Submitted by fox, joeseph - Thu, 6/10/10 » 12:23 PM
Hi, I am nearing the completion of my 17LT and would like to know if its safe to portage/move it over land with camping gear in the hatches or should one always empty it out prior to portage?
» Submitted by Old Yeller - Thu, 6/10/10 » 3:24 PM
If you are worried about your kayak being damaged just by lifting it off the ground with camping gear in it, then I wouldn't care to climb inside myself, and paddle away from shore! But seriously, people do commonly hand carry them loaded for short distances (with a buddy), and use kayak carts to wheel them around full of gear.
On the other hand, the extra weight probably would cause extra damage (to your body, as well as your kayak) if some mishap occurs while you are portaging it without a cart. If you plan on doing long cart-less portages, you might want to come up with a system for carrying your gear separately. Carrying yokes that clamp to the cockpit coaming are available, so you can easily portage your kayak on your shoulders, just like a canoe.
RSS
RE: Portage guidlines
» Submitted by Old Yeller - Thu, 6/10/10 » 3:24 PM
If you are worried about your kayak being damaged just by lifting it off the ground with camping gear in it, then I wouldn't care to climb inside myself, and paddle away from shore! But seriously, people do commonly hand carry them loaded for short distances (with a buddy), and use kayak carts to wheel them around full of gear.
On the other hand, the extra weight probably would cause extra damage (to your body, as well as your kayak) if some mishap occurs while you are portaging it without a cart. If you plan on doing long cart-less portages, you might want to come up with a system for carrying your gear separately. Carrying yokes that clamp to the cockpit coaming are available, so you can easily portage your kayak on your shoulders, just like a canoe.
Grant