Categorizing your fishing yak gear: Essential vs. Helpful vs. Niche

[J.A. Veil]

Forgot another item which from my limited yak trips would have been nice to have..... yaking gloves (I've got two blisters to prove it).

smithmal

There are two ways to address this issue -- gloves (I wear Cabelas or Buff brand) or Yak Grips that put a neoprene sleeve on your paddle. A secondary benefit of the Yak Grips is that they keep a paddle afloat if it is dropped overboard.

I use both.

[ski357]

other items on the essentials list should be pyrotechnics or hand held light, visible 360 anchor light & visible flag.

Was going to add a flashlight/headlamp. Until I got a large aluminum ruler, I used painters tape with Sharpie delineations on my paddle as a measuring device. Another trick that I've also seen is attaching reflective/high vis tape to the blade of paddles to increase visibility and improve signaling. I also make sure to have water and hand sanitizer aboard as well. I think that a pump or bailing device is essential for sit in kayaks and not a bad idea even for SOT kayaks. A large car wash type sponge can easily be stored in the hull to clean the "bilge". A few other items with varying categorization are dry change of clothes, energy bars (snacks), and a reentry assist device like the Rescue Step. (you can easily rig up one yourself) This is something that I think everyone should consider. This is something that can help you right a turtled kayak and assist in reentry. A dry suit or other foul/cold weather gear is something that I've begun to consider as we transition to colder weather.