Wisconsin are considered a premier sea kayaking destination. Lake Superior can be extremely rough and changeable in the islands; even for experienced paddlers a local guide is worth hiring. *2024 update: I currently work here!
• Keweenaw Adventure Company in Isle Royale National Park: Looking for a true wilderness sea kayaking adventure? Head to the remote Isle Royale National Park to kayak rugged sea cliffs and fall asleep under the Northern Lights. To date, my trip to isle Royale is the most remote-feeling place I’ve ever paddled.

• Powell River Sea Kayak in Desolation Sound, BC: Sea kayak the warm and calmer waters of Desolation Sound, British Columbia to paddle the ocean next to mountains. For a truly epic trip, head up Toba or Bute Inlets to paddle incredible fjords with humpback whales (if you’re lucky, it’s not a zoo!) and underneath countless glacial fed waterfalls. Toba Inlet and the omfray Channel are the prettiest places I’ve ever paddled.
• Outdoor Odysseys in the San Juan Islands: For one of the best places in the world to sea kayak with orca whales, head to the San Juan Islands of Washington! I spent the summer sea kayak guiding here and can personally attest to the incredible campsites, intertidal life, sea cliffs, and endless beautiful sunny days (except that one trip where it poured the whole time). The most incredible thing about the San Juans, of course, is the marine life. Expect to paddle with harbor seals, sea stars at low tide, otters and harbor porpoises. Roughly every third trip I spotted orcas; it’s definitely not a guarantee, but comparing the summer I spent guiding exclusively in the San Juans to my 70-day British Columbia sea kayaking expedition, I saw whales roughly four times as often.

• Spirit of the West Adventure in the Johnstone Strait and Broughton Archipelago of British Columbia, another excellent place for whale watching and mountain views, particularly good for humpback whale sightings.
• Maine Kayak in coastal Maine; offers both coastal kayaking and Inn to Inn kayaking.
• Explore Kenai Fjords National Park from a lodge in Alaska with Alaska Wildland Adventures.
• Sea Kayak Baja Mexico for blue water, unique adventure, and gray whale habitat.
• Sea Kayak the rugged and beautiful Scottish Coast with Kayak Summer Isles
• Most of these locations are Northern! You can book guided sea kayaking overnight trips all over the world. Consider also looking in the Everglades, Virgin Islands, Patagonia, New Zealand, Lofoten, Greenland, and more!

looking to hit the road this summer? Check out this detailed guide to planning your solo road trip!

6) Layer smart for kayaking

One of the most important things for comfortable sea kayaking is to layer smart! You can check out my fall kayaking layering tips for colder paddling, but in general you want…

• Wool or synthetic baselayers in cooler weather. If you’re wearing a wetsuit or a drysuit, wear some wool underneath! I’ve had great luck with Smartwool as a paddling layer.
• In the summer paddling can be hot! However I still recommend wearing long pants to protect your legs rather than shorts. They might get wet, but it’s worth it to protect your legs from the boat itself. (check out this article on the best women’s outdoor pants that aren’t leggings)
• No matter the weather, wear long sleeved shirts for sun protection! Weather you opt for a thin wool baselayer or sunshirt, you’ll want as much of your body protected from the sun as possible.

7) Expect everything to get wet

While a lot of kayaking involves doing your best to waterproof your gear, sometimes that just isn’t possible! You’ll roll a drybag in a hurry on the same day your hatch leaks, or it will be raining heavily while you unpack boats. To mitigate the wet, I bring clothes that will stay warm when wet like wool and water proof things individually as well within drybags.

For this reason, you absolutely want a synthetic sleeping bag rather than a down bag. A synthetic sleeping bag will dry more quickly than a down bag, and you can put wet clothes at the bottom while you sleep and they’ll be dry by the time you wake up. I’ve used a Nemo Tempo bag for years of sea kayak camping. Sea to Summit also makes excellent synthetic sleeping bags designed specifically for watersports.

8) Cook like a kayak camping backcountry chef

Learning how to cook in the backcountry is an absolute game changer, and you don’t need to rely on dehydrated meals on shorter kayaking trips. Kayak camping meals are some of the best meals you can have!

In some kayaks like double kayaks you can even fit a multi-burner camp stove, making kayak camping closer to car camping than backpacking. For longer trips with many people, I recommend the MSR whisperlite. For shorter trips with less people, you can often get by with a Jetboil along with a super simple trail stove (less than $30!!) that can support a backpacking pan.

