Carrying While Kayaking

[EdC]

This spring/summer will be my first fishing/kayaking season while having a handgun license. I'm asking for opinions on carrying while kayaking. I'm going to go with my Glock 19 as I think it will stand up to more abuse, especially if it gets dunked. I prefer to keep the gun on my person, and not stashed in the yak. In cooler weather, I'm thinking about a web belt with a Blackhawk Serpa, which could conceal ok enough under a light jacket. I guess I would have to wear the belt a little high, though.

Anyone out there carry and kayak? What do you do?

 

[paddling_man]

Yes!

With a few caveats...

Are you talking about recreational kayaking, whitewater kayaking or sea kayaking?

Recreational kayaking - I'm going to a neighborhood park and paddling around Eagle Creek, Geist or down the White River a bit.

Whitewater kayaking - I'm part of a group doing a run on a whitewater river. If you're not doing eskimo rolls, you're not pushing hard enough.

Sea kayaking - Not necessarily "sea" but going up to Lake Michigan or Superior and doing island hopping with open water stretches of 3-7 miles.

I've done all three and still do.

Rec boating - a Glock in a holster might not be too bad in terms of being uncomfortable. Still, likely going to find that it chaffs badly if you're paddling for any real length of time. I wouldn't but if you're set on it, go for it. I can see where having it on your person would be helpful if you're in a meth/gang area.

Whitewater - Not a chance. If you absolutely have to do it (some places in the mountains of East TN / Western NC, I did) then put the handgun in a dry bag, in the cockpit, behind the seat, pinned in tightly with the air bags and the dry bag clipped in with a 'biner. No way can you dynamically paddle a whitewater kayak on anything more than Class II with a holster strapped around the PFD on your chest. You'll also be wedged in so tightly with foam under the sprayskirt (if you have any hope of controlling your boat) that chest carry will be your ONLY option.

Sea Kayaking - My last long trip was solo island hopping for a few days around the Apostle Island archipelago in Lake Superior. Self-supporting in a 17' sea kayak. I took my stainless Ruger Blackhawk 357 with 200g hard cast. Alternately, I have a stainless Ruger GP100 for the same duty. Still, the revolver is in a drybag in one of the sealed bulkhead compartments - mine, not one of the two LARGE areas but the small one immediately behind the cockpit. I could still access and remove it in boat, if necessary, but would avoid it at all cost - guns don't float. My thinking was stainless (for obvious reasons) and a Ruger revolver that I could easily disassemble and clean. .357 hardcast was my minimum choice for lower 48 where the encounter might be a black bear or hog.

The 19 would only be my choice for rec kayaking an hour or two on local water, then only to deal with issues at the put in / take out. Myself, I would still dry bag it and clip it in the boat.

 

[paddling_man]

Pics from my Apostle Islands trip:

 

[EdC]

Recreational kayaking is what I do. I might just slip a small .380 into a .pfd pocket.
Anyway, nice pics! What belongs to those paw prints?

 

[JByer323]

I agree completely.

What type of boat are you using, and what type of paddling do you do?

And now at a risk of a thread-jacking...

paddling_man, what boat are you running? I work at an gear shop, only touring boats I've played with are Necky Chathans. Did my first whitewater stuff this past year, ran some 3s and 4s, and damn, that's good stuff.

 

[Ashkelon]

Beautiful Pics !! Bear prints really get your attention eh?

 

[Bart]

I paddle the local river and lakes in my Perception Eclipse 17 and never go without packing something. I usually keep my Glock 19 in a deck back right in front of me for easy access. Sometimes I’ll bring along a .22 pistol for some plinking as I go along. I also recently got an underfolder Vector AK that fits nicely in either of the sealed compartments.

I don’t usually bring them all along but I always have one of them. I usually paddle with swim trunks on so it is not very compatible to carrying a holstered gun. I also don’t want to have anything on me that could get in the way if I got swept under a log jam or something.

 

[gglass]

Will this be Kayaking in Indiana or another state? If it is another state; do you have a valid carry permit there?

Just a passing thought.

 

[Jack Ryan]

I might if I was using the kayak to go duck hunting or to get in and out of a deer hunting spot but other than that I'd think a gun would be about as useful on a kayak trip as a fishing rod or paddle in a deer stand.

 

[EdC]

It's strictly recreational, and for fishing, here in Indiana. I paddle a Wildnerness System Tarpon, which is a sit-on-top. No whitewater or anything like that.

 

[Bart]

I might if I was using the kayak to go duck hunting or to get in and out of a deer hunting spot but other than that I'd think a gun would be about as useful on a kayak trip as a fishing rod or paddle in a deer stand.

Apparently you paddle with a contingent of body guards to keep you safe. What makes you think you wouldn't run into some nefarious characters while out in the wilderness. There are plenty of shady people along the stretch of white river that I frequently paddle. There is no place in the world that is immune from crime.

