That question is probably asked by most people who paddle from time to time. And as with most other things, of course it depends on both one, two and maybe even a third. Some people think paddling is expensive, some think it's cheap, some too expensive and some think it's difficult to get enough money for paddling etc... There are all kinds (within paddling too). Now, of course, the paddling park itself can be completely free of charge, but it is the stuff that costs and other things around.
But at least here we have a couple of examples:
- The club paddler: have no own kayak, belong to a club, otherwise no special equipment but use clothes you already have and possibly borrow outdoor equipment.
- The budget paddler: Buys a used kayak and not much stuff in general
- The Enthusiast: Buy a kayak and reasonably complete equipment.
- The Nerd: Buys a couple of kayaks and a lot of equipment for varied use
The club paddler
For the club paddler, the cost depends on which club you are a member of, I haven't looked around very closely, but the annual fee here can probably vary from 300 to 2000 if we take it a bit rough. So then the monthly cost will be between 25 and 167 spans. In many clubs, you can borrow almost as much kayak for that penny. So not very expensive, should fit in most budgets 🙂
The budget paddler
Most people probably think it's more fun with their own kayak. The budget paddler buys a used kayak or buys a low price and, according to below, gets away with 10000 Swedish riksdaler. He/she also won't put on too much gadgets going forward but will be satisfied with this equipment and will use it a lot. We expect the items to last according to below and then receive a monthly cost 39 SEK. Quite affordable, one might say, for a good job.
| the budget paddler | years | SEK / month | |
| Kayak | 8000 | 25 | 27 |
| Paddle | 1000 | 20 | 4 |
| Life jacket | 500 | 10 | 4 |
| Chapel | 500 | 10 | 4 |
| 10000 | 39 |
The enthusiast
The enthusiast has or intends to get stuck in the kayak swamp and knows a little more about what kind of gear is wanted and has a few other requirements/desires. The enthusiast also wants new peripherals in the form of tent, a little kayak books etc... Here the total will of course be a bit higher with almost 85000 but the stuff lasts a long time so if you break it out per month it's still only one about seven hundred. It may seem like a couple of pennies, but it's still little if you compare it to what you/we/many spend on transport, coffee, accommodation, lunch, TV channels, broadband, mobile phones and lots of other things that you don't get any fresh air from 🙂
| The enthusiast | |||
| years | SEK / month | ||
| Kayak | 30000 | 25 | 100 |
| Paddle | 6000 | 10 | 50 |
| Life jacket with extra accessories | 5000 | 5 | 83 |
| Spare paddle | 4000 | 10 | 33 |
| Chapel | 2000 | 5 | 33 |
| Dry suit | 14000 | 6 | 194 |
| Pump/float | 1000 | 10 | 8 |
| Tent | 6000 | 20 | 25 |
| Sleeping bag + sleeping mat | 5000 | 20 | 21 |
| Kitchen + miscellaneous food-related | 1500 | 5 | 25 |
| Some mixed stuff | 10000 | 5 | 167 |
| 84500 | 740 |
The nerd
Got stuck a little deeper in this... Thinks I need quite a lot of kayaks and quite a lot of stuff. Gets fairly complete equipment for most seasons and water both in terms of kayaks and other outdoor equipment. For the geek, it will be a real grab for the wallet if everything is to be purchased at once with a total price tag of around 350 thousand 😉 But even here the gadgets last for a while so the monthly cost is "only" three thousand! A decent monthly cost, but for a real interest, some think it's perfectly fine! And compared to cars, housing and other everyday expenses so…
| years | SEK / month | ||
| 1st kayak | 35000 | 25 | 117 |
| 2st kayak | 25000 | 25 | 83 |
| 3rd kayak | 20000 | 25 | 67 |
| Exercise kayak | 15000 | 25 | 50 |
| Toy kayak | 25000 | 15 | 139 |
| Research kayak | 10000 | 15 | 56 |
| Chapel | 15000 | 5 | 250 |
| Dry suit | 14000 | 6 | 194 |
| Play dry suit, budget model | 8000 | 4 | 167 |
