Here’s a list of everything that I brought with me. At the start of the trip I had quite a number of other items and ended up with two dry-bags on deck, but that was a total pain not least because the contents never stayed dry. I filtered out the stuff that wasn’t being used and posted it home. This is what I had with me for the whole trip, what got used, or at least what had to be there just in case.
Front Hatch
- Tapered dry bag (Lomo) containing:
- Thin fleece pullover
- T-shirt
- Long sleeved shirt
- Trousers
- 4 pairs pants
- 2 pairs socks
- 4 handkerchiefs
- Thin thermal top
- 2 x thermal bottoms (Helly Warm)
- 120 x contact lenses (disposable)
- Shoes (walking, Goretex)
- Stove and pan set (Trangia 27):
- Windshield / outer
- 2 pans
- Fry pan / lid
- Kettle
- Pan handle
- Chopping board / strainer / lid
- Gas conversion burner (only, no meths)
- Firestick (igniter)
- Scratchy
- Dish cloth
- Washing up liquid (very small pot)
- Cutlery (nothing special)
- Gas cylinder (Coleman C500, 70/30% butane/propane)
- 500ml milk flask
- Fresh food for 3 days approx.
- Resealable food / freezer bags, small and medium (for waterproofing and food storage)
- Roll of pedal bin liners (for waterproofing and rubbish)
- Roll of parcel tape (for packaging / posting maps etc.)
- Admiralty charts of selected areas, printed A3 and laminated.
- West-coast Imray charts C54, C55, C56
Day Hatch
- First aid kit
- Small clip-seal box of pills (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen etc.) and 4 contact lenses
- Maps (10-12 off)
- General repair kit
- Lunch box (with sandwiches etc.)
- Clip-seal food box containing:
- Wallet
- USB mains charger (Anker 63W 5-port USB)
- Throw-tow bag
- Flares / light sticks
- Paddle float
- Buoyancy bag
- Spare batteries (Energizer Ultimate Lithium 24 x AA and 24 x AAA)
- Spare VHF radio battery pack
- Planning kit (pencils, rubber, sharpener, length of string etc.)
- Hand warmer
- Hurley tape (for paddle shaft, unused)
- Reading glasses
- Head-torch
- Sun hat
- Warm hat (Extremities Super Windy Cap)
- Buff
- Soda bread loaf
Rear Hatch
- Tent
- Tapered dry bag (Lomo) containing:
- Sleeping bag
- Silk sleeping bag liner
- Down jacket
- Soap
- Toilet roll
- Hand towel
- 10l dry bag containing:
- Sleeping mat (Thermarest)
- Wash bag
- Waterproof trousers
- Waterproof jacket
- Water bag (Ortlieb), big enough for 2 days
- Clip-seal food box containing:
- USB battery pack (Anker PowerCore+ 26800)
- iPhone SE (track log using Endomondo app.)
- Bluetooth headphones (Morul U5)
- Charging cables for cameras / headphones
- SD card reader for iPhone (Photofast CR8710)
- Micro SD to SD card adaptor (for GoPro card)
- Boat repair kit
- Length of polyprop. rope (6mm x 10m)
- Clothes pegs (14 off)
- IKEA bag
- 2 backup dehydrated pasta meals (Knorr)
- 4 backup packets dehydrated noodles (Super Noodles etc.)
4th Hatch
- Snacks (bananas, fruit/nut mix, muesli bars)
- Hand compass
- Satellite tracker (SPOT Gen3)
- Sunglasses
- Change of GPS batteries (2 x AA cells)
Cockpit
- 4 x gas cylinders (2 behind the seat, 2 loose, C500 as above)
- Storm cag in small drybag (behind the seat, Kokatat)
- Sponge
Front Deck
- Knife
- Map / chart
- GPS (Garmin Etrex)
- Paddle leash
- Spare paddle
Rear Deck
- Pump
- Flask (tea)
- Helmet
- Video camera (GoPro Hero 5 on Delkin Gecko suction mount with Delkin Kaboom pole)
Buoyancy Aid
- VHF radio (ICOM M3)
- PLB (McMurdo FastFind)
- 2 x cereal bars
- Water (Platypus)
- Whistle
- Still camera (Olympus Tough, TG-2)
Wearing (whilst paddling, not duplicated above)
- Drysuit (Kokatat Expedition). Several years old. Leaked after after the first 2-3 weeks. Posted to System X for repair.
- Paddle cagoule (Peak UK for a couple of weeks until it leaked, then a new Yak)
- Spraydeck (Playboater work deck)
- Thermal top (Helly warm)
- Fleece-lined shorts (Peak UK Bagz)
- Neoprene booties
Notes
- Of the 5 gas cylinders, I used about 3.5 for 20 nights camping. (This is approximate. On a few occasions I cooked whilst at B&B and on a few other occasions I ate out whilst camping.) One cylinder failed when half-empty, I think due to rust. No stove usage at lunch time.
- I filled the flask with tea every morning. It stayed hot and was sufficient all day into the evening.
- I used UHT milk where I could get it. The cartons were too big for one day, so I stored the excess for the next day in the “milk” flask. It generally only kept until the next day.
- About 42 maps were required for the circumnavigation, all OSI / OSNI 1:50,000. These were in 4 batches, posted to Bushe’s bar (Baltimore), Joe Watty’s bar (Kilronan) and The Lobster Pot (Baltimore). I only carried about 10 or 12 at once.
- I used 14 of the AA batteries, powering the GPS. The GPS was mostly off most days, but on for crossings.
- I used only 4 of the AAA batteries. They powered the SPOT tracker and headtorch.
- The VHF radio was mostly off. The rechargeable pack lasted three-quarters of the trip and I replaced that with the AA pack (8 cells), which easily lasted the remainder.
- VHF communication with coastguard was particularly unreliable on the west and north-west coasts. Mobile phone coverage was good enough for voice everywhere, except for a few places in Donegal. I mostly phoned the coastguard to leave / close TRs.