How to Have an Awesome Day Kayaking with Dad

Father’s Day is just around the corner. Time to get out the kayaks, paddles, and PFDs to have an awesome day kayaking with Dad. Before you can head out consider your location. Do you need kayaks to rent on site or do you have your own to take with you anywhere you’d like to go? You will get hungry throughout your day so make sure to bring a lunch, snacks and water with you to prevent dehydration. The weather can change at a moment’s notice. Be sure to have a range of gear from windbreakers to sunglasses and hats to prevent sunburn from the reflecting sun rays off the water. Wear your quick-drying Keen Newport Sandals for easy access in and out of the kayak. Your camera will come in handy to take lots of pictures of your adventure together.

Location

If you need to rent kayaks, the easiest approach is to rent kayaks at the location where you plan to kayak. Here are two options close to Edmonton:

Astotin Lake

Astotin Lake in Elk Island (one hour east of Edmonton) has kayaks available to rent.

• Single kayak: $22.50 + GST for the first hour, every additional hour $11 + GST
• Double kayak: $35 + GST for the first hour, every additional hour $15 + GST
• Reservations are only available during the week. Booking needs to be a minimum of five kayaks and for 3 hours.
• On the weekends, it’s first-come first-served.

Lake Isle Kayaking Adventures

Lake Isle Kayaking Adventures (one hour west of Edmonton) has single kayaks available to rent.

• $25/hour
• $45 for 2 hours
• $65 for 3 hours
• $20 per additional hour after three hours
• Text Cynthia at 780-241-5034 to make a reservation. She can’t guarantee a kayak will be available without a reservation.
• Method of payment: cash

This location is family owned and a quiet spot to put into the lake. Here are Four Directions to Consider when Kayaking on Lake Isle.

Look for lakes near you to find the best place that can accommodate you and your father to have an awesome day kayaking with Dad.

Dry Bags

Dry bags are essential to bring when kayaking. They are waterproof and prevent your windbreaker, snacks, towel, etc. from getting wet. In the picture above, we brought these dry bags with us since we were on a multi-day trip Kayaking Desolation Sound: 11 Tips for the Best Trip Ever. We also put our clothes, mattresses, and food into dry bags to ensure they stayed dry. When on a day trip, if you fall in and all your gear is loose, you risk losing items and getting everything soaking wet.

Tip #1: Put all your personal items, including keys in a dry bag to prevent losing them in the water and keeping them dry.

The dry bags come in different colours based on your colour preference. Some are also clear which allows you to see what’s inside them. I find it particularly handy to be able to find what I’m looking for by looking through the dry bag.

Dry bags fit easily into the kayaking compartments. If you have a garbage bag, it risks opening or ripping making its contents inside wet. The dry bags come in different sizes depending on what you’ll like to put inside the bags.

Tip #2: Put all your food in one bag, and extra clothes in another one. Having your items separated in different dry bags will help you stay organized.

Snacks

Snacks are great when kayaking on the water. You never know when you’ll get hungry and want to eat something. Having a dry bag accessible with snacks makes it easy to stop, take it out and eat while on your adventure. Keep in mind, that it’s important to bring snacks that will re-energize you. Here are some awesome suggestions:

• Honey Stinger Organic Chews – available in multiple flavours
• variety of nuts: good source of protein
• fruits such as oranges are juicy: they will help rehydrate your body (containing natural sugar which is good for you)
• energy bars

For more snack ideas, check out 6 Easy Snack Ideas for Kayaking Trips.

Water/Floating Hand Pump

It’s important on a warm and sunny day to bring potable water with you and hydrate on a regular basis to avoid sunburn. Here are 10 Tips to Avoid Sunburn.

Make sure to bring a floating hand pump with you on your awesome day kayaking with Dad. You want it to float so that if you tip or it falls off the kayak, you can retrieve the pump and remove the water from your boat. You probably won’t fall into the water or tip the kayak, but if you are not wearing a spray skirt, it’s easy for a simple wave to accumulate water into the kayak, which isn’t pleasant. If you have a pump, then you can remove the bulk of the water while sitting in your kayak and sponge out the last bits of water.

Navigate Together

Where do you want to go on your adventure? Look at a map and figure it out together with your dad. You might have different ideas and suggestions that the other person might not have thought of which could lead to a fun trip. Take each other’s thoughts into consideration and go have an awesome day kayaking with Dad.

