It was a beautiful day and I spent the day with my wife strolling around the shops and drinking green tea at one of the neighborhood cafes. After some quality time with the spouse, I brought her home to let her rest, read and catch up on some writing she had planned. While she did this, I ran out to do a little grocery shopping and, of course, run around to a couple sporting good stores and see what I could check out for paddling and camping supplies.

I ended up getting one of the Sea-to-Summit brand dry bags I had been wanting to get. It works great! I got the 20-liter size which seems the perfect compromise between being large enough to hold a considerable amount of gear and small enough to fit comfortably below decks on my kayak. I imagine two or three more this size would serve very well in stocking a multi-day journey while keeping my gear safe and dry.

I could easily imagine filling one with carefully measured portions of food, ready to be made into meals on demand, and clothing and various other supplies rolled and stuffed into the other bags, all lined up and keeping it all safe, A length of paracord looped through each of the bags' safety loops, a feature of Sea-to-Summit dry bags, would keep them all leashed into the boat in case of a spill.

In addition to checking the dry bag off of my list of things to get for my excursion, I also eliminated a few things by process of elimination. The storm-proof matches, for instance, seem completely unnecessary and will be substituted with regular matches on a dry plastic case. They will be backed up by my trusty wind-proof lighter and one or more of the ubiquitous magnesium fire-starter tools we all know and love.

I also investigated water filtration devices. The items I like run between $75 and $125 and will require more research before I toss down money for one of them. Another item which I reviewed today was sleeping bag pads. Specifically, the foam-filled pads with a screw cap on one corner for the purpose of keeping them inflated or deflated as desired. These creature-comfort devices are simple, easy to use, extremely light and very comfortable. I shall be investing in one of these, too, soon.

Onward! Each day, I hope to learn something, gain something, practice something, obtain some new gear or do something beneficial to bringing me closer to my goal of kayaking and camping for a two-week excursion somewhere around the state of Texas. I hope anyone reading this will be able to benefit from the experiences I have put down in words on this site.

Take care, everyone! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.