One of the great things about kayaks is the vast amount of storage capacity they offer. Sure, bulky items are difficult to fit, but with careful packing, it’s possible to live out of a kayak for months at a time.

However, that same storage space that makes kayaks so versatile to some, makes them the next version of car camping to others. Folding table? Check. Extra-large air mattress? Check. Wall tent? Check. I have seen many kayak trips – both guided and personal leave the beach with excess bags and boxes strapped beneath every spare bungee on the kayak. There’s even a new product the ‘Kayak Kaboose’ – a tow-behind pod to enable even more excessive packing.

Backpackers realized a long time ago that packing light means less time packing each morning, and more miles traveled each day. But many hikers also realize that there is a certain liberty that comes with reducing your belongings to the bare minimum, to acknowledging that steak dinner and a solar shower each night are not quite as necessary as we originally thought.

 
Kayaking can strike a balance between luxury and minimalism. On our kayak trips we still bring along that bottle of wine and spacious tarp. But we also acknowledge that carrying, packing, and unpacking heavily loaded kayaks is nobody’s favorite job, and that espresso makers and memory foam pillows may actually reduce the quality of your wilderness experience.

 
So take this opportunity to de-clutter your life, bring what you need, one or two luxuries, and nothing more. You won’t regret it.