If you're like me, I like to keep my paddling trips fairly low budget. One way to save some cash on your next paddling trip is to trade that cushty hotel room for the not so cushty back of the car. So here's a few tips to make that not so comfortable place, a paradise fit for a kayaking bum.
- Pack a thick mattress!
Rarely do you find a car where the seats fold completely flat, and even if they do, they tend to have random bits of plastic and other uncomfortable bits sticking out. So pack a thick mattress to avoid a rough night of sleep! Pump it hard too, in the past I've used a thinner, not so firm mat, and if you're parked on any kind of incline, the mat will slide and fold up against the boot door, this sucks!
- Have a Plan B bed..
This is more so for travelling with friends. So far I've been pretty unlucky with my travel buddies making all kinds of strange sleeping sounds, and there's only so many times you can slap them or smother them with a pillow! My plan B bed is usually outside of the car, and its usually a bivvy or a hammock.
- Organisation is key!
I'm ever so slightly OCD but I think this one applies for most people. Things get hectic on trips when you go on boating trips. Clothes, kit, camera gear, sleeping stuff just ends up everywhere and its easy to lose stuff. So try and have a place for everything for the trip and every so often organise your stuff back to its place. It'll keep you stress free and save you from losing those Dewerstone sunnies between the seats!
- Dry kit outside of the car.
This is more likely to be for thermals, but these are the bits of kit that stink the most! Everyone hates wet thermals, but by the second week of your trip you'll hate the stink just as much. Whilst in Canada, my buddy Andy decided to only bring one set of thermals for a two week trip, needless to say, that hire car probably still smells like onions.
- Cook simple, delicious food!
It's always tough cooking on the road, especially with perishables. So try and buy for only one or two days at a time. This will save filling your limited space with food and mean you're eating fresh everyday. In the past we've played fast and loose with cured meats and cheese over a week, this is a risky game, but we survived... The image above is of myself risking my life with a 3 day old turkey wrap in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. My favourite road meal so far is pictured below, bacon and eggs in maple syrup bagels!
I find foods like oatmeal, hotdogs, pasta dishes and eggs to be quick and easy on the road!
Finally, keep plastic free on the road where you can! I always hit the road with my Dewerstone Bamboo coffee cup and water bottle packed. Happy road tripping.....
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