Tools for Kayaking

Hi All,

I put about 250 miles on my Outfitter last summer travelling the remote reaches of the rivers and glacially carved coulees of Central Washington. For those folks who do remote, expedition-style kayaking, aside from the obvious supplies, what are some of the specialty tools that you've found useful to have along? My favorite is the Leatherman Charge multitool. In addition to the usual, never-used bottle opener and wood saw, the knife includes a set of screwdriving bits, one of which is an Allen bit that enabled me to reattach the mast on a V1 drive in the middle of a mile-wide section of the Columbia River. (I carry two drives, but dreaded trying to get back to camp with the standard fins on the backup.)

Keith

Carrying a spare drive is a great idea, I have been looking for a used one for the same reason. Presently, I carry an assortment of spare drive parts. Other than a multi-tool as you described, there not much more in the way of specialty tools. I carry a roll of Gorilla tape. I will repair a large puncture hole if applied on both sides of the hull. It also works well for repairing tears in fins. I also carry a hand pump. Everything else is safety equipment individually selected for the trip.

At some point you have to balance tools vs weight.

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I'm right 98% of the time. The other 3% I don't worry about.

Oh, yes. Duct Tape. I carry yellow (the same color as the boat). Repair Turbo Fins. Check. Repair foot because Stupid performed a shoeless launch from a rocky shore during a sudden squall. Check.

Keith