Kayak Attack

You should definitely buy kayaks... and a sick chevy truck.

After attempts of floating and being at the ease of the water, we weren't super impressed with the way that tube floating pans out, or how sunburnt you get just chillin' or with the general inabilities that floating provides. I wanna go go go, baby! Being naturally high strung, we kind of want a say in what direction we go whether it's windy or not, current or not so much, so kayaks come into play, if you're going to get a paddle for a tube, why not get a kayak?

REI has a great article about kayak types and how to choose, it is really dependent on what you personally are wanting.

We wanted to go with a sit on top kayak and here is our personal pros and cons list.

Pros:

Storage space on top & underneath the deck.

Things we can store include fishing box, poles, life jackets, anchor, drinks & snacks, dry bag, dogs can sit on top if they are used to the kayak.

Stability, you can stand up and paddle like a paddle board, pull fish in, pull your dog back in in if they fall off, we have never flipped them in the two years we've had them.

Sitting on top lets you easily get in and off even if you anchor in a lake or the ocean, also allows you easy draining, so the cockpit cannot fill with water if you're on small rapids or in the ocean.

Size and weight capacity of sit on top varieties are typically greater, which creates more of a sense of security and again, stability.

They're awesome...

Cons:

Weight/Loading awkwardness, our kayaks are 50# but its not so much of the weight, but if you are independently loading onto a car, they can be kind of awkward to maneuver onto your rig.

Initial costs, if you're not into the initial cost then you should probably rent one for a day or so. But the costs are so worth it to have something you can take mostly anywhere.

You probably cant go mad rapid kayaking, because of the 10ft size, they're probably awkward to maneuver around rocks... but I have seen youtube videos of people doing it in these kayaks.

Under deck storage does not stay dry, I really never expected it to, but that is easily solved with dry bags.

Really, whatever you decide works best for you, you will not regret the purchase. The freedom you have with them is awesome, there are a ton of water trails in Oregon to check out, and even if you pop in the water for an hour or five exploring rivers, estuaries, lakes, or whatever, it will give you a perspective that you may have not had before.

Because of kayaking and being more exposed to the water world, we have gotten into diving in rivers, the ocean (!!!!), and have made way more conscious decisions around water whether to be in it or not to be, and being able to pack other peoples left behind trash and bullshit with us is always a plus.

I would recommend cross bars and kayak racks if you have a compact vehicle, but if you have a truck, some tie downs will do you solid, which is what we have/do to carry ours #gmctrucks!

Purchase List and Generally What we Carry:

Lifetime Tamarack Angling Kayak 10ft We have two! It's always best to have a partner in the water, and on land tbh Walmart

Body Glove Life Jackets (We carry a small and an extra large) Cabelas

Waterway Access Permit & Invasive Species Permit Next to life jackets, this is the most important thing to carry on each craft 10ft and above in Oregon! We learned our lesson the hard way because we did not do our due diligence in researching what we needed before having fun on the water, thank you 500$ ticket, but a friendly officer who has an awesome job strolling the streams on a skidoo!

Whistle Also required in the state of Oregon on each boat Amazon.com

Doggo Life Jacket Petsmart

Earth Pak Dry Bag 10L Amazon.com Amazon.com

Anchor Amazon.com

Waterproof Case (For Phones/Keys/Easily Accessible Items) Walmart

Hemp Chord Amazon.com

Water Shoes Generally always great to have so here's some reliable ones Amazon.com

Fine Mesh & Larger Net Bags For Treasures/Trash/Drinks/Sealed Snacks Amazon.com

Best Purchase of all the Extras for any Outdoor Water Activity Amazon.com

We generally bring fishing poles and a small tackle box also, but it's a pretty standard trout set up, google or your grandfather can tell you better than I can about what to carry in it.

Local to Corvallis Kayak Adventures & Resources:

Cascadia Expeditions Resource for shuttling, and all things outdoors.

Next Best Paddling Towns: Corvallis, Oregon. Great article about Corvallis.

Willamette River Water Trail Find your trail & destination with amenities.

Willamettewaterkeeper.org Another great Willamette River Water Trail resource.

Foster Lake, there are a lot of motorized boats but a nice calm place to put in at Sunny Side Park, the main lake is more hectic and high winds, but if you hang back near the park it makes for good kayaking.

Green Peter Reservoir, my personal favorite, calm waters, beautiful views, and many places to put in, Thistle Creek Boat Ramp, Whitcomb Creek County Park are the primary spots.

A not so local to Corvallis spot is Silverton Reservoir, an amazing little calm spot near Silver Creek Falls.

Detroit Lake Marina, Detroit has many motorized boats, but there are areas that will provide some tranquility.

If you have any questions about other spots not so local to kayak, or questions regarding the post, feel free to log in and comment, or DM at @work.in.progress.co on instagram.

If this is your variety of adventure, have fun, BE SAFE, educate yourselves on https://myodfw.com/ about all of the good things, pack it out even if its not yours, and wear sunscreen y'all.