What we carry in our PFDs

Our last post about PFDs resulted in a number of queries via Facebook and email: "So what do you carry in your PFDs?

What's inside each of our pockets: Sharon (left) and Alec (right).

As we mentioned, this is a topic we recently researched through interviews with a number of notable sea kayak coaches and expeditioners. We had begun paring down on our kit, and we wondered what other paddlers were doing.

You can read about what they told us in the Summer/Fall 2011 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. What we carry depends considerably on where we are going and what we are doing. But here's what we nearly always carry in and on our PFDs. (We might add items in certain situations.)

• VHF radio
• waterproof camera
• whistle
• compass
• white light
• strobe
• knife
• snack
• sunscreen
• lip balm
• grease pencil
• very small first aid kit
• very small boat repair kit
• watch

And some personal things:
Alec: back-up reading glasses, hair ties.
Sharon: nose clips.

View number two, with everything spread out.

Some people carry a hydration pack, which is a convenience but adds considerable weight and bulk. That can put strain on your back and shoulders.

We were curious what our kit weighed, so we put it on a scale.

Alec's kit weighs two pounds (32 oz.), without the plate.

Our philosophy for whether something belongs in/on our PFDs or in a day hatch is this: If we are likely to need it while we're on the water, and if it isn't a burden, it's in our PFDs. But if we can reasonably expect to stop and get something from a day hatch, it can stay there.

Carrying more kit does make a PFD heavier and bulkier, which is hard on your body, diminishes flexibility, weighs you down and makes it harder to self-rescue. Those are safety considerations. But needing something you can't access is also problematic.

Like everything else, there aren't any cut-and-dried answers. It's a judgment call. But it's a good idea to reconsider what you're carrying each time you go out and adjust it for the expected situation.

So what do you carry in and on your PFD?