---
title: "What it costs to kit yourself for a sea kayak camp"
description: "The kit for a sea kayak camp, priced from the sea kayak base camp packing list: the essentials are about CA$1,410 (US$1,029) bought new, the whole list CA$1,911. What the operator provides, three things worth buying, and the lists and cost tools that go with it."
canonical: "https://wildernessledger.com/kit-for-a-sea-kayak-camp"
list: "https://wildernessledger.com/sea-kayak-packing-list"
author: "Ben Taft"
---

# What it costs to kit yourself for a sea kayak camp

> The kit for a sea kayak camp, priced from the sea kayak base camp packing list: the essentials are about CA$1,410 (US$1,029) bought new, the whole list CA$1,911. What the operator provides, three things worth buying, and the lists and cost tools that go with it.

A sea kayak base camp is the cheapest trip on this site to kit yourself for, because the operator brings the expensive part. The kayak, the paddle, the spray skirt, the life jacket and the tent are theirs; the guides are theirs; the sauna, where there is one, is theirs. What you bring is what keeps you warm and dry on the water and comfortable on the beach.

These are the prices behind the sea kayak packing list, which is the one I packed from for a week at Orca Camp in August, added up two ways: the essentials, and the whole list with the things that are nice to have. Most of it is clothing you may already own.

From a week at Orca Camp in August, checked against the operator's own list.

## Two ways to add it up

| Figure | Amount |
|---|---|
| The essentials | CA$1,410 (US$1,029), 15 items not marked optional |
| Everything on the list | CA$1,911 (US$1,394), 18 of 20 items name a product |

Approx., at 1.37 CAD per USD. Street prices, not quotes; a sale or a used one changes the sum. Where an item offers a choice, the cheapest prices it and the line says "from". An item with no price is one nobody sells you: a form, a prescription, a weight limit.

## The list, priced

| Group | Item | Product | CAD | USD |
|---|---|---|---:|---:|
| Power and light | Portable battery pack | Anker 100W power bank (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/anker-100w-power-bank/primary) | CA$110 | US$80 |
| Power and light | Headlamp or a small, decent torch | Nitecore USB-rechargeable headlamp (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/nitecore-headlamp/primary) | CA$48 | US$35 |
| Water, sun and heads | Water bottle | BLACK+BLUM insulated steel bottle, 850 ml (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/black-blum-bottle-850/primary) | CA$55 | US$40 |
| Water, sun and heads | Sunscreen | Sunscreen (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/sunscreen/primary) | CA$16 | US$12 |
| Water, sun and heads | Sunglasses | Smith sunglasses (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/sunglasses/primary) | CA$137 | US$100 |
| Water, sun and heads | Sun hat or ball cap | Sun hat (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/sun-hat/primary) | CA$41 | US$30 |
| Water, sun and heads | Warm hat, wool or fleece | Burton beanie (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/wool-beanie/primary) | CA$34 | US$25 |
| Clothing | Summer clothes | Quick-dry t-shirt (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/quick-dry-tshirt/primary) | from CA$48 | US$35 |
| Clothing | Warm layers | Smartwool merino base layers (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/base-layers/primary) | from CA$110 | US$80 |
| Clothing | Rain jacket | Burton GORE-TEX jacket (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/burton-goretex-jacket/primary) | CA$480 | US$350 |
| Clothing | Warm socks | Wool hiking socks (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/wool-socks/primary) | CA$27 | US$20 |
| Footwear | Water shoes | Water shoes (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/water-shoes/primary) | CA$69 | US$50 |
| Footwear | Camp shoes | Trail runners (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/trail-runners/primary) | CA$178 | US$130 |
| Footwear | Kayak gloves (optional) | Paddling gloves (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/paddling-gloves/primary) | CA$48 | US$35 |
| Personal | Your medications and toiletries |  |  |  |
| Personal | Insect repellent | Insect repellent (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/insect-repellent/primary) | CA$16 | US$12 |
| Personal | Fast-dry towel, or two | Quick-dry towels (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/quick-dry-towel/primary) | CA$41 | US$30 |
| Worth the space | Book or journal (optional) |  |  |  |
| Worth the space | Binoculars (optional) | Binoculars (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/binoculars/primary) | CA$343 | US$250 |
| Worth the space | Fishing gear (optional) | Packable fishing rod and reel (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/travel-fishing-rod/primary) | CA$110 | US$80 |

## What the operator brings

At Orca Camp the boats and the camp are Wildcoast's, and the packing list assumes as much; other base camps run the same way, but confirm the towel with yours.

