Our first foray into family kayaking was headed up just by me, but we were able to schedule a time about a month later where Jeremy could join us for our next kayak trip. Being spontaneous rarely works for us because of our busy schedules.

Tip: Planning and scheduling our activities means they actually happen

I have no problem taking the children on adventures by myself, because if I didn’t, we’d never do anything. Jeremy’s work schedule can vary wildly from a normal 8 to 5 (our preferred schedule, obviously) to 90+ hours a week for months at a time. He’s had this schedule for the last 10 years or so, so we’ve had time to adjust and make the best of it.

When he’s working fewer hours on a more normal schedule, we take advantage of that schedule and his vacation time to go on road trips, hikes, and so on. When he’s working crazy long hours, I know not to expect his help or participation in anything and to keep the kiddos busy so they don’t miss him quite so much. As the boys have gotten older I’ve started expanding our adventures from short road trips and hikes to longer road trips, hikes, and kayaking. Now I’m thinking about adding some trips to the local climbing wall this winter.

We’d actually planned to go kayaking sooner, but we had such a rainy summer that local water levels were super high most of the summer. While I do have some kayaking experience, it’s from years ago, and we’re not familiar with our local waterways, so we erred on the side of caution in an effort to avoid potentially dangerous situations.

We finally had a dry-ish spell, so we loaded up the kayaks, life jackets, paddles, and kiddos into the car and headed out to the reservoir. We went in the late afternoon, which meant the tiny parking area was mostly empty and there were very few people on the water.

Jeremy and I inflated the tandem kayaks, and then we hauled everything down to the water while hanging onto the boys, since the parking area is right next to a busy road. It was a bit of a juggle, but we made it work and it was much easier than when it was just me hauling gear and kiddos.

We enjoyed a nice paddle around the reservoir and were even able to do a bit of experimenting since there were two adults to keep an eye on everyone.

The Gear We Recommend for Beginning Kayakers

1. Small kayak for children

I talked about Sunshine’s kayak (this one is similar, though without the seat) and how much she likes it in my last kayaking post, but I had to add an update. River wanted to give it a try, and while he is on the short side (he couldn’t reach the foot rests), he was able to paddle and maneuver and figured it all out in just a few minutes, with just a few pointers from Jeremy and I. He felt confident enough in his abilities to paddle back out into the reservoir a ways, and while I stayed close by in my kayak, he didn’t need any help from me. We’ll need to buy him his own kayak next summer 🙂

I wouldn’t have attempted letting him try out the kayak (while also trying to keep an eye on Ocean), if I had taken the kids out on my own, but since Jeremy was with us, it was easier to try new things. Like Sunshine using one of the inflatable kayaks as a SUP. It works, but not as well as an actual SUP. Guess we need to get a SUP as well.

2. Intex Explorer K2 inflatable tandem kayak

We purchased two of the Intex Explorer K2 kayaks rather than the Intex Challenger K2 kayak because the reviews said the Explorer had higher sides. Since we were concerned about the boys climbing or falling out (they are impulsive preschoolers, after all), higher sides were the deciding factor.

Both models have a 400 pound weight limit, which will easily fit two adults or an adult and two or three small children. They also each come with two 86″ paddles and a manual air pump. It is a little tiring to fill the air chambers (5 of them in the kayak, plus the two seats) with the hand pump, but I doubt an electric pump would be much faster. They deflate easily and can be folded fairly compactly for transport in the trunk of a car.

Jeremy didn’t find the inflatable seat super comfortable (he has a bad back), and ended up leaning back quite a bit, which made the front ride high. River didn’t enjoy being in the front when in was up in the air, so he sat closer to Jeremy, where he felt more secure. Next time we might try scooting Jeremy’s seat forward to a more central location to try to keep the kayak more level in the water.

3. Kayak paddles

The kayak reviews all said that the included paddles weren’t great (and they’re not- they are quite flimsy), so I bought this 84” paddle and this 96” kayak paddle as replacements (they’re the orange and black ones in these pictures). Originally the shorter one was for me and the longer for Jeremy, but I actually like the longer one better because it gives me better clearance over the sides of the kayak. I’m short and sit low in the kayak, so I’m sure that contributes to my clearance issues.

4. Kayak dolly

There are lots of similar kayak dollies out there- this one had good reviews, even though it wasn’t the cheapest. We haven’t actually used it yet since I bought it after our first kayaking trip and we didn’t need it when Jeremy was with us. It was easy to put together and looks pretty sturdy though, so I don’t anticipate any problems using it. You strap the kayak to it and then push or pull it wherever you want to go.

5. Kayak rack for the children’s kayak

I chose this one because it had good reviews, looked like it would fit Sunshine’s kayak, fit the roof rack on our CRV, and looked easy to use by one short person. So far, so good. I was able to install it on the roof racks of our CRV without any problems and I can easily lift her kayak into position and strap it in place. We may replace the included straps with something a little more heavy duty, but we haven’t had any problems with them loosening yet.

6. Door latch step

I don’t remember where I saw this originally (Facebook, maybe?), but it’s ingenious. There’s a number of companies that make similar products, this is the one I chose. It hooks on the door latch in the doorframe so you can step up on it and reach the roof. It folds up and stores in a little bag when not in use and is a boon for short people!

7. Life jackets

The boys don’t swim yet, so we have them in Puddle Jumper life jackets. We do need to find better life jackets for them now that they’re old enough to understand their importance and not fight wearing them. The Puddle Jumpers have made it much easier to convince the boys to wear their lifejackets.

We purchased basic life jackets for Jeremy, Sunshine, and I from Costco, but they’re not great for kayaking because of their bulk. There’s a lot of rubbing on our arms as we paddle, but they do work and didn’t cost an arm and a leg, which is important while we see how we like kayaking and if we want to stick with it. Next year we’ll upgrade to these life jackets, which are made for paddlers, and are much more adjustable.

8. Snacks

Snacks can head off meltdowns and keep kiddos going when they’re tired. I don’t want to worry about the boys dropping wrappers or baggies in the water, so I was excited to try these reusable snack bags. I found them at Target, but you can also find them on Amazon. Stasher snack bags are silicone, washable, come in a variety of colors and sizes, and are perfect for taking on a kayaking trip. The boys liked using them, and they’re easier to hold onto than a ziplock baggie. My only complaint is that the outside does tend to collect lint, though it does wash off with soap and water.

What items have you found to be helpful as you’ve gone kayaking?

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