Training and choosing kayaks

We initially began training on standard plastic hulled kayaks with the intention of using these on the mekong. However, it soon became clear that organising shipping to thailand, and transporting them to the starting point, would be a major headache. Even buying kayaks their and then shipping them back was going to be prohibitively expensive. 

Rental options were not available either as

 no firm was going to let us rent a kayak in Thailand for four weeks and paddle 700km down into Laos. Furthermore, with transport costs it would have been nearly as much as buying one. So our attention soon come to rest on inflatable kayaks that we could take in and out ourselves.

We shopped around extensively in sydney, looking at all the general retail options and also what was available online. Eventually we narrowed it down to two options, the Sevylor and Airis inflatable kayaks. 

The Airis Kayaks we discovered at a great kayaking store on the Pittwater in Sydney's north called Paddlecraft. We were able to try out the Kayaks immediately on the water and see how they performed. I have to say I was extremely impressed!! They tracked very well, were comfortable and appeared durable. At the store we tried out the 10 foot version and I was initially hesitant for two reasons. Firstly I was worried about space as, unlike normal sit in kayaks their wasnt lots of obvious space inside sealed bulkheads for stowing gear like you find in standard touring kayaks. Secondly they were quite pricey. 

At this point  we decided to first try out the other option and see how the kayaks compared in the water. The high performance sevylor kayaks retail for about half the price of the Airis kayaks and I managed to find a second hand Sevylor SVXDS100 going very cheap  and bought it to try out. This kayak is advertised as the top of the line high performance inflatable kayak. It is 10.4 feet long and designed to handle white-water well and according to the Sevylor website can still be "easily paddled in a straight line". When we tried it out, it seemed very durable but was simply not suitable for what we had in mind. It did not track well at all and it required a lot of effort to keep it going straight. Furthermore it had much less storage space than the Airis kayak and weighed more (Airis sport 11 =9.5kg! and Sevylor DS100 = 11kg)

With this in mind we decided to go for the Airis Kayaks. They performed superbly when we tested them and with the 11 foot models we were able to alleviate any concerns about storage space.

The next stage was to load them up with gear and take them for a few training trips down the Hawkesbury river!!

After taking them for a day on the Hawkesbury with one fully loaded with gear (15kg of gear) we were very impressed and happy with our choice!!

Strapping down gear to the front and back is easy and does not noticeably affect the performance in the water. The great point about Airis inflatable kayaks is that, with a working pressure of 7psi, they remain completely rigid when in the water and track very well.

With time running out, we are now frantically organising the final logistics and checking our inventory before departing from Sydney on 31st December.

We expect to be on the water in far North Thailand by 3rd of January!

Introduction

In January 09  we are embarking on a paddling adventure down the mekong river. Starting at the Golden triangle where the lands of Laos, Burma and Thailand meet, we will paddle downstream to the Laotian capital Vientiane. 

Covering a distance of approximately 700km, we will paddle entirely by our own steam using 11 foot Airis inflatable kayaks. Basic food supplies will be carried with us on the kayaks, but the majority of fresh veg and water will be obtained from villages along the route. At night we will camp out along the route or seek shelter in local villages. 

So who are we? Well we are a father-son team from Sydney with a strong spirit of adventure and a passion for travel and interacting with other cultures. 

I'm Dave and I am a marine biologist working in fisheries management in Australia. For me this trip is a thrilling opportunity to explore new  places, extend my personal limits and engage with new and different cultures. Most of all I am excited by the prospect of exploring the aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity in the region.

The mekong river system holds an astounding level of biodiversity, much of which is yet to be fully studied. It is the third most biodiverse river system in the world after the Amazon and Nile, and a recent study released by WWF revealed that over 1000 new species have been discovered there in the past decade alone. 

In addition to its clear biological wealth, the mekong is literally the bread basket for millions of people who inhabit its vast length and many meandering tributaries. Rice and many other crops are grown in the rich lands made fertile through the depositional processes of the river.

During this trip I hope to document for myself how the people of the mekong make a living from the river and how, in the race to  'develop', the peoples are changing and what this means for the rich biodiversity and magnificent ecosystems that have sustained numerous civilisations for thousands of years. 

I am Duncan, heading off on some long service leave to forget about the rat race and being bumped by stressed Sydney commuters at North Sydney station. My work is managing a Not for profit intermediary that facilitates grants to many and varied community organisations. 

This includes educational scholarships and helping street kids in Laos and Cambodia from a variety of donors from Australia, Japan and Singapore.

I am keen to raise some funds from donations to assist the conservation of the Mekong and to help re-build one of the school building's that is falling down along the banks of the Mekong River.  My other ambition is to find myself again after 10 years non-stop outward pouring work establishing CAF in Australia. ... hopefully ... my inner self too ... not just pain thresholds from aching limbs.... it was bad enough getting the vaccination shots.