 

[paddling_man]

Let's see... I'll try and answer some questions.

• Sea kayak is a Dagger Apostle.

# Dagger Apostle - This sea kayak is a high performance, large carrying capacity vessel that is made from durable plastic. Great for extended touring or expeditions in open waters, this sea kayak has three bulkheads and an easily accessible day-hatch located just behind the outfitted cockpit. This sea kayak comes with bow and stern hatches, neoprene cover and hard hatch, deck lines, shock cord deck riggings, recessed deck fittings, adjustable foot braces, carrying toggles, flip rudder system, padded seat cover, and three, secure mini-cell bulkheads.

• Prints were from a Black Bear. He came walking up the pebbly beach that night, faced the camp and chuffed for a couple of minutes while facing me 50' away. I blew the PFD whistle and he eventually did a 90 degree turn and walked off. It was on an island with the nearest other person a good 5 miles away. Since it was a Nat'l Park in Wisconsin, I of course wasn't carrying a firearm since that is illegal. For anyone who might ask.

• Paddle now? Not much since the move. I sold my last playboat, a Wavesport SuperEZ but still have a slalom whitewater boat, along with a canoe and a sea kayak. I did paddle a lot when I lived and went to school in Knoxville - averaged about 50-60 5-8 hour days on whitewater - taught in the summer on weekends - met my wife as a student in my class back in '94. I competed a little but the last year I did was '96. Kids and locale have put a damper on whitewater.

The last playboat.

This is the only whitewater boat that remains.

My wife the weekend after we met 14 years ago.

Me - Ocoee Olympic Course

Wife upper left at 23 yr old. Rest are me.

The issue of carrying while kayaking... One of the playholes in MO were the holes at the Chain of Rocks bridge on the Mississippi. LOTS of shady character at the takeout fishing. I kept a handgun in the drybag as referenced earlier. It came out at the takeout. Carry on your person in a kayak is radically different depending on what type of paddling your doing. Full-on eskimo rolling and playboating - it is out of the question.

For this guy, it should be just fine.

And that is where the "paddling_man" sign-on came from years ago on Ebay, Bladeforums, etc.. It has nothing to do with leather, whips, studded paddles, etc.
​

 

[Tandem160]

Let's see the guns!

 

[EdC]

Apparently you paddle with a contingent of body guards to keep you safe. What makes you think you wouldn't run into some nefarious characters while out in the wilderness. There are plenty of shady people along the stretch of white river that I frequently paddle. There is no place in the world that is immune from crime.

+1 on that. It's been my fishing trips here in Indy (even 'yak fishing) that prompted me to get my permit in the first place. Now I feel naked w/o a firearm, and don't want my family thinking some day "Gee, Ed was such a gun nut, ironic that he didn't have one with him when he was kayaking and some BG killed him. Hope he left me the Kimber in his will."

 

[paddling_man]

" Hope he left me the Kimber in his will."

+1

Pics?

Kayak guns...

 

[Jack Ryan]

Apparently you paddle with a contingent of body guards to keep you safe. What makes you think you wouldn't run into some nefarious characters while out in the wilderness. There are plenty of shady people along the stretch of white river that I frequently paddle. There is no place in the world that is immune from crime.

LOL, one behind every tree.

I paddle by myself 99% of the time. I can hardly get my wife to walk to the creek in the front yard so I actually have a picture of my own self in my kayak.

I'm kinda shady myself I recon so I'm not too concernen about terrorist, meth dealers, or gang bangers on white river.

 

[Jack Ryan]

Kayak guns, eh?

ROTFL

The funniest part is "been there done that". Don't worry, you'll out grow it someday. Kayak guns, LOL.

 

[paddling_man]

Kayak guns, eh?

ROTFL

The funniest part is "been there done that". Don't worry, you'll out grow it someday. Kayak guns, LOL.

Who knows... maybe the meds will help.

 

[Jack Ryan]

 

[Jack Ryan]

Apparently you paddle with a contingent of body guards to keep you safe. What makes you think you wouldn't run into some nefarious characters while out in the wilderness. There are plenty of shady people along the stretch of white river that I frequently paddle. There is no place in the world that is immune from crime.

Wilder or lonelier than this?

Felt kind of naked and wild with out my smoke wagon today. Out there on my own with no signs to tell me where I was allowed to put in or take out, where I can walk and where to stay away from. Meth heads around every sycamore and pot farm crazed druggies hiding in the pines, it was a scary place.

I did have one body guard with me but he was unarmed as well since they repealed that weapons allowed on government land thing, I didn't want to carry a gun until I check with a park ranger. I'm big on following the rules and that kind of stuff.

Besides he had to swim and I think too much of a gun might have taken him to the bottom.