| Wet suit | 3000 | 10 | 25 |
| Tour paddles | 18000 | 15 | 100 |
| Fore paddle | 4500 | 5 | 75 |
| Surf paddle | 4500 | 5 | 75 |
| Life jackets | 10000 | 10 | 83 |
| Cast & Tow lines | 3000 | 5 | 50 |
| Helmets | 4000 | 10 | 33 |
| Paddle boots | 1500 | 5 | 25 |
| Short wet shoes | 500 | 5 | 8 |
| Clogs/sandals | 2000 | 5 | 33 |
| GPS | 6000 | 5 | 100 |
| Compasses | 2000 | 10 | 17 |
| Solar charger for GPS, mobile etc | 3000 | 3 | 83 |
| Sunglasses | 2000 | 3 | 56 |
| Headlamps & Lanterna | 3000 | 5 | 50 |
| Outdoor kitchen (gas/petrol/top gas) | 5000 | 5 | 83 |
| Other food items (muurikka, field ovens, etc.) | 4000 | 5 | 67 |
| Sleeping pad (thin, light, thicker, super thick) | 4500 | 5 | 75 |
| one man tent | 5000 | 20 | 21 |
| two-person tent | 7000 | 20 | 29 |
| three-person tent | 11000 | 20 | 46 |
| assembly tent | 8000 | 20 | 33 |
| tarps | 5000 | 10 | 42 |
| gortex condom | 3000 | 10 | 25 |
| horny | 10000 | 20 | 42 |
| Summer sleeping bag | 3000 | 15 | 17 |
| Spring&autumn bag | 4000 | 15 | 22 |
| Winter sleeping bag | 6000 | 20 | 25 |
| Tent lantern and kerosene lantern | 1000 | 10 | 8 |
| Wool underwear (thin & thicker) | 2500 | 3 | 69 |
| Hats & mittens | 2000 | 3 | 56 |
| Down stand | 6000 | 10 | 50 |
| Outdoor trousers | 3000 | 3 | 83 |
| Soft shell jacket | 1500 | 5 | 25 |
| Rainwear, shell | 8000 | 6 | 111 |
| Boots / hiking shoes | 6000 | 10 | 50 |
| Silver kayak jewelry | 1000 | 25 | 3 |
| Outdoor library, some films and books | 10000 | 10 | 83 |
| Kayak transport (trolley, rail, holder) | 7000 | 15 | 39 |
| 357500 | 3041 |
Aren't there more?
Yes, these were just rough examples and the prices above are not very accurate. Do you have more money left at the end of the month that you don't want lying in the mattress (or invested) is just to continue on the list. More kayaks, more paddles, more tents, more clothes and more gadgets and more. After all, this is basically just stuff, there are trips, courses, experiences so you can easily double or triple the monthly cost! And if that's not enough, the two biggest things remain; the kayak car and the kayak house! The car itself is probably the very best example of a real cost, where even with a really "cheap" car you can easily double the enthusiast cost just for a little soup, service and depreciation.
Just don't forget to use the stuff
The most important! Doesn't cost anything 🙂 and is probably what most people want, but it's easy to get stuck in "if only I buy another gadget it will be better... It's rarely the stuff's fault.
And you can shop for the stuff here and there. Amazon has most and out north & The outdoor expert could be a start.
I think you get a lot for your money, and things that you can't buy yourself.
Then I think about, among other things, how close you get to nature with all the animals and birds, the freedom, the nice feeling when you have crossed a windy bay, the coffee time and good companions.
Worth every penny//
a semi-enthusiastic snuffer easily adds as much as an enthusiastic paddler. There are certainly those who combine, but it is a cheap "load" for being an enthusiast.
/Gunner
You certainly get a lot for your money; fresh air and nature are underestimated. And of course a lot can be combined if you want 😉
Hello,
I myself have a question about a detail cost: Dry suit.
It would be good to have for safety reasons when the temperature of the water is not bathable (Note, subjective assessment, so far this year I have only bathed in connection with a sauna, but without a wetsuit :-)).
But what should you choose? A "substantial" dry suit, such as the Kokatat Expedition costs around SEK 12 - 000, I can get a new Ursuit MPS for around SEK 14.
I haven't tried either, so I'm wondering what the performance/comfort difference is between these two different types of drysuits?
As long as you stay dry (and to some extent ventilated through Gore-Tex) then the purpose is achieved, right? What does the "substantial" dry suit provide for added value that justifies more than double the price?
