Beginners Kayak Kit List

Kayaking Equipment

The club can provide you with all the necessary equipment required to get you on the water. Use of club equipment is free for all members. The club can provide you with the following equipment:

Boat
Paddle
Buoyancy Aid / Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
Helmet
Spraydeck

When you wish to start purchasing your own equipment, speak to an experienced member of the club for advice first! We can suggest what to buy first and what to look out for.

Medication

If you need to take any medication with you on the river, then please inform your trip leader prior to getting on the river and ensure it is safely stored and easily accessible, either with yourself or with your trip leader.

Clothing

April to October inclusive
If you are new to canoeing and kayaking, it is not necessary to purchase specialist clothing straight away. Below is a suitable kit list when starting out during the warmer months:

Thermal base layers (synthetic or man-made fibres, NOT COTTON)
Light fleece top
Tracksuit bottoms
Light water-proof top (e.g. stuff sack cagoules)
Old Trainers

Avoid cotton at all costs as it saps heat from the body when wet.

November to March inclusive
During the colder months, the club insists that all beginners wear a wetsuit and a dry cag, in addition to the kit specified for the warmer months above. Any style of wetsuit is suitable, although we recommend the “long john”, “shorty”, or “full short sleeve” styles. Thickness wise, either a 3mm or 3/5mm are most suited to kayaking. Check out the below websites for some options. Adult wetsuits start from around £50

Extras

Once you have decided you wish to continue kayaking, you may want to consider purchasing some of the following:

Gloves / Pogies
Wetsuit
Wetsuit boots/shoes
Paddling Cagoule
Drysuit

Again, when you wish to start purchasing your own kit, speak to an experienced member of the club for advice first! We can suggest what to buy first and what to look out for.

Other

For full day river trips (Sunday trips), you should bring along some food in a watertight container, as well as either a hot drink in a thermos flask or water/juice in a plastic bottle. These can be stored in the back of your boat. You may also wish to bring along a small personal first aid kit.

If you have used your own car to get to the river, then you will need to take your car keys on the river with you. The number one rule with car keys is that they should be attached to YOU, not your boat. Most car keys now have electronics in them so need storing in a waterproof bag such as an AquaPac. If you don’t have one of these, then give your keys to one of the trip leaders to look after for you. Alternatively, you can keep your keys with your car using products like these.

If you need to take any medication with you on the river, then ideally this should be attached to you too. The Aquapac will fit items like inhalers or pills nicely. Any larger items will need to go in a waterproof bag/box in your boat. You may wish to give your medication to your trip leader to look after.

If you wear glasses on a river you should use a strap to ensure they can’t fall off into the river.

And don’t forget your towel and some dry clothes to change into afterwards!