A surprising amount of food can be carried in a sea kayak, esp. if packaging is kept to a minimum. Decant food such as pasta and muesli into self-seal or ziplock bags, weighed out for the amount needed. Avoid glass, or delicate items like bananas. Food not needed for a few days can be stowed in the ends of the kayak, to avoid taking everything out every day. Things needed all the time like tea/coffee can live in the day hatch.
Breakfast
- Muesli – decanted into self-seal bags of the quantity for each day + UHT milk
- Porridge oats mixed with dried milk, add water and leave to soak overnight. Add raisins, honey etc.
Lunch
- Fresh bread rolls for the first couple of days
- Bagels/Pitta bread (they last about a week, check dates)
- Oatcakes
- Squeezy jar of mayonnaise instead of margarine
- Sliced continental hard cheese (Emmenthal, Edam, Gouda, Jarlsberg, Smoked, etc)
- Salami, dry-cured or smoked meat
- Small tins of tuna, mackerel, etc.
- Cucumber – can easily fit along the side of the kayak.
- Apples
- Dried fruit & nuts
Snacks and drinks, etc.
- Tea/coffee/Hot chocolate instants (no need for milk)
- Small squeezy concentrated juice to add to water bottles (e.g. Robinsons Squash’d)
- Isostar tablets
- Bladder from box of wine
- Cup-a-soup
- Chocolate bars
- Cereal bars
- Fruit & nuts
- Jelly babies
Main meal
Good if there are a couple of options that can be eaten cold in case of bad weather/exhaustion/stove failure
- Frozen food for first day or so – take out of the freezer at the last moment and keep in cool bag on the journey
- Expedition packs
- Risotto mixes
- Pasta + pasta sauce/pesto
- Packs of flavoured grains/Look What I’ve Found/similar
- Noodles – with added cashew nuts, etc.
To the above you can add other ingredients such as tuna, dried mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, small tins of sweetcorn, olives, hard-boil some eggs, etc. or seasoning below.
Puddings
- Slab of cake (e.g. rich fruit cake)
- Tinned fruit optionally with instant custard powder.
Seasonings etc.
Things that weigh almost nothing, take up no space but add a real boost to anything you are cooking.
- Garlic
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh oregano
- Lemon juice
- Pepper mill
- Oil – decant into a small plastic bottle.
For camp cooks
- Take some flour, salt and yeast and make flat breads on hot stones over a fire – can make into pizza
- Pancake mix or flour, eggs and milk
- Foil to bake potatoes in a fire or bake fish if someone is lucky fishing
Lakeland Canoe Club 