Paddling the Everglades Part 6: What to bring

By now you have your route planned including the mileage and the logistics that go into getting to and from your starting and end points. Now you are ready to evaluate your current camping and kayak/canoe equipment and make decisions on purchases and organizing your gear. For our purposes here, I'll give you some information that is more specific to your Everglades trip, with the assumption that you are knowledgeable in kayaking or canoeing and are at least a little experienced in camping. If you are experienced with rivers or camping in the North Country, your experience in the Everglades will be remarkably different. That’s where a little information goes a long way.

When considering gear, I categorize it as 'camping' and 'boat'. I’m going to address food and water separately in an upcoming blog and will include a blog on hygiene, bug control and clothing, all of which concerns gear in one way or another.

BOAT GEAR I am assuming you are knowledgeable in the ways of paddling, at least for day trips. In which case, you already know about emergency equipment. Let me remind you again (especially you northerners), while the Everglades is located in a sub-tropical region of south Florida, the weather can turn very bad and it can happen within minutes. Never underestimate the wind potential on the gulf coast or the large bays. I’ve paddled in 30 knot winds which are strong enough to blow the paddles out of your hands. I’ve skirted across Chevelier Bay in the backcountry with a 20 knot side wind and could have filled a swimming pool with the amount of water that crashed over the kayak hull. It’s no fun to be dressed for 70 degree weather and find yourself in 45 degrees with a hard rain and 20-30 knot winds coming at you. You think you can make an emergency landing easily. Not so easy when all there is around you are mangrove shorelines seeped in 2 feet of mud. The bottom line is to first stay up on the weather forecast, before you leave home and during your entire trip. A weather radio should be at the top of your gear list if you intending to spend more than a couple days out here. And second, be prepared for what might happen. Here are some suggestions for boat gear. This is not a complete list; rather, I am pointing out a few items that can make your Everglades trip more comfortable. Of course, there are several other items quite necessary for your trip, like a compass and map (or GPS).

1. At the top of your boat gear list is a weather radio, preferably a VHF marine radio for emergencies as well. Know the weather forecast before you leave home and during the entire trip. Don’t forget to bring extra batteries. I also carry my VHF in a waterproof casing.

2. A tow line. You may have to drag your boat to get to a beach shoreline at low tide. But also, you may have an emergency when you may need to hitch your boat to a mangrove tree or to another boat. 'For chickee camping, a line on both bow and stern are essential when tying off your boat.

3. Stake-out pole. This is optional but highly recommended. I use it for several reasons; 1) if I am loading my boat during an out going tide, I will stake it out in about ½ to 1 foot water knowing that within minutes, it will be on solid ground as the water line recedes, 2) if I want to take a break in an area where oyster shells are abound, I will stake out in a foot of water to avoid the shallower water where the hull is likely to get scratched, 3) I simply need to anchor my boat, and 4) when landing on an island at low tide, I will stake out the boat a distance from shoreline in the water knowing that the water will get closer. This way, I don’t have to drag the boat; rather, I can let the water carry it for me. FYI, I use PVC piping to make the stake out pole that has a T-handle at the top (one of the photos above shows 2 boats with stake-out poles at the shoreline of Tiger Key). I attach it to the front hull with a carabiner and rope. At the bottom of the PVC pipe is an old hiking pole stake that I attached with epoxy.

4. A camelback (for the kayaker). This is also optional but I find that if I have access to the mouthpiece of a camelback, I tend to drink more water. I place the bag behind my seat and bring the hose through my spray skirt and out through the front where the mouthpiece is close to me. Having water readily accessible on hot, sunny days can be a lifesaver. Don’t underestimate the effects of dehydration, it can zap your energy and make you sick.

5. #41 and/or #39 marine charts with important compass bearings written in (see photo above). I place my map in a waterproof casing and place a pencil, tide charts and a small compass inside it. I attach the casing to my spray skirt when in the kayak or have it in front of me attached to the canoe. The point is, you should be able to look at it whenever you need to (at least if you are not using a GPS).

CAMPING GEAR Again, I will assume you have camping experience, so the information here is specific to camping in the Everglades. First topic, your tent. It must have no-see-um netting. I repeat, it must have no-see-um netting. Listen, you ask anyone who has camped in the Everglades if they had a bad experience and almost always the answer includes a description of bugs. Concerning the no-see-ums (call them what you want, sand fleas, midges, swamp angels), “You can swing a cup and catch a quart”. You get the point.