Pack in spinach, arugula, and other veggies in a ziplock bag lined in paper towel, fresh up to three days if stored out of the sun. While most berries don’t fare well in the backcountry, contrary to popular belief cooked meats, most cheeses, fruits, and veggies can last a 3-5 day camping trip with no problem. Eggs last a surprisingly long time in the backcountry, especially if it is at all chilly outside! I’ve even brought out Turkey bacon, eggs, and avocado toast fixings and had it for breakfast on day three!

9) Bring some luxury items

The best thing about kayak camping is that you have extra space! Pack in a collapsible camp chair, extra dry layers, bagels and cream cheese, or your camera! When I worked for Outdoor Odysseys, we would even bring Dutch Ovens out on some trips!

Personally, my favorite luxury kayak camping item is a folding sleeping pad in addition to my inflatable sleeping pad to sit on while I cook or to lay on on windbound days. Total comfort game changer.

10) Leave towels at home

Despite kayaking being a water-based adventure, you’ll want to leave your thick and heavy towels at home. While weight doesn’t so much matter when you’re on a kayak trip, space does. Opt for a small camp towel when necessary instead of a full towel.

Read about the best things to do in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore!

11) Brush up on local kayak camping Leave No Trace

You’ve probably heard of Leave No Trace, but did you know local guidance on Leave No Trace varies from place to place? For example, in alpine and desert environments, you are expected to pack out your own waste. When freshwater paddling, all dishwashing, wastewater disposal, and more must be done at least 200 yards from the water source.

Throughout places like coastal British Columbia, keep in mind that many areas are cultural sites with archeological and cultural significance to local First Nations groups. You can learn more about relevant LNT concerns in the area you plan on visiting by researching the area, reading guidebooks and visiting official websites as well as considering local Indigenous land rights and ownership.

Research on Leave No Trace should go beyond blog posts! Most blog posts are written by influencers, SEO experts, or career travel writers, not local area experts. This includes this blog! While I do also work as a paddling guide, I would never claim to be an expert.

12) Plan emergency exit routes: the most important part of kayak camping

One of the most important parts of an overnight kayaking trip is making sure you have emergency exit plans in place! If someone breaks an arm, how will you get them out of the wilderness (check out a Garmin InReach). If you need to bail out of your trip early, where will that be possible?

Talk to your family and friends to make sure they know where you are, and always carry some extra cash in case of emergency.

Good news! On a guided trips, your guide will take care of emergency planning for you.

13) Double check your safety gear!

Before you launch, take the time to double check your safety gear, especially if you consider yourself an experienced kayaker. Kayakers who consider themselves to be experienced are often at increased risk for paddling accident. I can’t tell you how many times I personally have decided to leave a piece of safety gear at home when going out with my guide friends because “someone else will grab there’s”.

This is a really great way to get hurt, and I’m trying to get a lot better at it.

According to Sea Kayaker’s Deep Trouble Volume Two, the two most likely groups to get into serious trouble on the water are beginners, and experienced ‘experts’. Beginners are likely to overestimate their experience and underestimate the risks, while experienced experts are more likely to choose riskier activities and perhaps omit key safety gear due to their experience.

14) Practice your skills and rescues before overnight kayak camping

Never paddle in conditions you haven’t practiced rescues in!

What is a kayak rescue? A kayak rescue refers to getting yourself or others back into a capsized kayak so that they can continue kayaking. A self rescue refers to rescuing yourself back into a kayak; An assisted rescue is rescuing a friend.

On most lakes in rivers and nearshore paddling, a rescue can simply be swimming your boat to shore, so long as the water is warm enough. In coastal kayaking, or paddling farther off shore than you can comfortably swim, a deep water rescue will be necessary. Read more about rescues here.

If you don’t have kayak rescue experience before your overnight kayaking trip and don’t know where to start, worry not! On a guided tour, all of your guides will be well versed in a variety of kayak rescue techniques. To learn rescues yourself, look for a local paddling club, many of which have both pool trainings and calm lake trainings.

15) Find a paddling buddy!

One of the best things you can do to paddle safe on when kayak camping is paddle with a buddy, especially for your first few trips! Solo paddling comes with increased risks. Ideally, a good group sizes is 3-4 paddlers.

Check your local Facebook groups or consider calling a sea kayak outfitter and asking if they have any trips that would be a good fit for solo paddlers!

Love learning about kayak camping for beginners? Read more about kayaking here:

• Read about sea kayaking Desolation Sound
• Visit the most beautiful kayaking destination in the world the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (I guided here for three years!
• Learn about what to wear kayaking in the winter!
• For regular kayaking and outdoors essays, advice, and stories from the trail written by your favorite kayak guide (me!!) delivered right to your inbox, join the Hello Stranger newsletter community!

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