Kayak Camping on Assateague Island.

[@stevenkelly-reif2682]

Like the back country fire starting skills ! 😂

[@AdventureOtaku]

I don’t mess around.

[@fl5966]

I just got back from a short leisurely paddle at a local lake and really enjoyed this video while cooling down. Funny enough, for the second time this month, when I went to take out at a boat ramp there were people doing non-boat stuff on the ramp. Not that I mind (I love seeing people outside enjoying nature) other than they barely moved out of the way for the kayaks to make it in. I never realized people hung out on boat ramps until I started paddling!

[@AdventureOtaku]

Glad you enjoyed it… yeah, there is nothing about boat ramps I like.

[@PumpkinVillage]

Beautiful paddling area and that's one good fire starter. Our small lake is very popular and most people have no idea on boat manners especially lose dogs. Thanks for the video and take care, Al

[@AdventureOtaku]

Thanks for watching Al!

[@davidkrueger3152]

B- thanks for the airtime! You posted the best YT video on kayaking the Bayside of the wonderful Assateague. We must again meet on the sea. That doesn't often happen. D

[@AdventureOtaku]

It was great paddling with you David!

[@Toomuchgearguy]

Good stuff. Momofuku noodles…..great choice.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Thanks! Great backcountry food

[@maxinemead8918]

Excellent video! Really enjoyed it, thanks. Navigating that area is tricky, even in clear weather conditions. It can be very difficult to tell whether the land you are seeing is the actual island, or just some large hummock. I did a one-night trip down to the Green Run site (your second site), about 10.5 (statute) miles from the Ferry Landing launch, and was thankful that the leader of our 3-person party had been there many times before. I did have a hand-held marine GPS map device along for that trip, which is very helpful in that environment, and (along with always having a deck compass) I always wear a GPS watch whenever I paddle, so it's easy to see at a quick glance how far I have paddled at any given moment, and how fast I am moving. Re: the schlepping of stuff to/from the campsite -- looks like you had a duffel bag to haul the various bits and pieces. I like to use a big full-mesh version that is super light and takes up very little room, empty, in the hatch. Agree the gear schlep is the worst part, but I have also backpacked twice to one of the Assateague sites, and also agree that doing it via kayak is MUCH preferable! :) A few other notes for those interested who have never been to Assateague: (1) Do not count on enough downed wood being available to build a fire (in fact, you should probably assume that you will not be able to build a fire.) (2) There is no fresh water available at the back country sites; it's all salt/brackish, so you have to haul all of the water you need for cooking and drinking. (3) As alluded to in the video, the mosquitos and other flying pests will consume the flesh from your bones, lol. It's not a trip that would be very fun at the height of summer (my three trips were late April, first few days of May, and mid-November). I keep a bug head-net on hand, ready to quickly deploy. Ticks can be plentiful, too. (4) Practice safe food storage. A lot of the picnic tables at the sites have handy storage compartments built in. There are wild ponies on the island, and they like to (sometimes destructively) scavenge for people food. (This is probably not as much of a problem at the back country sites as it is at the non-primitive and more populated State Park and National Seashore camping sites, but I did have some ponies visit my campsite on my most recent backpacking trip, April 2024.)

[@AdventureOtaku]

That’s exactly what I’m doing, I have a mesh duffel for the front and a mesh duffel for the back of the boat. And I would add, most coastal kayaking I have done on the east coast barrier islands have no fresh water.

[@bluesideup007]

I love to watch others paddle camping and see their procedures, food and gear choices, but I nearly rolled off the chair when you pulled out that blow torch (only to build a smokey fire). What were you making for dinner, mixed in a bag and incubating in your pocket? (Bread I presume) We never did see the final product, although the ingredients looked delicious. Thanks for bringing us along. Let's do more camping and cooking in the future.

[@AdventureOtaku]

It was pizza dough! It was so good I forgot to shoot the final product!

[@pegstrang]

You mentioned about loading the boat in order to balance it. Can you provide some guidance on loading gear into hatches so that the boat will travel easily. For reference: I paddle a Delta 15S with 2 hatches plus the day hatch.

