Does a mom you know in your life love kayaking and could use a kayaking gift for Mother’s Day? These 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms will help give you ideas of things to buy her. Most items can be used on day trips, but the pot, neoprene attire such as the whole bodysuit, neoprene gloves and booties would likely be used on longer overnight trips. The zip-off pants can be worn for many different activities. It is nice to have clothes useful across the board. These shared ideas offer a wide range of prices between $2.60 and $414.07 depending on your budget and what your mom might already own.
Table of Contents
1. 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms: Lifejacket
Price: $159 MEC Fulcrum Guide PFD – Unisex
Awesome Lifejacket
I love this lifejacket! It has a large pocket on the front that fits an underwater camera easily accessible to take pictures while kayaking. It can also fit some snacks in two side pockets. A radio can be placed in the clipped pocket, if a mother wants to stay in contact with other kayak members if she splits off for the day or if she wants to reach family on land (where service is available).
This MEC Fulcrum Guide PFD has been very useful during my Lake Isle Kayaking Adventures. I highly suggest buying this gift for a kayak mom you know. This is the reason it was included in my 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms. It costs $159 which is an investment but the woman in your life will appreciate the PFD that will last a long time while also being extremely practical. This life jacket is unfortunately no longer sold in yellow, but red and black are available for purchase.
Fit
It’s a comfortable fit and comes in many sizes ranging from x-small to x-large. The lifejacket is short to allow her arms accessibility for kayaking, unlike a canoe PFD that is longer. It’s easily adjustable if a coat is needed to be placed underneath due to inclement weather.
It features clips for a mom into more complicated kayaking. It can be used as a guide lifejacket but also for day-to-day use for a kayaker with moderate skill.
2. Wick-away Shirt
Price: $34.95 MEC Rapidi-T Long Sleeve Shirt – Women’s
This wick-away shirt will prevent her from overheating when kayaking. You will want to purchase a shirt for her that is breathable but also has some warmth to offer. It currently comes in pink and grey from XXS (extra extra small) to XXL (extra extra large). We often wore our wick-away shirts (different from the one I’m suggesting as ours are older and no longer in stock) over or under our whole neoprene suit to keep our body protected from the sun and wind.
A shirt needs to be easy to move in for paddling purposes. The MEC Rapidi-T Long Sleeve Shirt for Women is an affordable price at $34.95. You might be able to purchase two for your loving wife or mother if you have the funds available. She’ll be happy to have multiple wick-away shirts, especially if she wants to change them out on her trip. This shirt could be used hiking or backpacking as well.
3. Underwater Camera
Price: $414.07 Fujifilm FinePix XP140 Waterproof Digital Camera
15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms: Taking Pictures
A digital underwater camera is number three of 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms. It is a fantastic item to have if a mom in your life loves to take pictures! It can be worrisome to bring a good camera and then be nervous about dropping it in the water or having salt water sprayed on it, preventing her from taking good pictures. An underwater camera saves that worry!
Camera Types
There are so many different types of cameras, but this camera is a great option. It is definitely on the pricier side but a gift that keeps on giving. This camera can also be used above water. It can be taken to many different locations. This camera is digital allowing her to take as many pictures as she wants (as long as the battery lasts) and then sort through them when she gets home. Videos can also be taken underwater or while kayaking. If the camera gets splashed, no need to panic! It’s small enough to fit in the MEC Fulcrum Guide PFD pocket at the front and easily accessible to take that perfect shot at a moment’s notice!
4. Outdoorsy Hats
Price: $42 OR Sun Bucket Hat or $33 Outdoor Research Swift Cap
Outdoor Research Sun Bucket Hat
The outdoor research sun bucket hat is useful to protect her face when the sun is shining. It has fabric to prevent a women’s head from getting too hot while also providing a brim to encourage the sun to stay away from her face. The sun reflects on the water when kayaking; doing anything to help protect her body from its rays is a wonderful idea. This hat will help protect her against sunburn. This $42 item is affordable to buy for a kayaking mother.
Outdoor Research Swift Cap
The Outdoor Research Swift Cap for $33 offers protection for a women’s forehead and eyes. Sunglasses offer more protection for her eyes though and I would recommend using them with a hat. The cap allows for a ponytail to be put through the hat, which is convenient for kayaking moms. The hat comes in many different colours depending on what she prefers.
