Gear and other considerations.

CAMPING GEAR CHECKLIST FOR MULTI-DAY KAYAKING  OR CANOE TRIP

ESSENTIALS
__Tent - choose a 3 season, freestanding tent make sure it is has no-see-um netting. Tent should have a fly that extends down to cover the entire tent body. A vestibule and dual doors are nice if you share with another person. Try to get the best quality you can afford and steer away from large tents unless you are sharing with someone. There is little space on chickees and some of the backcountry platforms for a tent with a large footprint.

__Tarp a 10 x 10 size works well for 2-4 people.  I like my CCS Tundra tarp. 

__Ground Cloth for under tent nothing fancy just to protect the bottom of your tent from sharp shells, mud, stickers, etc. You can use an interior ground sheet instead just make sure it is cut so that the edges come up along the walls a few inches.

__Waterproof bags - Sealine bags have been good so far for my clothes, sleeping gear, First Aid kit is in a Pelican Case and so is my phone.

__Sleeping Bag - I use a women's specific 20 degree down bag. It gets real cold at night on the out islands in our winter believe it or not. You should also bring a twin cotton sheet if the nights are warm. Yes, I use down and cotton. Never have had a problem because I use a sure fire method to keep it dry. First, the down bag is stuffed into a nylon stuff sack, which goes into a trash bag that has the top twisted closed, doubled over and held in place with a small elastic bungi loop. This then goes into a Sealine dry bag.

__Sleeping pad

__Headlamp and batteries

__LED light spare

__Chair kit - converts your sleeping pad into the MOST comfortable camp chair and weighs nothing.  In my canoe I bring a collapsible folding chair.

__50'Rope - parachute cord is fine.

__Knife - attached to PFD.

__Folding Bucket - before the tide goes out and leaves you with a mile of mud, get some water in your bucket to bring back to camp to wash dishes
.
__Lighter

__Note Pad and Pen

__Mosquito Repellent - only 100% deet works out here! Thermacell works in low wind conditions.

__Mosquito Head net or better yet full jacket - Outdoor Research spring ring head net works great. This is a minimum requirement to have. I also carry a jacket made from no see um netting with attached hood.

__Candle Lantern or Luci Light - good to bring from Nov - Jan as it gets dark early. The candle lantern burns citronella candles as well. UCO Candlelier is what I use.

COOKING

__Trangia Stove - great stove has lasted for years and the cookware that comes with this model can be cleaned with saltwater and scrubbed with sand and shells without any noticeable scratches. Burner is all brass has no moving parts so can't break. Base can be sunk into the sand to stabilize pot. Model I have is the Trangia Series 25-7 cook set with Duo ss al pans. Does NOT SIMMER! So no fancy cooking but, I don't have time for fancy cooking. It's an alcohol stove and the fuel can be bought at any hardware store under the name, denatured alcohol.

__Fuel - I keep my denatured alcohol in a nalgene bottle. Or an old hydrogen peroxide bottle fitted with a sports bottle top.
__Spatula
__Spoon
__Small paring knife
__Insulated Coffee Mug
__Tin Foil
__Condiments
__Olive Oil
__Trash bags
__Small bottle purell to disinfect hands before cooking or eating.
__Thermos
__Water container bags - I use the MSR water bags  put two behind  stern bulkhead to keep the weight centered in the boat. Behind my seat in the cockpit I keep a platypus hoser with 3 liters of water. I like using the hose as I don't need to pop the spray skirt to get my drinking water. Also great on windy days when you can't stop paddling and need to hydrate. For the canoe I bring a hard sided water container that holds 4 gallons on longer trips bring a 7 gallon.
__Water - 1 gallon per person per day.

TOILETRIES
__Toothbrush/Paste
__Toilet paper/wipes
__Packtowl - quick drying personal bath towel - small size.
__No Rinse Body Bath - I have to bathe! Two capfuls of this product in one quart of water brought into the tent using the folding bucket or even a pot makes for a refreshing bath before changing into your "evening wear". Use a bandanna to wash your body then dry, no need to rinse.
__Dr Bronners liquid soap - works well in saltwater.

CLOTHING
I only use all quick dry synthetics for clothing. If you should get your clothes wet they won't dry in our humid tropical environment.

