DILETTANTE PADDLER
Kayak
Update: Over the years the shine has somewhat worn off my affection for this boat. While there are still plenty of things to recommend it, a few flaws have really made themselves known. For example, it has a noted ability to keep a straight line and wiggles back and forth in the water as you paddle. Also, the ability to deflate the kayak​ for easy transport is severely mitigated by needing to reinflate it at home for cleaning and drying off before storage. I'm driving a Prius instead of a Mustang these days, but it still fits nicely in the back with all my other gear. I'm still using it until I can save up to buy a solid frame kayak and then find a place to store it, but knowing that I'm going to have to pump it up twice each time I go out is just one more barrier (however slight) to going out for a paddle. Obviously, this isn't as big of a deal if you just pump it up once at the beginning of the year and then transport it on a car rack, or if you live next to the water you're planning on paddling on, but if that's the case, there are cheaper, more durable options to begin with.
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I'm currently using an Aquaglide Columbia inflatable kayak and I love it more than I can express in mere words. I decided to go with an inflatable kayak because I drive a '95 Mustang that I'm perpetually on the verge of replacing. Since I don't want to waste the money on a rack for a car that I'm going to replace, I needed something that would fit inside. In retrospect, I could have bought a cheap sit on top kayak and a car rack for less than I spent on this thing and I wouldn't have to pump it up before I use it and then after I use it again to wash it. Still, I'm glad I got it.
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It's stable as a rock and will carry up to 300 lbs, which I suspect it an understatement considering that I'm a significant amount over 200 lbs just by myself and she rides quite high in the water. There's plenty of room for cargo if I ever need it, there are straps and handles and loops everywhere for attachments, and the seat, foot rest, and just about everything else is adjustable. It also has a removable fin and a drain valve in case you need it.
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And, to top it all off, it's made right here in Washington. I can't recommend this kayak enough.
Camera
I recently got this Fujifilm Finepix XP90 waterproof camera and attached a Tethys camera float. While I'm hardly an expert photographer, it's an easy to use camera that's waterproof up to 50 feet and takes lovely pictures (provided I remember to get all the water droplets off the lens). Thus far I've only barely stuck it under water, but I wanted a camera that I could take snorkeling or on at least some dives.
I was a bit worried at first that the float wouldn't hold it based on the Amazon description, but a few tests show that it will. It's a nice size for my wrist (I have big hands and wrists) and fits snugly there. It also fits neatly in one of the velcro rings on my kayak that I think are supposed to be for fishing rods.
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I'm still learning how to use the camera properly and just have it on auto-mode (again, not a photographer) but hopefully I'll get better with it as time goes on.
Gear Checklist
This is just a simple checklist I put together to make sure I had packed all my gear before heading out. Obviously, this is specific to my setup (if you don't have an inflatable kayak, you can probably skip the pump) and I don't bring everything with me each time (I often go for lunch after a paddle instead of bringing food with me), but I thought it might be interesting, and perhaps useful, to folks to see what I take with me when going for a paddle.
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Sorry it's in a .jpg format, Wix doesn't appear to let you store files for easy download.