5. GSI Halulite Pot
Price: $55.95 GSI Halulite Pot
This pot is very useful with orange rubber grippers on top of the lid and liquid draining holes on one side of the lid. This allows a person to tip the pot over while holding the lid in place so that the used water pours out (this is done far away from the campsite). Holding on to the orange handles with thumbs pressing down on the rubber grippers on the lid while it’s being tipped over allows very little chance for the lid to slip and a mother to burn herself.
We’ve used this item to make Thai Chicken Pasta and Pineapple Chicken Stirfry. It’s fantastic to have a useful pot on a multi-day kayaking adventure to cook for a family of four. It’s affordable to purchase if she doesn’t own one. Many different recipes can be cooked in this pot depending on her taste buds. It’s easy to pack up and store as well.
6. Sandals
Price: $129.95 Keen Whisper Sandals – Women’s
Shoes can be bulky and they aren’t breathable to bring kayaking. Sandals on the other hand are comfortable after wearing neoprene booties all-day while kayaking. During our trip Kayaking in Desolation Sound, sandals came in handy at the campsite to air out our feet in the warm air. The sandals are a bit pricey at $129.95 but these sandals are extremely cushiony to walk in and provide essential footwear when kayaking on a long adventure. They are closed at the toes protecting them from getting stubbed on a rock. They can be used for many different activities such as at the campsite after a long day of backpacking or when going for an easy walk.
Sizes and Colours
The sandal size ranges from six to ten and a half. Depending on the Keen sandal chosen, pick from different colours available.
7. 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms: Zip-off Pants
Price: $74.99 Hiker Stretch Women’s Zip Off Pants
15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms: Convenience
Zip-off pants are fantastic to wear hiking or kayaking. When it’s cold in the morning, sometimes it’s nice to have full-length pants and then they can be zipped off when it becomes warmer and turned into shorts. It’s awkward to have to wear shorts underneath hiking pants. It makes it bulky and uncomfortable to walk in or kayak. The zip-off pants are shorts and pants built into one set of pants instead of bringing two sets of separate pants. If she chooses not to wear the pants kayaking, then she might like to wear shorts when she arrives at her campsite while experiencing her multi-day adventure. When it cools off after a long day of kayaking then she can change over to pants.
Purchasing zip off Pants
These pants can be purchased at Mark’s or Mountain Wearhouse. It seems harder to get cut-off pants for women for some reason than it is for men. Make sure to look around as they might not be showcased. They come in a variety of colours such as grey, green, black and blue. Each pant is different. Some will have zippered pockets while others will have a snap or button to close the pocket. The location of the zipper could be higher or lower depending on the company. Look around and see what kind of pants she’d prefer. If you don’t feel comfortable buying her pants, I suggest buying her a gift card for one of those stores and she can make her own decision.
8. Neoprene Booties
Price: $64.95 Xcel Infiniti Split Toe 1mm Reef Neoprene Boots – Unisex
15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms include neoprene booties. When we went kayaking on Desolation Sound, the water was extremely cold and it was important for our whole body to be covered in neoprene in case we fell into the water. Wearing neoprene attire would allow our bodies not to freeze immediately. Even if the booties get wet, our feet stayed partially warm kayaking on the ocean. That’s important to prevent hypothermia. This is an extremely useful item for multiple kayaking days and a mom that you know could make good use of this item. If you have $64.95 to spend on her, this would make her trip much better!
10. Neoprene Gloves
Price: $69.95 Xcel Infiniti 5 Finger 3mm Gloves – Unisex
The neoprene gloves can come in handy when she is kayaking in high winds and the water is splashing on her hands. It helped keep my hands happy and prevented them from being frozen. If she already has booties, I’d suggest these neoprene gloves. This item isn’t a necessity if she has a warm body temperature (my family used them less than I did) but when conditions change for the worst, it’s nice to have the option to wear them if she needs them. They are extremely useful in the rain. For women who might have many kayaking items already, this could be a nice addition for her and it’s a midrange price for you to purchase the gloves.
10. 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms: Neoprene Suit
Price: $149.95 Level Six Farmer Jane Front Zip Neoprene Wetsuit – Women’s
A neoprene whole bodysuit is necessary for long-distance kayaking in cold bodies of water. It makes sitting on the foam chair much more comfortable and provides additional heat to both her upper and lower body parts when kayaking. If she faces a chance of being in extremely cold water, even more importantly, this item could save her life (by preventing instant hypothermia)! It’s important to be prepared for a multi-day kayaking adventure and be well versed in the temperature variations of that part of the ocean or lake where she will be venturing. If you know that a mom in your life is exploring into cold water conditions kayaking and you have the funds to make a more expensive purchase, this item could be a game-changer for her!
