In plain view

During the course of learning about SUP touring, I have hemmed and hawed over several different choices for hauling gear. The thing about long-distance travel by SUP is that there aren’t many resources for learning about the finer points of the endeavor. There aren’t that many people out there who are doing it and the ones that are pushing the activity further don’t write me very much.

I’ve had dry bags lashed together, under a bungee net. (Sloppy and top heavy.) I’ve tried bags with “waterproof” zippers (not so much), hard shell cases (waterproof, sure, but clunky.) I want to be able to take about 15 pounds – an ultralight 3-day complement of food and gear in a solid, dry and unobtrusive fashion.

The answer was right there all along. Perhaps it is because I loathe kayak deck bags that I never thought of their possible SUP application… I’ve never owned one before. I’ve always seen them as a sign of indecisiveness, an indication of either too much gear or not enough boat. When mounted as intended on the foredeck of a kayak, they are too often in the way of a good forward stroke and they can interfere with sweep turns and any kind of bow correcting efforts.

But for a SUP, well, I can’t believe I never thought about using one there. It took the January 14th posting on Seattle paddler Rob Casey’s blog to hit me between the eyes with the solution to my dilemma. The Seal Line bag will be ideal, I think. Perhaps a bit small, but with a few minor modifications, I think it will be just what the doctor ordered.