[Ambridger]

Like the guys have said, get a PFD that fits proper and feels reasonably comfortable. I too like to have pockets on the PFD to hold gloves and emergency items: knife, fire starter, light stick. Also, look into carrying a rope throw bag … these are made specifically for water sports / water rescue. And I believe we're all required by law to carry a sound producing device (whistle).

As for a rack, we use the Malone "Downloader" rack. It folds down when you don't need it, and Malone also makes a load assist device to help get the boat up into the rack. I do not own the load assist (yet), but do carry a small step ladder that I use to help get the boat on and off of the car. I would suggest to buy a few extra straps, because should your boat get loose, that could lead to disaster.

Comfort can factor into paddles, but even more so, (as with most things) price can be a factor. You can get an el-cheapo at Walmart, and still enjoy floating on down the river, or you can get a wiz-bang fiberglass / Kevlar / Teflon paddle and it may be so light you may not even know you're holding it … in fact I've heard the water just gets out of the way for some of those paddles.

However ya do it, always think about safety, from the time you pull out of the driveway, until you get the boat back in the shed. Hope to see ya out there. We always have a good time.