- Kayaks, paddles, PFDs, dry bags and the safety equipment: The red boats and the red PFDs in every photograph; the Wildcoast Ledger lists them as included.
- The tent and the bed: Set up on the beach before you arrive.
- Meals, and the guides: Cooked at camp; the itinerary is theirs.
- Power at the tents: Orca Camp had it; not every camp does, which is why a battery pack is on the list.

## Three that earn their place

1. Burton GORE-TEX jacket (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/burton-goretex-jacket/primary), about CA$480. The one purchase that decides whether a wet afternoon on the water is a story or a misery. Synthetic layers under it; no cotton.
2. Water shoes (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/water-shoes/primary), about CA$69. You are rowed ashore and step out into the shallows. Bare feet on barnacles is a mistake you make once.
3. Quick-dry towels (https://wildernessledger.com/go/gear/quick-dry-towel/primary), about CA$41. Wildcoast does not supply towels, and no base camp should be assumed to. Small, light, dry by morning, and it goes to the sauna.

## Questions about the kit

**What does the essential kit for a sea kayak camp cost?**

About CA$1,410 (US$1,029) for the 15 items on the list that name a product and are not marked optional, at street prices. The whole list, with the paddling gloves, binoculars and a travel rod, is about CA$1,911 (US$1,394). Most of the essentials are clothes and a headlamp; if you own a rain jacket and warm layers the figure drops to a few hundred dollars.

**Do I need to buy a kayak, a paddle or a life jacket?**

No. The operator provides the kayak, the paddle, the spray skirt and the PFD, and the tent at camp. The list is what goes on you and in your dry bag: layers, rain shell, two pairs of shoes, sun and warm hats, a towel, a headlamp and a battery pack.

**What is the most expensive thing on the list?**

Burton GORE-TEX jacket, at about CA$480. It is also the one that matters most: when you are on the water the rule is stay warm and stay dry, and a proper shell is how.

## The experiences this kit is for

- Spirit of the West Adventures: https://wildernessledger.com/experience/spirit-of-the-west-adventures (plain text: https://wildernessledger.com/experience/spirit-of-the-west-adventures.md)
  Spirit of the West Adventures: from $1,795 CAD per person for the Johnstone Strait Expedition, 4 days and 3 nights sharing a tent with no single supplement, summer 2027, before 5% GST and a $25 sustainability fee; six of the eight 2027 Whales & Wilderness Glamping departures in July and August were already full in September 2026. Read from Spirit of the West, British Columbia kayak tours (prices and 2026 and 2027 dates) on 14 September 2026.
- Wildcoast Adventures: https://wildernessledger.com/experience/wildcoast-adventures (plain text: https://wildernessledger.com/experience/wildcoast-adventures.md)
  Wildcoast Adventures: from $2,491.86 CAD per person for Orca Camp, 3 nights sharing a tent, early July and September 2026 ($2,797.86 from 8 July to 30 August), before 5% GST, and every Orca Camp departure from 1 July to 14 September is guaranteed to go whatever the numbers. Read from Wildcoast Adventures, Orca Camp (2026 dates and prices) on 14 September 2026.

## Sources

- The sea kayak base camp packing list: https://wildernessledger.com/sea-kayak-packing-list
- Wildcoast Adventures: https://www.kayakbritishcolumbia.com/
- Prices: street prices in USD from the gear catalogue at the time of the build, converted at 1.37 CAD per USD; not quotes.

Every product link above goes through the site's click receipt (/go/gear/), which picks the vendor from the catalogue; some are affiliate links and pay a referral fee at no cost to the buyer. Canonical page: https://wildernessledger.com/kit-for-a-sea-kayak-camp

Written by Ben Taft, Photographer and filmmaker, The Wilderness Ledger (https://wildernessledger.com/about). Ben Taft packed from this list himself and priced the products he carries; the operator's side of the list is in the operator's own words. Every photograph and film is his. Publisher: The Wilderness Ledger. Corrections: hello@wildernessledger.com.