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Things that you have forgotten on former trips:
1.Enough TP
2.Gas for the stove on a fire ban in Quetico
3. Back-up fishing line.
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Yep, I did the "not enough TP" thing. Actually, I thought I had brought enough, but apparently I was wrong.  Once I brought backup fishing line that was so old it was almost falling apart. I've had to stop at Walmart in Hibbing at 4:00 AM a couple of times to pick up odds and ends I remembered I had forgotten. I can't recall, though, forgetting anything major -- yet.
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I'm pretty careful and go through my list multiple times before heading North, so I haven't forgotten anything important yet. My uncle, on the other hand, bought a brand new light-weight tent for our trip in '99. When he took it out of the bag and began to set it up for the first time on Shell Lake, it quickly became apparent that there was no tent in the bag - it was more of a freestanding rainfly. He was lucky that it stayed dry all week, but I'll never forget the look on his face as he came out of the 'tent' one 26 degree morning shivering and twitching and announced to the rest of the group, "I believe I'll bring a sleeping bag next time!" Two lessons learned here: 1) Check out all of your equipment at home before the trip! 2) A wool army blanket is not sufficient to keep one warm when it's below freezing...and the wind is blowing right under your 'tent'. There were other lessons from that trip - and that uncle - but I'll save them for another day.
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So what is the proper amount for 3 people for 5 days?
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Originally Posted by: jperry17  So what is the proper amount for 3 people for 5 days? Depends who you are with. I always bring two rolls. I hardly ever go through one, but the second is a backup in case the first roll gets wet.
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If you want to know how much TP to bring, measure how much you use at home. I know this is highly scientific, but even the most educated history major can do it (speaking from the perspective of being a poli-sci major).
All you have to do is keep track of when you start a roll and when the roll after it ends. Yup, see how long it takes to use 2 rolls. And then take that same paper to the boonies with you. Not the same paper you used (a caution to certain philosophy majors who take things literally), but the same brand.
Now here's where the scientific part comes in. If it takes, say, 8 days to use 2 rolls, you're using one roll every 4 days (this is for the math majors). If you plan to be out for 12 days, take 3 rolls. If you have trouble figuring out the ratio of time to TP, I can have my dog help you with the conversion.
Disclaimer: No egos were protected in the production of this message.
PS: I use less TP in the BWCA than at home, but I still use the above method. I've never run out. Your mileage (to and from the thunder box) may vary.
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Thanks Gavia!
Your scientific approach to the problem seems to be logical......however you have left one variable out of the equation, we had a green-horn in our group last time, who used an unbelievable amount of TP.....we believe he absconded with at least one roll if not more, so at the end of the trip we were out!!! You may think we could just ask before hand, but NO! who would want to admit to an abnormal use of TP.....so now we have group TP and then each person has their own "Emergency Roll". I know this seems extreme, there must be a 12 step program for people with an addiction to TP use, but we haven't found one yet! :-)
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Like so much good learning, your lesson came at a cost. Yuk.
My approach is that there's no such thing as group TP. It's all personal.
One approach for abnormal TP users is for them to learn to use less, bring more, or find alternative sources such as sticks and leaves. But there's another approach that Kevin Callan used. He was on a trip with some experienced folks and some city slickers. The city slickers used TP like they owned the paper mill, and at some point the group started using TP squares as currency. If I recall correctly, 5 squares would buy a shot of brandy. The experienced folks had a grand time of it.
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You two are hilarious. The "scientific" approach wouldn't work for me, either. I can't measure how much TP I use since most of the time I am at work, and two other people are also using the TP at home. I know I don't use much, but exactly how much do I use? No idea... So I make sure I pack three times as much as I think I need. On the one trip we ran out, three times as much wasn't enough - having no group TP would have fixed that.
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So you think we're funny, eh? See how hard you hee-haw at this: You can measure your TP usage anywhere. Just keep a little notebook and record the number of squares you use each time. But you probably knew that ... :-)
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I ran out once...once. Have you ever had to cut the pockets out of yer pants.
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We always bring in two rolls for a 7 day trip. Make sure you keep it in a zip lock to keep it dry!
One trip we forgot an extra roll of line. Never again.
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Since this thread has been completely hijacked by toilet issues, I'll dump it all the way down the latrine. Definitely, always keep your TP dry. Here's how I do it, in case anyone would like to know - or if anyone needs a good chuckle. Once the TP goes into the Ziploc bag, it doesn't come out until used - literally. The only TP that gets exposed is the square (or series of squares) that's on its (or their) way out. This method requires a round roll. But, as some of you may have noticed, rolls don't stay round when they're packed; they get squashed flat, and as anyone knows, flat TP doesn't roll. But my rolls do. How? Sit down and swallow any liquid that might be in your mouth. Ready? I re-roll the TP around dowels. That task used to be very, very tedious. A few years ago I invented a TP winder that makes it downright easy. Check it out here: http://codabone.net/camping/tpwinder.htm You've been warned. If you spew coffee or anything else all over your screen or keyboard, it isn't my fault. Edited by user Saturday, April 11, 2015 5:53:52 PM(UTC)
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 1 user thanked Gavia for this useful post.
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Originally Posted by: Gavia I like how you compared your invention to the electric light bulb and the internet 
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Nice of you to notice, Ben. But it was really only in the sense that "curiosity sparked innovation."
