The Gear

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You really don't need much more than a little motivation to collect trash from you paddle board. If you see a piece of trash, squat down and pick it up. Easy peasy. For me, I collect so much trash I had to get a few extra things. The following is a description of the gear pictured here and why I have it...plus a few anecdotes along the way. 

WHAT TO WEAR:

• Board shorts: I wear board shorts year round. In winter I wear them over my wet suit because I like having the pocket to hold my phone in it's water proof case.  I prefer stretchy board shorts since I do a lot of squatting and bending over.
• Dry-fit shirt: I prefer to wear a shirt to protect from the sun. When the weather permits and the temperature is cool enough, I will wear a long sleeve SPF shirt. In winter, I will wear a shirt over my wet suit purely for aesthetics. However, when it gets really cold, i will wear sweaters and jackets over my wet suit too.
• Water shoes: Water shoes are for protection against what may be laying on the bottom or under the sticks on the shorelines I clean.  There are shells, broken glass, and old aluminum cans. In the winter, I will wear full paddling boots for warmth and added protection. I wear flip flops any other time. 
• Hat: I typically wear a baseball style hat to protect my face from the sun and double as a sweat band. On the really hot and sunny days I will wear a straw hat. 
• Digital watch: Nothing more than a $10 digital watch is needed to help keep track of the time so I am not late getting to work!

ITEMS TO BRING AFLOAT:

• Inflatable paddle board: an iSUP allows me to bump into rocks and not cringe myself into the fetal position...this tended to happen when I bumped rocks with my hard board. 
• Paddle: obvious right? Well it is. It is kind of hard to stand up paddle without a paddle.
• GoPros: I bring two GoPros to capture the action, scenery, and the trash. I have a variety of mounts and gear to go along. 
• GoPro mount on paddle: this is self explanatory. 
• Bike light mount on paddle: less obvious for sure...I have it to attach a bike light to comply with maritime law when I paddle in the dark. 
• Air pump: with every iSUP purchase comes a manual pump. 
• Long picker stick: primarily for use while afloat due to the ability to reach the water without having to bend over very far.  Also good for reaching items on shore.
• Short picker stick: primarily for use on shore while walking around. It can be used while afloat but it is a bit more difficult to reach floating trash.
• Picker stick floats: old pipe insulation I found in the river cut to fit the length of the arm.
• Milk crate with screen: water flows freely out of a milk crate, unfortunately it carries out small pieces of trash too. Adding a screen to the inside of the crate keeps the small pieces of trash on board. It also has plastic chain handles that meet at the top and allow it to be carried with one hand. (more details here: The Milk Crates)
• Grocery store hand cart: I found the hand cart in the river and have repurposed it. I carry it with me when I go on shore to clean up a piece of shoreline. The single handle is much easier to deal with than two plastic chain handles. 
• Two-gallon pail: I found the pail in the river and use it with the hand cart to collect trash on shore. The pail is for smaller trash items and the hand cart is for larger items and plastic bottles.
• Large homemade PVC bin: I made this bin with a 1/2-inch PVC frame and an old laundry bag. I use it to hold large items and plastic bottles. The bin has evolved over time and has several modifications since I first put it together. It now has a PVC GoPro mount, wheels that I bought from a thrift store, string tether for GoPro, a travel-size hand sanitizer, and a rope handle. 
• Orange over-the-head life vest: I found this live vest in the river and originally kept it on my board to comply with marine law. I have since purchased a belt Personal Flotation Device (PFD) and now use the orange life vest as a place to hold my picker stick.
• Belt PFD: As mentioned above, I now wear a belt PFD. I made this purchase to ensure I am safe should I fall and hurt myself on any part of my load. 
• Marine whistle: Carry with me in case of emergency to comply with maritime law.
• Small pocket knife: I keep the small pocket knife on the same lanyard as the whistle. This way it is always with me and is attached to a lanyard so it won't fall into the water.
• Waterproof phone case with float: to keep my phone dry. I bring my phone to control GoPros but also in case of emergency. The float has kept my iPhone 7 plus afloat multiple times. 
• Dry bag: used to carry the following items: small first aid kit (bandages, rubber gloves, and hand sanitizer), BlueTooth speaker, pruning sheers, tow rope and tow chain, multi tool, larger pocket knife, neoprene gloves, and perhaps a snack.
• Reusable water bottle and bottle holder: I found the holder in the river.

ITEMS THAT STAY IN THE TRUCK:

• Truck: Well, it doesn't stay in itself, obviously. But it is worth mentioning that to haul as much trash and gear as I do, I'm glad I have a small pickup truck with a bed cover. The bed cover keeps the wind from blowing trash out as I drive. It also has roof racks to hold the board. I use one locking tie down strap and one bungee cord that I found in the river. NOTE: I only travel 2-10 miles at speeds less than 45 mph which keeps the inflatable board safe. Anything faster, such as highway speeds, would damage the board. When I travel far and go faster than 45 mph I will deflate the board.
• Milk crate without screen: This crate is used to store several items so they don't slide around in the bed of the truck. Items like: milk jugs filled with water, work gloves, hand sanitizer (found in the river), belt PFD, and the GoPro mount for mega bin.
• Hydrogen peroxide: I keep a bottle handy in the truck in case I have an cut or scratch that needs cleaning out.
• Beach towel: Self-explanatory. 
• Changing poncho: this is poncho made from towel material designed to allow a person to change their clothes and not give anyone a show. I also use it as a seat cover sometimes. 
• Spare clothes: In the unlikely event I fall in and don't have time to air dry, I have a change of clothes on the ready at all times. 
• UV protected board cover: When I'm forced to leave the board on the truck in a sunny area I will cover it with the board protector. Most of the time I can deflate it and put it in the truck...but sometimes there is just too much trash in the back. 
• Locking key box: Sometimes, I will lock my keys up on the truck so that I don't need to take them with me. 

ITEMS THAT STAY HOME:

• Trash cans: I have two that I bought for yard work long ago and now use them for this venture. I have found several other trash cans in the river and on the shoreline. Some of the ones I've found needed to be trashed, but 5 were good enough to reuse...2 even had lids!! The two with lids are used for staging recycling before bringing it to the county collection point. The other 3 go between recycling and yard waste.
• Homemade wash rack for boards: This is made from the wood I used to make an old bed. I didn't want that bed any more so I took it apart and made a kayak/board storage rack. Eventually, I decided to dismantle the storage rack and ended up building these wash racks. So, this wood has been used for three different purposes since I've owned it! I used an old outdoor carpet to pad the edges where the boards sit. With the wash racks is a rag and scrub brush. I found the scrub brush in the river. 
• Extra picker sticks: I have quite a quiver of picker sticks. I have extras in case one of mine breaks and I need a quick replacement. 
• Trash bags: I buy bulk trash bags to bag up the trash I find. I hate using more plastic, but it comforts me to know that the trash is now bagged and not easily redistributed into nature. 
• Box of rubber gloves: self explanatory.