11. 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms: Windbreaker
Price: $200 Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody – Women’s
A windbreaker similar to Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody – Women’s would protect her against the elements when it’s windy kayaking. My coat was bought a while ago and is no longer available but there are many other alternative windproof coats available for purchase. They can be around this price range or higher. A good quality windproof coat is important for kayaking, make sure to inform yourself to buy a coat that will protect her against high winds. If you buy a coat that costs around $100, there’s a high chance the coat won’t be as effective. If you can’t afford this item, consider buying a cheaper product that is still of high quality.
12. Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews
Price: $2.60 Honey Stinger
These honey stinger organic chews are excellent to replenish your energy while kayaking. They offer different flavours at MEC depending on her taste buds. These energy chews allow for a fun texture in the mouth. It’s awesome for her to feel like a kid again as she’s boosting her energy while kayaking. These are cheap to buy many different flavours at once, depending on how much you can spend on a mother in your life. If you aren’t sure if she’ll like them, since they are so cheap, you have the option of just buying one package and she can inform you if more should be purchased in the future or not. It’s nice to try something different instead of having the same granola bars all the time.
13. 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms: MEC Seat Cushion
Price: $26.95 MEC seat cushion
This seat cushion showcased by our cat Rocky is wonderful for breaks or for sitting on while eating supper on a multi-day adventure. It’s much better than having to sit on a rock! It’s affordable to buy for a mom in your life. This is a cheaper item to consider as number thirteen of 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms. Different seat cushion colours are available at MEC depending on what she likes. It’s super easy to blow up. It takes a couple of seconds and her butt will thank her and you for purchasing it. It’s collapsible and easy to store. Inform the woman in your life to keep it away from water though, to prevent it from getting damaged.
14. Nalgene Bottle
Price: $20.95 Nalgene Sustain Wide Mouth Water Bottle 1L
15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms: Hydration
It’s important to stay hydrated when doing exercise, especially on the water. A one-litre bottle filled up with fresh clean water is just the item a mom needs to bring with her kayaking. It’s small enough to fit between her legs or beside her in the compartment for easy access to drinking water. They offer a wide or narrow mouth water bottle depending on her preference. MEC has different colour options and sizes as well if you’d like to purchase a smaller 500mL one for $12.95.
Additional Water Bottles
My mom strapped her Nalgene bottle to the front of her kayak, making it even more accessible than putting it in her compartment, below the kayak skirt. The option will be hers depending on what she prefers. I seem to constantly misplace my water bottles. Buying another one will be put to good use, especially since it’s affordable to purchase. Nalgene bottles are regularly used on our kayak trips for easy access to drinking water. We sometimes need larger water jugs to carry many litres of fresh water with us when fresh water isn’t readily available on our trips.
15. Collapsible Dry Bags
Price: $45.95 to $55.95 depending on the MEC Brooks Dry Bag size
The dry bags are made from rubber and come in different sizes depending on what she wants to put in them. Bags are used for food, toiletries, clothes, tent, cooking items, etc. and will need to be purchased to pack items independently. The bags are priced differently depending on the size. The collapsible dry bags are essential to keep everything dry when on a multi-day kayaking trip. The last thing a mom would want is to find that water has got her clothes, the tent or her food wet. That wouldn’t be a good surprise! We have multiple bags; they are so useful and practical. Once in a while, over time, bags crack in the folds and need to be replaced. This is a good item to purchase if you’re unsure if she already has a bag or not.
Tip: Kayak compartments are small so for things to fit, it’s better to have smaller bags than trying to fit everything in bigger bags.
These are the 15 Awesome Kayaking Gifts for Moms that I suggest for Mother’s Day. There is an assortment of gifts ranging from clothing to neoprene items, a cooking pot, and most importantly a lifejacket to provide her with safety on the water and featuring compartments for an underwater camera and snacks. You’ll need to find out is she already owns some items, while others can be purchased as additional items, such as a dry bag to add to her collection. The gifts range in price depending on what you can afford. Practical gifts are always welcome, especially for kayaking!
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