Another thing to consider might be upgrading your PFD to something with more pockets. I have a couple different versions that look like fishing vests with floatation. They are Type III PFD's.

I saw one recently in the Cabela's online catalog that looked like it would allow you to spread your gear around, organized in multiple pockets. The ones I have from Sterns are good, but, this one looked particularly interesting:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templa...;amp;hasJS=true

Particularly if you're doing something active, like paddling, you'll want to distribute the gear around, rather than having a big heavy lump in one spot. I have a vest/PFD like this outfitted for fishing and basic survival. When I go fishing on other people's boats I hope they are prepared, but, I don't assume it. I'll have to pull it out and put the list of items here.