Some one in this thread said something to the effect "if I don't plan to paddle at night, why do I need a strobe or flares" or "I am on local rivers not far out." I think that if you canvas those of us who have been paddling a few years you will find that everyone of us at one point has found themselves paddling in darkness, unplanned. Delays can always crop up. You might feel ill and take a long break before paddling again and wind up paddling the last few miles in total darkness. At that point a flashlight would be worth its weight in gold to you. My point is you really can't cross off a potential situation that may require emergency or specialized equipment. So unfortunately, unless you really are only going to paddle on the end of a tether to the land for 15 minutes, you just never know. Of course, you can do some trimming down from the list of essential gear. I have 37 items in mine; on certain paddling trips I do trim back a bit in the stuff I bring _but_ not in what I have on my person in my PFD. ralph -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Jun 12 1999 - 08:53:56 PDT
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