Kayaking is an amazing way to reach some very remote and unique locations, but if you’re going to be camping, you’ll have to fit all your gear into the hatches of your kayak. For this reason, make sure that the hatches of your kayak are spacious enough to hold everything—from your tent and sleeping bag to your camp stove and extra clothes. But you also have to ensure that these items won’t get wet, as wet gear can truly ruin any otherwise fun trip.

If you want to ensure that your gear arrives at the campsite dry as a bone, it will almost always require the use of dry bags. These bags are completely waterproof, and they allow you to store all the gear that you don’t want to get wet. They come in various sizes, so it shouldn’t be an issue finding one small enough to accommodate your camera and wallet and one big enough to fit your tent. I used them for the first time last weekend on my Banks Lake kayaking trip and they were absolutely amazing.

When I retired last year, I immediately left the city and began looking into Sunbanks cabins. I moved to a cabin for several reasons. First and foremost, I wanted some contrast from the day job I had in the city. The hustle-and-bustle of urban areas starts to make my head spin after a while. Second, and perhaps most important, I love to explore nature and survey for interesting flora and fauna. There are wild plants and animals in abundance near my home, and lately I’ve reached out to a few of them.

Not long after I attached a wooden bird house to the tree outside my bedroom window, a cardinal started hanging around. His brilliant red feathers made him easy to identify, but his mate is a slightly darker shade to provide better camouflage. She took up residence in the house and I’ve been waiting for baby birds to appear. I can hardly wait to see what kind of bird will make its home in my bird house next year.