__1 Zip neck thermal shirt__2  synthetic T-shirts short sleeve__1 synthetic T-shirt Long sleeve
__2 Nylon long sleeve fishing shirts. One for day use and one for evening wear. These are cool when it's hot and the shirts protect me from the sun and bugs. If the weather is cold, I layer this with my short or long sleeve t- shirt.
__Rain Jacket - Marmot Precip is great and doubles as a paddling jacket on windy, cold days.
__Tilley Hat - I use the canvas hat with side snaps. It is the only hat that stays on my head in 30 knot winds while paddling when I snap the sides up and I still get sun protection. The brim is stiff enough not to flap back exposing your face for hours to the sun while paddling in moderate wind. The canvas is cool and offers protection in rain.
__Baseball cap - backup hat and part of the "evening wear" outfit.
__Thermal Hat - great for keeping warm on cold nights. Or paddling on very cold days.
__Buff or Bandanas
__Fleece vest - use as part of layering system.

Bottom:

_ 2 Paddling shorts - I use a touring kayak so my legs don't need sun protection. If you use a SOT kayak you will need long pants.
__ 1 Quick dry pant - evening wear for full bug protection.
__1 Long underwear bottoms -  Lightweight
__2 Pair hiking liner socks - to use with my paddling shoes keeps my feet feeling dry.
__1 Pair fleece socks - tent wear (I don't bring my sand encrusted wool socks into the tent)
__1 Pair wool socks - Smartwool brand works wonders to keep bugs from biting your feet.
__CROCS or equivalent for camp. 
__Underwear
BOAT GEAR

__Paddle Gloves - sungloves to protect my hands from the sun. I keep a spare pair.
__PFD
__Paddles and spare
__Paddle Float
__Pump
__Sponge
__Spray skirt__Cockpit cover - very important to keep your cockpit clean and dry during the night.
__Tool kit with spare parts - I keep all my tools and spare parts for my boat in a 1 liter nalgene bottle. I wrap the outside of the bottle with duct tape and it is a compact waterproof unit.
__Sunblock
__Dock Line -quality braid about 12' long attached to bow.
__Sunglasses and a spare pair.
__Paddle Leash
__Signal Kit (flares/strobe) in a pouch attached to PFD belt.
__Charts/Tide Tables in waterproof chart case - with silva compass and marking pencil. (see GPS notes)
__Deck Compass
__VHF and spare battery__Waterproof phone case/phone
__GPS - . Currently using an older Garmin 60csx that is loaded with Blue Nav and also a TOPO of the area. I find the TOPO has more information for my inland trips than the Blue Nav. If you can't afford the Blue Nav, get a TOPO of the area and use it in conjunction with the NOAA charts or the TOP SPOT Maps of the area. These fishing charts offer large type and the graphics and colors are easier to see if you eyesight is not what it used to be. You will need the N204 for the Ten Thousand Islands Area and N206 for Chatam River to Flamingo.
__Anchor or stake out pole



FISHING

__Pliers
__Bag of lures - I use a small plano waterproof case.
__Fishing Rod two piece with leash -
__Fillet Knife
__Sharpener
__Measuring Tape__Mesh fish bag - to keep fish until I can get to an area where I can fillet it.
__Fishing Rod holder
__Fishing Saltwater license and regulations for the park. Here are the regulations for Everglades National Park. Make sure they are current, ask the park ranger for an update when you get your permit.

First Aid Kit
__ Ibuprofen (Lot's of these)
__ Cold Tablets
__ Allergy Tablets
__ Cough Drops
__ Neosporin
__ Hydrocortisone Cream
__ Tiger Balm or Icy Hot
__ Tweezers
__ Nail Clippers with file
__ Gauze and tape
__ Bandaids and butterfly bandage
__ Blister Block - you would be surprised how many blisters you can get from many days of paddling and not using gloves.
__ Personal Medications
__ Visine
__ Syringe
__ Hot and cold packs
__ Athletic bandage
__First Aid Book

Ditch Bag

This is a medium sized dry bag I keep in my cockpit with a leash attaching it to the boat. It contains some of the items listed above that I would need if I had to spend the night in my boat and could not get out because of deep water and lack of a place to land which is so common out there.

Items: Bug repellent, VHF, cell phone, headlamp, mosquito head net, space blanket, extra batteries, GPS, Marmot precip jacket, thermal hat and gloves reading glasses, energy bar.