I know you yourself had some thoughts about this, but the only objections to the "simpler" dry suit that appeared there were poorer fit. If that objection is only of an aesthetic nature, I think it weighs less heavily, but if it is functional aspects of the fit, then I can better understand the criticism.
Etc.: Ulf A.
(PS Haven't you factored in a slightly optimistic depreciation time on tents, sleeping bags and kayaks in the example above? What does it look like in your own storage, do you have some 20-year-old tents in there (and in use)...? DS)
Hi Ulf,
Always difficult to advise others.
Haven't tried the MPS suit more than once in a store, but I think it releases moisture well and I've heard several people say that too. Then it is very thin, which probably means that the durability is shorter, but if it only lasts half as long, I have no idea. Haven't heard/seen anyone who used it more for a longer time, some use shorts on the outside so as not to tear it apart so quickly and I think Ursuit also recommends some kind of garment on the outside.
Have heard a few more hurried paddlers who like that the Ursuite is "more spacious" because it is better suited for a more mobile paddling technique. And here, too, taste comes into play; do you want tight and more compliant or roomier and perhaps less compliant?
A price difference that should probably not be forgotten is that latex cuffs often cost a little more pennies than neoprendito. Personally, I'm probably more fond of latex gloves as I think they're easier to keep fresh, neoprene has the ability to smell really bad very quickly. The neoprene cuffs certainly last longer, I think, but may need to be replaced due to the smell.
But to compare a little more apples to apples and still have the Kokatat and Ursuit, you could compare the Kokatat GMER and the Ursuit AWS, which are a bit more substantial and seem to cost 6500, and if you change to latex cuffs and add a pee door, you're up to 9500. The Kokatat has then a double waist, protection for the zipper and "flappers" that can be folded over the shoes, which some think is absolutely necessary and others not.
You probably have to take an extra think about what you think is important or buy one of each and try them in parallel to be able to compare really carefully. Most of the time it is also the case that you are satisfied with what you bought, and if you buy a suit regardless of brand/model and decide to be satisfied, it goes a long way, you don't have to compare it to others. Then the aesthetics can be important too, I myself would easily spend a couple of thousand extra for a suit in nice orange, e.g. 😉 and really wouldn't want a black outfit. I otherwise like the idea of the MPS suit because it is so easy to bring along, but for my part I am leaning towards a Kokatat Lightweight as an extra suit.
I don't think I calculated too optimistically actually (except for the drysuits maybe). Now we have changed things quite frequently, but not because they were out of stock. Has e.g. a Kåre from 1976 which is certainly not used every day, but I think it probably looked the same anyway. And it doesn't feel finished yet, can probably last for at least another 30 years. The tent that we ourselves had the longest was probably our Staika that we had for 10 years, then we were maybe out less than now but I would guess that we got at least 300 nights in it when we sold it. It was not sold because it was out of stock, but because we wanted something new and it will probably last a good while. Then, of course, like everything else, it depends on how much it is used and also how you use, and take care of, the gadgets.
We ourselves wear out our drysuits in about 2-3 years, while someone who instructs, splashes and climbs a lot with theirs might wear it out in six months and someone who never clings to the kayak, never gets sand on the socks or in the zipper, paddles fresh water and rinse, oil and tinker with it and paddle even shorter and less than us maybe it will last 10 years.
Oops, got long. And as usual, there is probably nothing that is best for everyone, but it depends on likes, tastes, areas of use, references, etc...
Haha, realize I know some geeks/soon-to-be geeks 😀
Ulf, Ursuit MPS or more substantial dry suit... I'm switching from more substantial in this particular case now. I want an MPS because I think I will be more mobile ("racing technique") with a bigger and thinner suit - and that it will be a little drier (less "protection" that makes it difficult to "breathe"). But I wouldn't use it to mess around with at all. I will really secure the seat base before I sit down.
So the question is what you want to optimize on. If you just want to be dry in case you fall over, whichever works just as well, I think. If you are camping and playing with a kayak, a reinforced one is preferable. And there are many to choose from, not just Kokatat. Also check the used market.
Then I think - to put it a bit unbalanced - that a double waist on a drysuit is the devil's invention. 🙂
OK Thanks for the good comments.
Etc.: Ulf A.
Hello!
You forgot: Kayaks etc. for the children!
Johan & Louise
Hello!
Quite right, although most of the figures above can be taken per person of course 😉 The children also want to have good things!
Paddle easy!
/erik