For your safety and comfort we ask that you have the following equipment and clothing. Crossing Latitudes, Inc. does not rent or sell personal equipment. You must supply all personal gear. Please read the Equipment list carefully.
We encourage our participants to use what they already own or can borrow. Your sun hat, sun glasses, rain jacket, wet shoes and any specialized paddling equipment should be of good quality. If you are purchasing new items before traveling, we suggest you look through mail order brochures (R.E.I., L.L.Bean, Kokatat, Patagonia, etc.) for pricing and varieties available. Crossing Latitudes, Inc. will provide all group gear such as sea kayaks, all related sea kayaking equipment, first aid kits, food etc.
REQUIRED ITEMS
The following is a list of items you’ll need to ensure that you stay warm, dry and comfortable during our trip. Extra clothing and personal gear can be stored at the hotel during our trip. If you have any questions about your personal gear, please contact us: 1-800-572-8747 or 406-585-5356, email: info@crossinglatitudes.com
FOOT WEAR
Cotton socks: 1-2 pairs. Long medium thickness socks that you can tuck your pants in make good mosquito / sand flies protection.
Wet Shoes: 1 pair. These can be a pair of thick soled dive booties or an old pair of sneakers. Your feet will get wet as we get in and out of the kayaks. Dive booties or sneakers will protect your feet against corals, urchins and sharp objects.
Hiking shoes: 1 pair. This can be your city walking shoes or a pair of running shoes.
Sandals: 1 pair. Tevas or Alps are recommended. These can also be your wet shoes though they do leave your skin exposed to sharp objects.
CLOTHING Lower Body
Pants: 2 pair. There are many nice travel pants made out of quick drying nylon on the market nowadays. The pant legs can often be zipped off, so your pants become shorts (Patagonia, Ex-Officio, R.E.I.,L.L. Bean).
Shorts: 1-2 pairs. We recommend roomy, lightweight nylon shorts.
Underwear: 2-3. Bring a few pair of ordinary cotton, nylon briefs or boxer shorts.
Upper Body
You will need 1 or 2 insulation layers that fit comfortably over each other. These can be of a variety of weights and insulation values to mix and match as the conditions vary. Synthetics or wool both perform well.
Long Underwear Top: 1 pair. A light colored polypropylene top and a silk top work well.
Light weight Pile Jacket or sweater: 1 This will be your warmest layer. We recommend a pile jacket, a windproof lined jacket, or a sweater that can fit comfortably over your other tops.
Rain Jacket: 1. We hope that we won’t have rain but just in case....bring a light jacket. Underwear: 1-2. We recommend the sports bras made out of Polyester/Lycra spandex. They are warm, comfortable and wick moisture away from your body.
T-shirt: 2-3
Long sleeved shirt: 2 light weight long sleeved travel / sun shirts to protect yourself from the dangerous UV rays. Kokatat, LL Bean and Patagonia carry these shirts.
Bathing suit: 1.
HEAD & HANDS
Paddling gloves: 1 pair optional. Rowing or bike gloves help protect your hands both from the sun and from blisters.
Sun hat (with retaining cord/string): 1. A baseball cap or a wide brim sun hat to shade your eyes from glaring and reflecting sunlight on the water is a must.
MISCELLANEOUS REQUIRED ITEMS
Sunscreen and Lip balm: 1-2 tubes/bottles of Sun protection factor of at least #20.
Insect Repellent: 1 small bottle
Toilet Articles: For your personal.
Personal medications: Please let us know if you are taking any prescription drugs.
Plastic Water Bottle: 1. Bike bottles or wide mouth liter bottles work well.
Sunglasses: 1 pair. The drugstore counter varieties are not appropriate for protecting your eyes from the glare on the water. Glasses should transmit no more than 10% visible light and should be at least 95% UV protected. Chums or another brands of eye glass retainers are highly recommended.
Extra glasses or Contacts: If you wear corrective glasses or contact lenses we highly recommend you bring along a spare set.
Passport: It’s a good idea to bring a photocopy of the ID page and 2 extra passport photos.
Towel: 1. A small size pack towel is recommended. Chamois dries faster than terry cloth.
Bandana: 1. Good for all kinds of things.
Flashlight: 1. A head lamp or a small but powerful flashlight + extra batteries and bulb.
BAGS
Many small to medium sized bags are easier to pack in the kayak than one or two large bags. An assortment of colors and styles usually makes it easier to organize. Please contact us if you are looking to purchase dry bags and we’ll give you some size recommendations. A 2 and a half gallon volume or less is a good benchmark for the upper size limit. Extra luggage can be stored at the hotel during the trip. The hatches on the NDK kayaks are small so please remember that it is easier to pack 2-3 smaller bags than one large bag.
Small nylon zip bag/duffel bag: 1-2. For packing your personal gear. We use an Outdoor Products top loading zippered bag with a double handle. A similar type bag will be fine. You make it waterproof by lining it with a plastic trash compactor bag.
Waterproof Dry bag: 2. Bring a small or medium size dry bag for personal items.
Day pack: 1. A day-pack for miscellaneous gear and to be used on walks is recommended.
Trash compactor bags: 4-6. Heavy-duty plastic trash bags to line your bags.
SNORKELING GEAR
If you are an avid skin diver or want to spend a lot of time in the water we recommend that you bring your mask, snorkel, fins, neoprene booties and gloves. A mask can also be helpful to have when we work on the Eskimo roll.
OPTIONAL ITEMS
Paddle Jacket: 1. This is a specialized waterproof paddling jacket with a neoprene or rubber gasket collar. A rain jacket with adjustable tight fitting cuffs makes a suitable paddle jacket. Kokatat and Patagonia are some excellent brand names.
Wind Jacket: 1. Some folks use their breathable rain jacket as their wind-shirt, others like to have a light weight wind jacket along.
Camera & Film: Unforgettable memories! Bring a waterproof bag or container.
Binoculars: We highly recommend binoculars, they will let you enjoy a closer look at the birds, marine mammals, and water conditions.
Zip lock bags: To keep your passport, money and other important items water proof.
Skirt or Dress: No fancy clothing is needed but a skirt might feel good in the heat.
CASUAL TRAVEL WEAR
No fancy clothing is needed for our dinners. Your travel pants, skirt, a T-shirt or a blouse will do fine.
We encourage you to keep all your essentials in your carry-on so lost luggage doesn’t halt the trip. Keep your luggage to one or two items. We suggest a large duffel bag or a backpack and a small second bag. A small day pack is nice to have instead of a purse while traveling and sightseeing.
Please give us a ring or email us if you have questions about what to bring: 1-800-572-8747 or (406) 585-5356, email: info@crossinglatitudes.com
See You in Croatia!
