Battersea Canoe Club

Introduction

For your initial trips you do not need to buy specialised canoeing clothing or equipment. Most people will have suitable clothing for use on their initial trips.

After a while and once you are hooked on kayaking, you may want to consider buying some of your own clothing and kit. Initially you can just use club kit and your own clothing. If you want to buy some of your own clothing or kit then get advise from some of the more experienced members before splashing out with the cash!

Clothing etc

The table below show what you may need to bring on a trip depending on what time of year it is etc. The list is fairly extensive but initially you can use whatever clothing you have. If you only intend to paddle flat water in the summer months then you will not need to bring any specialised clothing. However if you intend to paddle white water or surf in the winter months then you will need to use more specialised clothing.

Spare set of dry warm clothing	You will get damp and possibly very wet whilst paddling.	All year
Towel	To dry off and cover up whilst changing	All year
Money	Buy drinks or food, petrol money for driver, club kit hire etc.	All year
Drinks	Water or energy drinks	All year
Food	Energy or chocolate bars, bananas etc	All year
Swimming Costume	Underneath base layer	All year
Base layer Top	Synthetic material that does not hold water. Can be bought cheaply at an outdoor shop.	All year
Fleece Top	Extra layer of warmth that can be taken off when too hot.	All year
Footwear	Old trainers or neoprene boots.	All year
Cagoule/Anorak/Windproof top	We have club cagoules that you can use or use your own windproof top.	All year

Nylon T-shirt	Synthetic rather than cotton as it will not hold water.	Summer
Shorts	Shorts for summer months only.	Summer
Sun Hat	Sun protection	Summer
Sunscreen	Sun protection	Summer

Wooly Hat/Skull cap	Keep your head warm with a wooly hat or a neoprene skull hat.	Winter
Base Layer Bottom	Old tracksuit botton or preferably synthetic base layer leggings which can be bought at an outdoor shop.	Winter
Overtrousers	Worn over the base layer leggings	Winter
Gloves/Pogies	Keep your hands warm! The club has a few that you can use.	Winter
Long John Wetsuit	Cheap alternative to a drysuit for use on white water and surf trips.	Winter
Drysuit	Only if you have one or are going to paddle a lot of white water or surfing in the winter months	Winter
Hand Warmers	Reusable hand warmers for use in mid winter	Winter
Hot Drinks	Hot drink in a flask	Winter

Equipment

If it is your first trip, the person leading/driving will assist in making sure that you are fully kitted out. However it is always the responsibility of the individual to ensure they have what they need and to return it to wherever it came from, (sometimes members supplement club kit with their own spare kit, please ensure it is returned in the same state).

Always check that the equipment you intend to use is fit for the type of canoeing you’re going to do. If in doubt, then ask the trip or session organiser or another experienced member of the club. Here is a list of some of the things you need to check:

Are there holes in the boat?
Is the drain plug correctly fitted?
Are the paddles about to break?
Are there airbags fitted and fully inflated to the boat? These are an important safety feature.

If hiring Club equipment - you'll need boat, paddle, spraydeck, buoyancy aid, helmet, cagoule. Please remember to pay the trip organiser the appropriate kit hire monies.

Please ensure that the kit fits you, (i.e. you can fit into the kayak, the Bouyency Aid can be adjusted to fit you, the spraydeck is the correct waist size and cockpit size, the helmet fits and that the paddle is correct feather and left/right hand control as required). If you take ill fitting kit you may not be able to paddle! If in doubt ask a more experienced member.

Please treat all club kit as if it were your own and report any problems to the organiser or to the kit officer, (e.g. broken footrest, missing airgbags, etc).