What To Bring

The Quick and Dirty

 Water, snacks, camera and make sure you are comfortable and prepared for the weather.

Please do not bring any valuable items you do not want to sacrifice to the ocean.

If you are interested in or booked on the Discover the Coast (Ucluelet), Discover Clayoquot Sound (Tofino) or Discover Barkley Sound (Ucluelet) please read the additional note about what to expect on these tours.

CLOTHING

 A light layer, warm layer and rain jacket (or wind breaker)

Jeans and cotton clothing are NOT recommended. Synthetic and natural fibres that do not loose insulation when wet (ex. Merino wool and fleece) or other quick dry materials are recommended.

SUN PROTECTION

Sunscreen, sun hat, sunglasses

Due to glare off the water it is important to bring sun protection. Often overcast and foggy days are the nastiest days for UV exposure.

Footwear

4+ hour tours: sandals, water shoes or running shoes. No flip flops.

2.5 hour tours: any comfortable footwear (sneakers, running shoes, sandals, etc)

All of our tours launch from a floating dock allowing feet to stay dry on our 2.5 hour tours which do not involve getting out of the kayaks.

We do our best to keep your feet dry but we do paddle in a marine environment so there is potential for your feet to get wet. The Big Tree Trail on Meares Island is mostly boardwalk but sections are a forest trail which can be challenging in flip flops.

Provided by Paddle West

  • Waterproof dry bag
  • All necessary paddling and safety equipment

It is not necessary to bring a backpack with you. Anything that needs to stay dry can be packed into a dry bag, and all else is best stored in a a grocery bag. Backpacks can be accomdated and will be stored in a water-tight hatch that cannot be accessed while on the water. 

Extras

We recommend bringing a light snack (granola bar, piece of fruit, trail mix, etc), and water on the 4 hour tours and highly recommend something more filling to refuel with on the 6 hour tours. It takes energy to be on the water and explore for 4+ hours.

Bringing a camera to capture your experience is highly recommended. However, cameras are brought at your own risk and Paddle West Kayaking does not guarantee any electronic devices. We provide dry bags for your use and suggest limiting the number of electronic devices you choose to bring with you on the ocean.

***An Extra Note on the Discover the Coast (Ucluelet), Discover Clayoquot Sound (Tofino) and Discover Barkley Sound (Ucluelet)***

These tours allow you to explore further into the wilderness of Clayoquot and Barkley Sounds. Depending on the marine conditions there is an increased chance of getting wet and our guides are unable to keep your feet dry. On these tours, we recommend wearing clothes you do not mind getting damp, bringing an extra sweater and wearing shoes that you do not mind getting wet. In addition to getting wet feet, often the landings in Ucluelet are challenging with slippery rocks making flip flops not the best option.