Not sure if your tent has no-see-um netting? Search your tent name on-line and do the research. In the specifications, it should say ‘no-see-um netting’ somewhere. If it doesn’t, call the company to be sure, but likely, you will be buying a new tent. Don’t take this lightly; the tent is your only refuge from bad weather and the bugs when camping.

To go with your tent, carry four plastic grocery bags and extra guy rope. The bags can be filled with sand or rocks and can be used as anchors if you find yourself camping in very strong winds. On an exposed beach campsite (like Pavilion Key), this method of anchoring your tent may be the only thing keeping it secured. Simply fill the bags, bury them to securely guy out your tent. I’ve also taken a guy rope and wrapped it around a large heavy rock that I buried. Either way, you have a secured tent if a storm decides to blow your way.

Bring a tarp and long ropes to attach it to tree trunks, branches, etc. We use a 8 X 4 ft tarp and can easily shade 4 to 5 people sitting under it. The tarp is great for sun and rain protection and takes so little room in the boat. There are several lightweight tarps available through camping gear stores. I also have a smaller tarp that I use to lay out on the sand when piling my gear for loading the boats. This way, I can avoid getting sand on everything. It’s also good to sit on while cooking or relaxing on the beach.

And speaking of comfort, sometimes packing a kayak requires a minimalist way of thinking. I don’t want to compromise comfort and having a chair with back support is essential for my comfort. I use a Thermarest chair that when packed in the boat is less than the size of a folded umbrella. In the canoe, I’ll bring a foldable camp chair that takes up considerably more room. If I’m going to have a nice meal and glass of wine with friends while watching a sunset on Picnic Key, I want a comfortable chair to sit in (see photo above).

And last, your sleeping bag or otherwise. First of all, if you use a Hennessy Hammock, you may find it difficult on many campsites to set up. If you are camping on a beach, you will have to sleep in the mangrove thicket and good luck with the bugs. I love the Hennessy Hammock and use it when backpacking in the Big Cypress, but have never taken it out on a kayak or canoe trip. In the backcountry, the ground sites can be cramped and again, you will find yourself trekking through thick foliage to get to and from your Hammock. On the other hand, it may work on a chickee, but chickees are often exposed so be prepared for cool nights.

For the rest of you who will be sleeping in a tent, I find my 40-degree sleeping bag to be sufficient some of the time, but not always. On many occasions I felt it was not warm enough and on other occasions, it was too warm. For instance, we took a 7-day trip over New Years Eve 2007 and not once did I get inside my sleeping bag. On those nights when it does not get below 60 degrees, I like to have a cotton sheet, sleep sack or fleece blanket. Most of the time, you start in the cotton sheet and eventually have to climb into the sleeping bag. On the other side of it, a 40-degree sleeping bag is not warm enough. Having a 20-degree down bag is very comfortable and that’s the sleeping bag I use the most. As an example, we were camping on Rabbit Key in April 2007, well into the normally very warm spring months. We paddled in strong winds, but reasonable temperatures during the day. Later than evening, we got caught off guard by a very storm that was not in the weather predictions for some reason. The temperature quickly dropped into the 40s. My tent partner brought only her fleece blanket and spent the entire night in a very cold way. This was totally unexpected and from that day on, I never leave home without the sleeping bag. I can sleep comfortably in the down bag at temps below 60 degrees. So for sleeping, I bring the down bag and a cotton sheet for those warmer nights. You may think a down sleeping bag is too much for the Everglades, but I find it to work perfectly. Personally, I would rather err on the side of being too warm than too cold. Being prepared for both situations is best.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE When you know a storm is brewing and you are setting up camp, use the trees for protection. I find sea grape trees (large round leaves) to be the best, they are very strong and the branches do not break off easily. On Picnic Key, a very exposed beach site, there are some fairly large areas behind the trees that provide a perfect camp area for protection against high winds. Tiger Key and Rabbit Key are also quite good in this regard. I find Pavilion Key to be the most difficult to get away from high winds, but the good thing about Pavilion Key is that you have a choice on which side of the island you can camp.

On the other hand, having winds 0-5 knots can make a miserable camping experience because of the bugs. While camping, you want to have some wind, preferably 10 knots, give or take. Not too strong, but strong enough to keep the bugs at bay. When you are not expecting a storm or very high winds, select a camp site that will allow you to reap the benefits of those winds. This is especially important when it is going to be quite warm at night.

For the next blog, I’ll talk about clothing, hygiene and bug control.