[@AdventureOtaku]

I covered this in my video about packing the boat for camping. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5a2ZpZul89jl6Msi=L5qNUK82FH8r1NyM

[@pegstrang]

@@AdventureOtaku Thought you might have done. I was just too lazy to go back and search. Thank you. I’ll watch it.

[@davidwalker41]

Nothing wrong with too much food. In fact, I deliberately overpack. Twice now that I can think of, unexpected bad weather has caused me to delay breaking camp...in one instance, for several days. Extra food makes that a much more practical option. So I see it as a safety issue.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Fair enough… but I had WAY too much food.

[@briankern5166]

I have seen you use the tomato paste in the tube in several videos. Where do you buy it at? I would like to try it some time. Thanks for all of your great videos!

[@AdventureOtaku]

It’s in the tomato section (with canned) tomatoes and pastes. It comes in a box and usually in the top shelf. It’s great because you can reseal it unlike cans.

[@Simon_W74]

Having camping grounds like that must be really nice to have, I know Sweden and Norway also have them, but here in the UK we don't have anything like them, as land is around water us usually owned. So if there is a campsite it is a business. We can camp in some places without having to pay, but in England and Wales it isn't actually legal to just set up camp. Plenty of people do it anyway. I have done it my self, so it is really important to leave absolutely no trace of you being there. Lockdown there was a massive influx of people camping and leaving places a real mess. idiots buying cheap gear and then dumping it once they were done with it. Scotland has Open Access, which is fantastic as you can camp in many a great spot. There have been campaigns to try and bring it in in England and Wales, but so far it hasn't happened. there was at one point looking like the Government was going to toughen up on Trespass Laws. Nice long video to enjoy this week. thank you Brett. Werner/Lendal/Werner paddle usage, incase your check to see if we have noticed.

[@AdventureOtaku]

In fairness, I did pay for my campsites on this trip. (But if you watch my cape lookout videos, there you don’t have to) but it amazingly wonderful that we have access to that with camping. We saw the same issues during lockdown here. So I can sympathize.

[@leoburns9674]

Great video thanks for sharing the experience! Maybe as a follow up or a different link… Since you’re using a saw and a knife… what are you carrying in your emergency first aid kit? (looking to validate what I should bring… and… can you share a link about that nifty fire starter (torch 😁). Thanks!

[@AdventureOtaku]

I have a whole playlist of first aid stuff.

[@davejohn5876]

Same question here on the torch

[@AdventureOtaku]

It’s the snow peak giga torch, I can do a quick video about it. It’s snow peak, so it is a little expensive, but it is AMAZING!

[@thomasgallagher6935]

How long ago was this? Everything i can find right now says the water is around 70°. Im planning on doing this trip with my dad who does not have a drysuit.

[@AdventureOtaku]

This trip started on May 20th. I could have one with out the dry suit…. Right now I am not even sure I wore it on the 3rd day.

[@maricallo6143]

From the looks of how quickly the surroundings go by, I'd have imagined you were doing much more than 3 knots. That sure looks like a well -burnt quesadilla. You just joined the club 😊

[@AdventureOtaku]

Totally burned That quesadilla…. It was still great. The speed appears faster because wide angle GoPro close to the water! Super deceiving. Similarly GoPro always makes bumpy water look flat.

[@T3PinR]

blow torch?

[@AdventureOtaku]

Snow peak giga torch….there is a video coming.

[@JamesH377]

Let me start off by saying I do enjoy your content! However, not that I'm a KZbinr or anything, I think your intro is a bit much. There are times when I will just shut it off just cause this intro music is quite loud and intense. It doesn't really seem to match the energy of your channel in my opinion.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Yeah I get the complaint about the volume about once every three months. Currently the volume is reduced by 9db…. I change the actual track when I get sick of it… which is actually about three times a year. Sorry you don’t like it, it’ll change soon. There are a lot of reasons that I use something like that… originally it was similar to the intro for an Anthony bourdain show… then it was similar to blondies one way or another…. Obviously I can’t use the exact pieces….

[@jake91hall]

Youre much too sensitive...turn it down for a few seconds is it really that big a deal? It's not like commercials on tv where you used to have to listen to them every 10 mins for 5 mins at what felt like maximum volume