Summertime in Canada means cottaging. The August long weekend kicked off the start of my annual family summer holiday at the cottage.

This summer I've continued a new tradition that I started last year with my little guy...we go on a early morning paddle to the local village docks and head to the cafe for breakfast. This year I tried to spend some time there to explore the antique shop, enjoy my latte and do some journaling.

So, is it a good idea to take notebooks and fountain pens on a kayak? What does a fountain pen and stationery addict take on the water? Since it's a short trip, I wanted to keep things light. This is what I brought:

Startling from the left, top row:
Kokatat PFD When going on water, need to stay safe! I've had this life jacket for awhile now. I love that it's bright orange and has lots of pockets.
adidas cap To manage bed head and keep the sun out of my eyes

2nd row:
Hatley Raven Lunatic water bottle Just in case we get thirsty!
Moko case & iPhone To keep my phone dry! I use the RunKeeper app on the phone to track our paddling activity and to take pictures along the way.

3rd row:
Olympus EP-5 with 17mm lens This is the camera I use for 99% of the photography on pendorasbox.com. The 17 mm m4/3 lens is small but has great glass. It's equivalent to a standard 35 mm lens and perfect for my coffee shop and landscape shots.

4th row:
Baum-Kuchen + 1.61 Soft Goods Essential Passport Leather Zip Case I usually keep this as an insert in my Travelers Notebook for those days when my TN doubles as my wallet. I decided just to take the Essential case to hold my credit cards, ID and some cash.

Writing Instruments All chosen for small size and durability. They were selected from my July Currently Inked.

Pen: TWSBI Diamond 580 - Orange EF
Ink: Akkerman #22 Hopjesbruin
This is not really a small pen but it's been pretty hardy. Plus, I love that it's a demonstrator. It's also got huge ink capacity and was of the few pens from my July ink-up that still had lots of ink remaining.

Pen: TWSBI Vac Mini 1.1
Ink: KWZ IG Turquoise
I'm really loving this Vac Mini. The small size is handy and it feels more robust compared to the TWSBI 580. KWZ IG Turquoise - love it!

Pen: Kaweco Brass Sport EF
Ink: KWZ Brown Pink
This pen is super heavy duty so I naturally had to take it along. I haven't had it for too long but I'm loving the way the patina is developing. Brown Pink is another super star ink from KWZ. I'm looking to add more to my KWZ collection just from the experience I've had with these two inks.

Pen: Travelers Brass Pencil
This little pencil converts to a longer pencil! The pencil itself is stored inside the brass holder. Pull on the eraser end of the pencil and insert into the holder. I'm not big on pencils but they're handy and can be used on many different materials that fountain pen can't be. This one takes virtually no space.

5th row:
Nockco Sinclair Case I like that this case is compact and has a zipper closure. Everything stays nice, cosy and safe inside. In addition to the writing instruments, the case jas just enough room to squeeze in the Essential Passport Case and a couple notebooks. I've styled up the case with pins from Wonder Pens and the Pen Addict.

Pen Addict Notebook This pocket notebook was a Kickstarter reward for the Live in Atlanta, 200th Episode campaign. It's got great fountain pen friendly paper.

Baron Fig Apprentice Notebook This notebook is the insert I'm currently using in my Passport-sized Travellers Notebook. I use it to write my run down of the day.

Finally, I stashed everything except the life jacket, cap and water bottle into a bright orange bag:

International Swimming Hall of Fame Safer Swimmer I got this handy device for my hubby to take with him when he does his open water swims. In emergency, he can blow air into the bag to keep him afloat. It doubles as a dry bag! it was the perfect size for my contents.

Closing Comments

Overall, I was pleased with the Kayaking EDC. The Nockco case and all the stationery was compact and perfect. I enjoyed the quiet moments spent at the cafe playing with my pens and writing in my notebooks.

The one thing I would consider giving up is my Oly. If my iPhone had a better camera and more memory, I would probably give up bring the Oly on such a short kayak trip.

Inadvertantly, I ended up with a grey and orange colour matched theme. Functional and stylish.