Gadgets

Here we write (Erik & Pia) a little about gadgets and equipment, primarily various kayak and outdoor related gadgets, but it may be that other things slip in as interests and life develop or become more complicated. As a rule, we have used the things we write about for a while. Some things are creatively necessary and others just fun to have. And what we write are our thoughts and opinions and they are no truths, at least not for everyone 😉

Actually, of course, you don't need that many gadgets at all, but for many, the toke shop is a hobby in itself. The more you are out and the more you learn, the more you realize that you can get by on quite a bit and with quite simple gadgets. But of course it's fun to buy something new every now and then. Gradually, you figure out which gadgets and which function they need to have. And you check how much does it cost to kayak then it can be as costly as possible.

Here you will find some of our favorite gadgets, often gadgets we have tested and used for a while.

What we write is based on how we paddle, are out in nature or behave in general. And if you are wondering who we are, there is some information below om and what we come up with can be seen in the blog. 

But to draw it quickly; so we are mostly slow paddlers/top paddlers who prefer to be out on overnight trips in some nice archipelago and sometimes we fool around and play in some waves at some shallows, it has been around 100 paddling days and just over 50 tent nights per year in recent years. Maybe not complete beginners, but still a lot to experience and learn. We have been kayaking a little more frequently since 1998 when we got our own kayaks.

Some of us are gadget geeks and like gadgets, some are anti-tech, some practice Less Is More and of course there are even more varieties of paddlers.

What, why and how much you think you need depends partly on the type of paddling you are doing and then of course it is very individual. Someone thinks the radio is too high-tech and battery-hungry to have with them to listen to the sea reports when you can predict the weather by looking at the sky, while another prefers to check fourteen weather services via mobile and/or the computer and make a couple of calls directly to weather services just in case.

It's roughly the same when it comes to navigation, someone thinks the compass is enough while another would prefer to have both map, compass, chart, a couple of gps, vhf and radio finder to feel satisfied and safe 😉 and there are lots in between.

Regarding kitchen-ware one thinks that a titanium pan is enough, one top mounted kitchen and a single knife while others prefer multiple pans, knives, cutlery, bowls, glasses, mugs and more.

And so on, there are variations on everything and, as you know, this applies not only to outdoor life...

Favorite stuff ...

Thermacell mosquito protection

Mosquitoes and gnats can drive most people half or completely crazy, at least when there are large quantities. We … Read more…

How much water is used?

You can ask yourself, do you need 1, 2, 3 liters per day or more when you are out and about... Read more…

Ecomat 2000 Classic silent electric element

Our small mobile home/motorhome Winzent has a gas heater without an electric cartridge. If you're standing next to a power pole, it can feel sour to waste... Read more…

It is important to have enough gadgets to feel satisfied without the gadgets themselves taking too much effort and time. I think Thure Björck summed it up well in one outside thread "It should be fun to paddle and navigate. If you can have more fun with less equipment, the choice is easy."

No one is more right or wrong than the other! And as usual, it is surprisingly often very difficult to show understanding that others have a different opinion. It becomes easy to "I have chosen to do this because I think it's best and therefore it must be best for everyone else too" discussions!

The idea is to stock up on more stuff below, but it's slow going 😉 But take a look at a couple favourites.

An example of a packing list for kayak stuff is our packing list for a round on the Helgeland coast in 2014.