Once you have all your gear and food, you’ll need some dry storage bags to carry it in. Obviously, the idea here is something to keep your load dry...under any circumstance. Less obvious however, is the type of bags you use and how you pack. This may seem trivial but it can make a considerable difference in the way your boat handles.

Packing
Many self-supporters like to use their bow either for extra storage space or to distribute the weight to even out the trim...or both. Equalizing the trim also tends to make the boat balance better on the shoulder while portaging. All this is sound logic. But, when using the techniques and gear talked about in these pages, I have never had the need for more space than what was 18-20" behind my seat. And only in one boat have I ever felt that weight in the bow would have made it easier to carry (this is also the same boat I felt the cockpit was designed too far back in). More importantly though, I prefer to keep gear out of the bow as it can be detrimental to the boats handling.

How can gear in the bow hinder a boats performance? Swing weight, or more properly put, moment of inertia (MOI). MOI is simply the physics of an object that indicates the difference in how easy or difficult it is to move about its axis of rotation. The more MOI an object has, the higher the force will need to be to set it in rotational motion and vice versa. In other words, the farther your gear (weight) is from the kayaks axis (seat), the more effort it’ll take to turn it. The kayak then gets progressively more sluggish and tiring to paddle.

If you’d like to retain as much of your kayaks original handling characteristics as possible, resist the temptation of packing gear in the bow ahead of your feet. And for the same reasons, keep your gear as far away from the end of the stern as possible too. Besides increasing the boats MOI, weight in the tip of the stern may have you staring at the sky coming out of holes. And the shorter the boat, the more pronounced this will be.

These guidelines apply to all kayaks regardless of their size. Most all modern kayaks have plenty of space right behind the seat for the typical Lower 48 and similarly located 3-5 day trip...if using the techniques and gear talked about here. On longer trips, easy pleasure cruises, those to colder zones...or in areas requiring full climbing kit and/or other specialized gear, one may have little choice than to load the entire boat. In these cases, pack the heaviest items as close to the seat and hull as possible and use the bow for the overflow only...for your lightest items.

The standard practice is to place two dry bags alongside the rear pillar (one bag per side). Some boats however, have enough distance between the backband & rear pillar to place a single dry bag perpendicular to the boat. This works superbly for overnighters & ultra-light 3-day trips. Simple & it keeps the weight concentrated near the seat where it'll have the least effects on the boats handling. The only thing in the stern proper in this photo is the breakdown paddle...one half on each side of the pillar. Pictured is a Riot Magnum loaded with the "Overnight Summer" version of this list with an experimental mattress rather than the Neoair.

Additional tips:

• In some kayaks, when packing the stern only, the handling can be improved by moving the seat forward a little. Just be careful not to hamper your egress.
• Carry a smaller dry bag for items you will use through out the day: toilet paper, lunch, etc. This way you won’t have to dig into the more difficult to access main dry bags. Place this smaller bag in an easily accessible spot. Centered under the backband works well in most boats while others will accomodate a small bag between the paddler's legs. On this latter location, some boats will require the simple addition of bungee cord to the pillar or seat. See this photo for an example (white bungee holding red drybag in place). This simple mod works superbly in some kayaks.
• Check the distance between your backband and rear pillar. You may be able place your gear perpendicular to the boat which, is highly advantageous. See photo above and to the right.
• Many boats have places beside or under the seat or near the water bottle holder where things can be stashed...like a lunch drybag, first aid kit, rescue kit, urinal, break down paddle, etc. Take advantage of these spaces to keep the weight away from the ends of the kayak. Just be careful not to hamper your egress!
• Fasten every thing you don't want to lose to the seat, pillar or backband. Use your rescue biners if need be. Doubly duty!
• If you're new to this, consider these two things: 1) practice at home by packing your gear into the storage bags then into the boat (your experienced buddies will appreciate this at the put-in). 2) paddle your loaded boat on a familiar roadside run to get a feel for the weight and to test different seat positions.
• Make sure to pack equal amounts of weight in each side and remember to take the smaller dry bag used for lunch into account...if it can not fit in the center under the backband.

Storage bags
The most widely used storage bags are typically referred to as “stow floats” and are made by several different companies. These are essentially conventional float bags with some type of waterproof closure on the side near the top or on the top. Insert gear, put in boat, seal and inflate.

While highly innovative in their day, little has changed with the basic design of the “stow float” since its advent nearly three decades ago. Consequently, though "stow floats" do work, they are not optimized for today's boats or environments. Kayaks are considerably different now and the difficulties of the rivers being paddled are well beyond what anyone thought was possible then.

What to use? Stay tuned. I have been working on a completely unique drybag design. Protos are to arrive for testing in the spring of 2019.