ok we've probably all been on adventure days like climing, canooing, paintballing etc, but does anyone do kayaking as a full hobby? i really wanna get into it but i dont know what kit to have. also i wanna buddy to go with for obviouse safety and to pick up more on what i know. any help is appriciated!
Unfortunately it's not a full hobby anymore as i now live with Arnold and so no longer have a river at the bottom of my garden
But anyway! The first thing you need to do is find a local kayaking club and attend the safety course. This will teach you all the obvious starter points like keeping balance, safety conditions, and being able to capsize properly and safely. You will be better off actually joining a club as there will always be fully qualified instructors to help you out in awkward situ's. I would advise against going out on open rivers on your own unless you are with a qualified/experienced person. And you need a licence to paddle on the Thames anyway! Prob around 50 quid a year now.
As for gear. The best thing you could get is a lifejacket and a helmet. You can always buy a dry cag if your serious about taking it up. But i wouldn't worry about getting anything else for a while, especially the kayak, as there are so many different sizes and styles around which are suited for different experience.
