By Vladimir Brezina
Minimalist again? Ailsa, you and The Daily Post really have to coordinate your Photo Challenges! :-)
Anyhow, we do strive to travel in a minimalist fashion, with only the gear that is absolutely necessary. But it’s a work in progress—
At the start of the 2014 Everglades Challenge.
... kayaked the waters around New York for more than 15 years in his red Feathercraft folding kayak. He was originally from (the former) Czechoslovakia and lived in the U.K. and California before settling down in New York. He was a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He died in 2016.
... is a kayaker and technology researcher at Nemertes Research. She's an erstwhile engineer, particle physicist, and science fiction writer. She was born in California and has lived in Italy, Norway, Hawaii, and a few other places. She currently resides in New York City.
 | CurlsnSkirls on The First Leg! |
 | Johna Till Johnson on The First Leg! |
| Johna Till Johnson on The First Leg! |
 | Marilyn Albright on The First Leg! |
| CurlsnSkirls on The First Leg! |
| Johna Till Johnson on Looks Like They Made It! |
 | Pit on Looks Like They Made It! |
| Johna Till Johnson on More Scenes From the Nort… |
| CurlsnSkirls on Halfway There! |
 | Larry Jensen on More Scenes From the Nort… |
| Johna Till Johnson on R2AK: Scenes From the Northern… |
 | Frank Winters on R2AK: Scenes From the Northern… |
| Johna Till Johnson on Halfway There! |
| CurlsnSkirls on Halfway There! |
| Johna Till Johnson on And They’re Off! |
Wind Against Current 
Replace kayak with luxury 40-foot sailboat – that should give the solution of getting all of that in – but only just!
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We did in fact get all that stuff into the two kayaks, with room to spare. Kayaks hold a surprisingly large amount of stuff. Kayaking is much more comfortable in that respect than backpacking :-)
Unfortunately a 40-foot sailboat wouldn’t be able to complete the Everglades Challenge, which requires you to pass over miles of shallows, under low bridges, … Sailboats do complete the Challenge (and usually win), but they are small, purpose-built boats…
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I simply can’t believe you got all of that on board without them sinking! Hmmm… submarine kayak?
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Well, the kayaks did sit a few inches deeper in the water… But the payload of the Feathercraft Heron (my boat), for instance, is 405 lbs (including paddler)—so there is plenty of capacity to carry stuff. Expedition kayaks can hold tons of stuff, if packed properly…
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You have a lot of necessities! :-)
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A lot of them turned out not to be necessary, of course :-)
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I like colonialist’s idea. But since I prefer paddling, I’ll have my hubby sail the boat with all of my gear, and I’ll paddle :-) What a deal! Have a great time!
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That’s the idea! Have the mothership at hand for those cocktails as the sun sets :-)
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Thats what i am talkin’ ’bout!!!
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I somehow knew that ;-)
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Great minds. ;-)
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This made me laugh out loud, thinking of how many cases I have to take on holiday. :)
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We are trying to cut down, honest… :-)
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Pingback: Travel Theme-Minimalist | WoollyMuses
Actually, I was surprised that was all you had! I didn’t see food or water, although for a short jaunt you wouldn’t need that.
Nancy
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I don’t travel light and wrote about it here:
http://livingtheseasons.com/2012/03/26/thoughts-on-not-traveling-light/
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Great post, Nancy!
However, one’s perspective changes a little when one has to carry everything on one’s back, or haul it across hundreds of yards of low-tide mud to higher ground :-)
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That is very true. It’s a big difference to park the car and take pictures a few feet away versus lugging a backpack of camera gear, tripods, etc. along a path to somewhere not very close by.
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Actually, we brought food and water for eight days. The concept of the Everglades Challenge is that, among other things, it emulates an entirely self-supported expedition that might last three or four weeks, or longer, compressed however—because who has three or four weeks to spare?—into eight days :-) It was water that made the boats so heavy…
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It’s amazing how much can go in a kayak or backpack and still have room.
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Probably about 5 times more into a kayak than a backpack :-)
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Imagine spare paddles and a bilge pump on the outside of a backpack. No room at the inn! LOL
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Haha, yeah, that’s not exactly travelling light, Vlad ;) Oh and oops, I had no idea WordPress did Minimalist as their theme just over a month ago, I need to keep track of what they’re doing! Happy New Year to you and Johna. xxx Ailsa
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And a most happy New Year to you, Ailsa! Looking forward to all your photo challenges in 2015! :-)
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