Spend Your Summer Paddling with the Proper Kayaking Gear

By Tom Barlow, dealnews contributor 


What's a fun-loving person to do for recreation and relaxation when the golf course is a desert, bicycling is a death march, and the tennis court is a patch of hell? When the summer heats up, nothing is better than spending some time on the water. Flat-water kayaking (where you don't have to worry about being dumped into swirling water by a nasty rapid) can be invigorating, relaxing, and cooling. And thanks to some special deals we've located on the necessary gear, you can try your hand at the sport at a discount.

Find the Perfect Kayak

Of course, a kayaking adventure must begin with a boat. Kayaks come in a number of styles for different purposes: whitewater running, fishing, sea excursions, flat-water paddling, and just plain goofing off. For a new paddler, a sit-in model, like the pictured Emotion Edge Kayak ($359.99 with $23 s&h via couon code "62FLAT", a low by $102) works best. It's light in weight, roomy, and stable. At 10 feet long, it's nimble enough to navigate around deadfalls in the water, yet spacious enough to hold your gear, including food, clothes, and beverages. The cockpit measures 51"x19", so there's also plenty of wiggle room for travelers up to 350 lbs. Itself only weighing 37 lbs., the average adult can haul it out of the water and lift it onto a car rack. Last, but certainly not least, it comes with a padded seat for your paddling comfort.

We also recently found a deal on the pictured 44-lb. Old Town Vapor 10-Foot Kayak ($379.99 with free shipping, a low by $20), which features a 325 lbs. capacity, comfort flex adjustable padded seat, adjustable foot braces, molded in paddle rest, and cockpit tray with cup holder.

Set Your Sights on the Proper Accessories

The Paddle

Of course, kayaking requires more than just the boat. A paddle and two arms are required to get anywhere! An excellent choice for the former is the double-bladed (a blade at either end of a shaft) Riot Distance Paddle from REI ($47.93 with free shipping, $12 off). This fiberglass-reinforced polymer blade is light, stiff, and breaks down into two sections for transport. It weighs only 2.5 lbs. and has an aluminum shaft. Spend a day paddling yourself around a beautiful lake and your arm and shoulder muscles will let you know that you've managed to include a workout in your play.

Personal Flotation Device

There's no denying that kayaking is best enjoyed from the surface of the water, and your personal flotation device is designed to keep your body bob-bob-bobbing along in the event that you have a close encounter of the wet kind. REI offers the vest-style MTI Current PFD ($55.93 with free shipping, $19 off), which weighs only 1.5 lbs. It's made of water-shedding polyester, and it's cut to fit either sex. For the fashion conscious, it's available in both Red (pictured) and Turquoise.

A Dry Bag

You'll want to haul things with you when you make your watery expeditions, like extra clothing, sunscreen, provisions, electronics, etc. However many of these items are no use if they get wet, so be sure to invest in a dry bag. These leak-proof bags seal securely to keep the contents high and dry when you aren't, and they can be stuffed into the bow or stern of your kayak.

The SealLine Black Canyon Dry Bag comes in 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 55-liters and a variety of colors. A nice intermediate size is the SealLine Black Canyon 20-Liter Dry Bag ($25.46 with $5.99 s&h, a low by $3), pictured in Yellow. The bag is made of coated nylon, with science-fiction sounding "radio-frequency welded seams" and has a roll-down closure to keep out water. To keep your smaller gear safe from a dunk, pick up the Black Universal Waterproof Bag for Cell Phone / PDA ($2.99 with $2.95 s&h, a low by $1). It's a perfect fit for your iPhone, Android device, and more. It's clear screen allows for full functionality; plus waterproof up to 20 meters. But more importantly, it also floats. Meritline also offers a variety of waterproof cases and bags for important electronics.

The Deck Caddy

One thing you'll find as you begin paddling is that there isn't necessarily a particularly convenient place to keep the stuff you might need at hand; sure, you have the waterproof stuff safely stowed away, but what if you want to quickly grab something, like snacks, a GPS unit, sunscreen, map, or water bottle? For this, you'll want a deck caddy, which is a fabric harness that attaches to the deck of your kayak, within an arm's reach.

Cabela's offers the Tempress Cockpit Deck Caddy ($52.88 with $11 s&h, a low by $11), which has pockets for your water or soda, a clip-on electronics pouch with a clear window for your phone or GPS (in case you skipped the aforementioned pouch), a mesh trash bagger, a waterproof chart pouch, a clip-on water bottle sleeve, and an insulated pocket for food and beverages.


These one-time expenses can lead to many, many hours of fun and relaxation, regardless of the heat. Even so, it's easy to love the summer when you're able to spend it on the water.

_{Note that this feature has been updated since it was originally published last year.}


 Photo credit: Aaron Alexander via Flickr

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