Take Lots of Pictures

I love to take pictures. Most of the time, I’m taking pictures of the scenery but on occasion, pictures of my family and I are taken on my Samsung phone while doing an activity.

Tip: Be careful not to drop your phone or get it wet to avoid damaging it. Many people now use a clear plastic phone protector while out in the elements.

Another option is to buy an underwater camera and then you don’t need to worry about getting it wet. It allows the versatility to take pictures above and below the water. You never know what you’ll see at a moment’s notice. Having your underwater camera handy allows you to take that fun beautiful shot. With your phone, you might miss your shot while trying to protect it from getting wet, if it’s not protected.

Notice in the second picture that I’m wearing my Keen Newport Sandals in the kayak.

Wear a PFD

A PFD (personal flotation device) is essential to wear for your safety in case you get stuck in a bad situation. The PFD could be a lifesaver and prevent you from drowning. The MEC Fulcrum Guide PFD (as shown in the first picture) rises above your waist allowing mobility to move from side to side while kayaking but also help you float if trouble arises. The MEC Fulcrum Guide PFD has a generous pocket at the front that allows lots of room to put your underwater camera and snacks, as well as a handy clip inside to hook your keys to prevent you from losing them (keep in mind that keys would not be protected from total water immersion in this pocket). The PFD also has pockets on the side, possibly useful for energy bars or sun protect lip balm.

Currently, the PFD comes in red and black depending on your colour preference. Every year, their style and colours change a bit. Check to see what they have available in stores this year. It also features a pocket available to insert a radio for personal use or if you use the PFD to guide a group. This PFD is useful for an average kayaker and could potentially save your life!

Keen Newport Sandals

I love these Keen Newport Sandals to have an awesome day kayaking with Dad. They can get wet while you enter and exit the kayak and dry fairly quickly. They have a bungee on top allowing the sandal to secure to your foot and are super comfortable with a cushion beneath your foot for added support. With these sandals, the toe rubber protection ensures that you avoid stubbing your toe. These sandals are breathable on top to allow some airflow. They now feature an anti-odour anatomic footbed for your comfort.

Tip: Wear these sandals to kayak and walk comfortably to and from your vehicle.

Beautiful Views

By taking the opportunity to have an awesome day kayaking with Dad, you get to experience beautiful views. The first picture shows my brother, now a dad kayaking in Desolation Sound. Though that specific excursion was a multi-day trip, my brother took a day trip with my parents while Kris and I relaxed back at camp. The picture confirms the amazing views we had every day.

When we had our day trip on Lake Revelstoke (shown in the second picture), we encountered gorgeous mountains while kayaking in the valley. We were able to see waterfalls on the right and left sides of the lake. We stopped for lunch on the bankside and were able to go for a wonderful swim while admiring our views. It was a relaxing and enjoyable day trip with my dad and mom during the past summer. It did become windy as a storm blew in later in the day though, so we were happy to have our rain gear as we adjusted to changing weather and wavy water conditions.

Day trips are great occasions to experience different views and explore new regions. There are always things to see and places to go.

Hat/Sunglasses

Sun rays reflect off the water and can easily get you sunburnt if you aren’t wearing hats, sunglasses and sunscreen. It’s always wonderful to go kayaking when the weather is sunny as opposed to cloudy and rainy but be prepared for sunny days when they show up. You need to protect your eyes from photokeratitis, a result of direct eye exposure to the sun. If you make an effort to protect your eyes, it will help you in the long run as you get older. In case you don’t manage to cover up all the different parts of your body, here are 8 Tips to Treat a Sunburn. Be prepared for the conditions and you’ll have a great day.

Final Thoughts

Are you excited to have an awesome day kayaking with your Dad? Time to decide where you’d like to go. Decisions, decisions. But that’s the fun part, right? Get your gear out of the winter storage and put everything together for an awesome day outside on a lake or an appropriate river. Find your dry bags, pack fantastic snacks, and maybe even surprise your dad with his favourite treat. My dad loves chocolate, so he’d be happy with anything containing chocolate. Work together once you’re on the water to figure out where you’d like to go. Don’t forget to bring a camera to capture the amazing views on your outing and to take many pictures of you and your dad together. Sounds like a super fun day! Go enjoy yourselves and have the best day possible! Your dad will appreciate it!