I can barely swim and I want to take a little plastic boat into the ocean. It goes without saying that safety is a big concern of mine. In a previous post, I made a list of items I plan on getting for kayak fishing. Now I want to go into a little more detail. Here is the list starting with the most important piece of safety equipment.

Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
PFDs are pretty intimidating to someone like me. There are multiple types, not especially cheap, and need to be comfortable. Most kayakers should roll with a Type III PFD. Again, the REI website was a great source of information. I'll quote from them:

I will be fishing in the hot sun so a quick-drying PFD with some kind of mesh and lots of pockets is a must. I have a young daughter and REI recommended a PFD with a pull handle to pull the child to safety. A padded head support and crotch strap was also recommended. I thought that was interesting and not something I would normally think about. Check out the PFDs for Children section for more information.

A Float Plan
A float plan should be filled out and given to someone dependable in case things dont go as expected. This should have details like your kayak's physical details, where you plan to go and when you plan to return, what type of safety equipment you have, and your personal information. I found this float plan online.

Waterproof First Aid Kit
This is pretty standard fare so there's not much to discuss. I decided to go with an Adventure Medical Kit Ultralight and Watertight .7 from Amazon. 

Signal Mirror
A signal mirror is mandatory to be able to alert people if you are in trouble. I plan on using an old CD initially to see how it holds up. I'll replace it with a proper mirror if I dont think it's up to snuff.

Safety Whistle
It is a requirement to have some sort of audible alarm when out on the water. I decided on this whistle from Amazon. Yes, I pretty much buy everything from Amazon if you haven't noticed.

Bilge Pump
I don't see a Bilge Pump mentioned in a lot of the reading I do. The inside of your kayak is water tight and the top of it will drain through scupper holes. Still, I'd rather be safe instead of sorry. I decided on a Seattle Sports Paddlers Bilge Pump 

Compass
I don't plan on going out so far I cant see the coast, but still, you never know how things will go. A compass is small enough that it's a no-brainer to throw one in your bag. I picked up a small one years ago and plan on making it part of my standard yak kit.

Knife
Who doesn't need a knife? I personally love my Leatherman Skeletool for everyday carry. I did get a giant Bear Grylls knife for Christmas that I haven't used. I guess it will go with me on the yak.

Pool Noodles
I read somewhere that it's a good idea to stick pool noodles inside your kayak in case your boat gets flooded. I'm still not sure if it's necessary or not. I plan on practicing deep-water reentry when I get my yak so I will use that time to try and sink my boat. I may or may not get Pool Noodles depending on how that goes.

In my last post, I made a list of all the stuff I need to finally hit the ocean. I'll use this post to explain why I've listed certain things and any details I've found. Please share if you see I'm missing something or have more information.

Paddle
I did a lot of reading about how to choose a paddle. I primarily used information from this REI page to make my decision. I am going with a cheap 220cm aluminum paddle. Once I get some experience I will invest in something better and use this as a backup. I was concerned about multi-piece vs. single-piece paddles but most of my reading said this should not be a concern.

Milk Crate
I'm hoping to score a free milk crate from work or something. I found a youtube video by David Stemm that shows how he mounts his crate high which gives him additional storage for something like a kayak cart. I plan on giving this a shot. Check out the video (starting at the 4m mark). I tried to link directly to it but it doesn't seem to work.

Leashes (for everything)
If all my research has taught me anything it's 

1. Always wear your PFD 
2. If you want to keep it then leash it

I found 2 great videos by Glenn Madden on how to make your own leashes. I'm hoping to save a bit of money by going the DIY route. The first video shows how to make it and the 2nd video shows improvements to his technique. I recommend watching them both in full

Bungees, Anchor, Drift Sock
I plan on getting generic bungees initially. I'm not sure about what exactly a quality bungee is so I'm going cheap and learning the hard way. 

An anchor and drift sock will be in my future but I'm waiting to get more experience under my belt before I worry about them.

Kayak Hangers
I need a way to store my kayak at home. I bought Seattle Sports Kayak Cradles from Amazon. They seem to have good reviews. Hopefully they dont suck.

Apparently, you need more than a kayak, PFD, and paddle to hit the water. I've spent the week researching what items I need and thought I would share the list. I broke the list down into Kayak, Safety, Fishing, and Misc. gear. I'll list them here and break each section down in separate posts. Let me know if I forgot something!

I finally decided on a roof rack for my little Toyota Corolla and it should be here today! I started off knowing absolutely nothing about roof racks and now I know a little. The top two manufacturers are Thule and Yakima and both companies seem to be well-respected. I ended up going with Yakima because their website had an absolutely amazing Car Fit Guide. I put the details below. I purchased all the items from Amazon and saved an amazing $5. I plan on installing them this weekend and will be sure to post pictures. After that it's time to buy the kayak!