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I like the idea. What came to mind was using a smaller doll rod and a cordless drill for faster loading time.
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Now that's a great idea. Please share your experience. I predict the roll will get away from you and the sides will taper out instead of aligning. But if you do it loosely, you'll be able to straighten it out, and then tighten it by hand. I was sure my wacko invention would prompt catcalls of "Gyro Gearloose!" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyro_Gearloose
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My son once left his sunglasses in the car. Didn't realize it until later in the day when the sun came out.
I forgot a sewing kit on the same trip. The intern at Prairie portage gave a needle and thread to repair a torn seam on an old portage pack.
Forgot the steaks one year.
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A couple of years ago I went down to a local river got my canoe off the car and carried everything down to the water. Got the canoe all loaded and realized my paddle was still at home. Packed up and went home.
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Originally Posted by: bwbrian 1) Check out all of your equipment at home before the trip! Been there, And haveing to cook over a fire all week was time consuming. especially on the days it rained. others: battery's for the gps tent stakes (trying to save weight, and the tent blew into the woods, one day while out fishing) NALGENE! I didn't realize it until we were on the water, so I had to drink from a bowl all week.
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Originally Posted by: MagicPaddler A couple of years ago I went down to a local river got my canoe off the car and carried everything down to the water. Got the canoe all loaded and realized my paddle was still at home. Packed up and went home. Wow
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Wow! This thread may be a bit old, but it sure had me laughing... @Gavia - You've definitely won the overall award on all matters TP. I also agree with your pack your own theory.
@fishguts - I understand your concerns with the TP abuser of the group, we usually take a few group TPs depending on the length of the trip and then after that you're on your own.
@brokepaddler - I'm sorry to hear that
@Ben Strege - I also liked how Gavia compared his TP invention to the light bulb and internet
@halverson.christopher - A friend ran into the same Nalgene situation (but caught it at the outfitters before we got on the water)
@jcavenagh - The same friend (from above) ran into the same sunglass issue on two seperate trips
@magicpaddler - Like you I also have forgotten paddles on local trips (as well as a life preserver) which ruined my trips as well
@bwbrian - Can't agree enough with ensuring to test your equipment prior to use I feel our BWCA groups generally overpack, but we've still learned a few lessons in the past few years. -Backup bearbag rope is a good idea
-Bring Benadryl (or EPI-PEN in case of extreme allergic reactions) in the first aid kit
-Bring more than 4 band-aids in the first aid kit (or just don't trust someone else to bring the first aid kit)
-Don't forget your expensive whiskey nalgene on a portage (whoever found it had a better day than my buddy who lost it)
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Since forgetting a spare paddle on a portage in ’96, I’ve always refused to take one. On our 2014 Quetico trip the outfitter supplied us with nice lightweight wooden paddles and again I turned down the spare. Guess what? Two days before our the Nym Lake takeout, my strong son broke his paddle fighting a head wind. On Blueberry Island, we taught ourselves how to splint a paddle. Since then we’ve insisted on aluminum paddles, even when there was an extra charge.
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I was glad I had a spare paddle last year after an instigator of a snapping turtle bullied me into smacking the water with the one I had been using. For anyone thinking about this tactic to scare away a Snapper that is enjoying the walleye you were planning to eat, avoid it. Turns out its not effective and, in fact, quite costly.
PS- Duct Tape does fix a paddle, however the effectiveness makes a spare far more effective.
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Speaking of broken paddles ...
I had a Sawyer Kai paddle made of bamboo with a graphite core in the shaft. The blade separated from the shaft, though I was able to duct-tape it back on. It held for the rest of the trip but I never trusted it again, even though I epoxied it together afterwards. On the next trip, the blade came completely off. Good thing I had a spare.
On another trip I broke a Bending Branches Black Widow (now the Espresso Plus ST) on a particularly energetic pry. The grain was oblique to the shaft (not parallel) and it split diagonally. Good thing I had a spare.
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Forgotten stuff = good raw material for campfire tales. Entering the narrows that form the southwest part of Killarney Lake, from ahead came the sound of a woman shrieking and wailing. First thought: bear attack! To the rescue! Our family of four in one canoe stepped up our paddling cadence. Rounding the bend, we saw the shrieking woman, feet stamping, arms flailing, head flung back. Next to her, another woman apparently trying to soothe her. Both near the breakfast campfire. Had a bear eaten her husband? Was she badly burnt? Maybe a seizure of some sort? I was frantic trying to recall the first aid that for too long I’d neglected to refresh.
Arriving out of breath, we hailed: “What’s wrong? Need help?
Reply from the soothing woman: “It’s our first camp, she forgot to pack the coffee.”
In the 25 years since then, I’ve often wondered how much we could have charged if we’d had any coffee leftover.
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Chris, that is a magnificent story. The first canoe trip I ever took my wife (new girlfriend at the time) on, the tent was loose in the canoe. Yup, paddled five hours past the portage it was left at before realizing it wasn't with us anymore.
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What AmateurHour is leaving out is that we discovered the tent was missing during the opening volleys of a severe thunderstorm. I still married him in the end.
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Originally Posted by: Tippy Canoe What AmateurHour is leaving out is that we discovered the tent was missing during the opening volleys of a severe thunderstorm. I still married him in the end.
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