{"id":14774,"date":"2018-02-12T17:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T01:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=14774"},"modified":"2022-01-06T07:15:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-06T15:15:00","slug":"whats-in-her-bag-the-instructor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2018\/02\/12\/whats-in-her-bag-the-instructor\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s In Her Bag: The Instructor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teaching kayaking is one of the few pursuits where it\u2019s an advantage to be a chronic over-packer. In that way, I\u2019m ready for anything. Too cold? Have a lightweight hoody. Too hot? I have plenty of room to stash your layers. Thirsty? Toss \u2018em bottled water. Hungry? Here\u2019s a granola bar. Rest assured, I\u2019ve got you covered. And hopefully all my over-packing means I\u2019ve got myself covered for those days when the alarm gets ignored one too many times. Either way, I resort to my old faithful mesh gear bag\u2014stowed in the trunk of my car, on the roof of my truck, or lovingly tossed in the kayak trailer to sign the start of a good day. Sharing a whitewater adventure with another person means being ready for anything with reliable, multi-functional gear\u2026and a few \u2018day-makers\u2019 to boot.<\/p>\n

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The bag:<\/strong>\u00a0NRS Purest Mesh Duffel<\/a>. I\u2019m still using my original bag\u2014going on five years old\u2014and with minimal scarring from a minor dental-floss surgery. It earns bonus points for the ventilation capabilities, which allow gear to air-dry when you secure the duffel on a roof or in a trailer.<\/p>\n

Zen Rescue PFD<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0 I live in this vest, day in and day out. Every day on the water, and everyday teaching, this is my go-to piece of equipment. Fit, comfort, storage, and flotation are critical for me to focus on my students and not worry about my safety gear. Bonus: I love showing my students the special uses of a rescue PFD to get their wheels turning about rescue training at some point down the road in their paddling progressions.<\/p>\n

18 feet tubular webbing<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0 Quickly becoming one of my favorite pieces of equipment: 18 feet of tubular webbing tied together with a water knot. It currently lives on my PFD as a makeshift tow tether but can also double as an anchor or a short, quick throw.<\/p>\n

Throw bags:<\/strong>\u00a0I pack two; one for quick access, and one for extra length, or even as a spare if my student doesn\u2019t have one. I prefer the NRS Pro Compact bag<\/a> since it\u2019s light but still packs 70 feet inside.<\/p>\n