The first time I went kayaking, it was in a rental sea kayak with mis-matched gear which included whitewater paddles and spray skirts. I wouldn't recommend a whitewate paddle for touring, but the whitewater neoprene sprayskirt was great because it had a big mesh pocket sewn onto it in your lap. It was plenty large enough to keep a 32-oz. water bottle, lunch, and camera in it.

Another plus is that it would be a good place to keep emergency gear in, since it will be with you if you end up separated from your kayak.

If you're interested in sewing a pouch on your exiting spray skirt, check with Shawn -- he's the resident sewing expert and should be able to give some advice on how to properly seal the stitched area.

Dean