Powell River Sea Kayak: Gear and Extras

Gear & Extra's List

What Powell River Sea Kayak Provides on Tours

Great food!

• Local

  
  We try to source as much local food as possible. Not only does this lower our carbon footprint, it provides guests with an experience that is more authentic. Local foods include: salmon, prawns, fruit, berries and vegetables.

• Ocean's harvest

  
  Our local waters are clean and teeming with edibles. Harvesting foods on tour is not only a great way to eat fresh, but is also fun and educational. Although not for everyone, oysters, clams and mussels can add a wonderful flavour to many dishes or can be a great appetizer. The same can be said of Sea Asparagus, a common plant that grows in the high intertidal zone.

• Homemade items

  
  Includes:
  • Smoked wild salmon
  • Home-baking (banana bread, energy bars, etc.)
  • Anti-pasto
  • Apple sauce (made with our own organic apples from our historic site)

• Extraordinary Chefs

  
  AKA: Our guides

• Wholesome, healthy, creative and flavourful!

  
  In general, we appreciate good food and therefore aim to provide the same for our guests.

High quality kayaks and gear!

• Our Kayaks

  
  
  • Fiberglass touring single and double kayaks by Nimbus, Seaward and Current Designs.
  • For doubles we carry only Passat G3's by BC producer Seaward Kayaks. The Passat G3 is sleek and fast and for this reason the Passat G3 is actually the double of choice for most adventure racers. Having said that, the G3 has excellent touring capabilities due to it's well designed storage, comfort and stability.
  • For singles we carry a variety of models to suit individual needs. For those looking for more technical touring kayaks, we carry models with harder chines and narrower beams. For those looking for a comfortable and more stable touring kayak, we have those as well. We are big fans of the high quality Nimbus Telkwa series of touring kayaks. Nimbus is also a BC manufacturer.

• Kayaking Equipment

  
  
  • PFD's (Personal Flotation Device): when choosing a PFD, comfort is important. After all, you will be wearing a PFD for several hours a day! For this reason, we use high-end Kokatat PFD's. These well-designed PFD's use tough outer cordura and a soft high-density foam core that provides a feeling of quality and comfort with excellent manueoverability.
  • Paddles. Weight is key here. You will be holding a paddle for several hours a day and whether you get sore joints or have less-than-desirable upper body strength, you will appreciate the lightweight carbon fibre paddles we use.
  • Sprayskirts. We carry both nylon and neoprene skirts. During hot summer days, the nylon skirts can be nice as they trap less heat in the kayak cockpit. However, guests often appreciate the strapless-ease and waterproof features of the neoprene skirts.
  • Safety. All kayaks come equipped with the necessary equipment: bilge pump, 55' throwrope and paddle float (optional).
  • Comfort. We stock specially designed Kokatat waterproof paddling jackets for those trips that require a little more protection from the elements
  • Additional comfort. We even have farmer John/Jane wetsuits if needed
  • Packing. We provide a waterproof dry bag for your clothing as well as a smaller waterproof dry bag for items you want to keep in your cockpit while paddling. For packing sleeping bags, we recommend lining your sleeping bag stuff sac with a garbage bag. As simple as this sounds, it is very effective in keeping your bag dry and efficiently packed in its original stuff sac.

• Camp Equipment

  
  
  • Tents: 3 Season Tents by Mountain Safety Research (we carry both single and double tents)
  • Sleeping Pads. Comfortable Full-size Cascade Designs Thermarest sleeping pads.
  • Kitchen Gear. Like any well functioning kitchen, great "tools" are essential. You will be amused, amazed and intrigued with the great kayak kitchen gear we utilize.
  • Sleeping bags (optional). We ask guest to provide their own bags, however, we do stock a few bags for those traveling abroad or who simply need us to provide a sleeping bag.

• Cool Extra's

  
  What's the tipping point for a great trip? It might just be the cool extra that enhances the experience!
  • Awesome Coffee- If you are a coffee addict, you will appreciate this. We start by using only organic, shade-grown, free-trade beans. For brewing, we carry Italian Bialetti expresso makers as well as French presses.
  • Snorkel gear- With the warm waters of Desolation Sound and colourful marine life, snorkeling is a great activity. Mask and snorkel sets are part of the gear we provide.
  • Soap Suds- This environmentally friendly soap is formulated to suds-up in salt water (great for hand or body washing in the ocean).
  • Spice Bag- You never know when one of our guides may feel inspired for a little creative-cooking. For this reason, guides are armed with key spices and condiments to add a little spontaneous flavour to a meal or appetizer.

• Our Location

  
  
  • Located on an old homestead site near Desolation Sound Marine Park, once home to the Cougar Lady, we have been told many times how our location provides a wonderful sense of escapism into the history of coastal British Columbia. In addition to the history, our private waterfront location is shrouded in coastal rainforest that wraps around secluded Penrose Bay, Okeover Inlet. It?s a wonderful and peaceful start to your tour.
  • Other features of our location include safe and convenient parking, toilet facility, and storage of additional travel bags for those who arrived by bus or plane.

• Permits

  
  At Powell River Sea Kayak we have the proper permits for guiding trips in this area:
  • Permits for all marine parks, including Desolation Sound, Copeland Islands Marine Park and Jedidiah Island Marine Park.
  • Permits for all Crown Land sites (ie: non-parks sites).

• Safety

  
  
  • First-aid equipment suitable for remote wilderness areas
  • Hand-held VHF radios
  • Cell phones
  • Company motor vessel (available for evacuation purposes on Desolation trips only)
  • Knowledge - we have the training and knowledge to use all of the above effectively and efficiently.

• Trip Planning Package

  
  Upon reserving a tour, you will receive a detailed trip-planning package via email. This will include the following:
  • Detailed gear checklist (what you should bring)
  • Detailed company gear list (what we provide)
  • Clothing and packing hints and details (what kinds of clothing to bring)
  • Travel information (how to find us, ferry info, flights, etc)
  • Itinerary (when to arrive, general flow of each day, last day)
  • Cancellation and Insurance information
  • Optional suggested exercises (simple graphic examples)
  • Links for other recreational information (maps, hiking, biking, etc)
  • Accommodation list