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I am in the VERY early planning stages of my first BW trip and would like some input from veterans.
Preliminary plans are for 10 days and going solo (5 days to "get lost" and 5 to find my way back). I'll be planning a 7-8 day trip so I have a few layover days or in case I can't cover the ground as fast as I expect to. I am not looking for gear suggestions as much as I am the little things novices may overlook that make the trip more enjoyable. (like taking a small tarp for over the latrine when it rains... I wouldn't have thought of that without this forum but the added weight seems worth it).
I'll have a SPOT or an InReach so S&R can be simplified to merely the "rescue" stage if needed and I'm looking at early to mid-Sept to avoid people as much as possible.
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Dunno whether 7 or so BW trips qualifies as "veteran" but it was a revelation to start putting a piece of 3-mil painter's tarp inside on the floor of the tent. Stuff has stayed dry as a bone through a few dinger storms since then.
Using bear kegs instead of hanging bags also made life a lot easier (even better to add bells and reflective tape in case Yogi starts batting them around back in the woods).
Also took embarrassingly long to get a rock bag and a drift sock for fishing -- extra helpful when solo.
Not so little thing: Be extra mindful when solo and don't push too hard/far. Rescue tech is great, but rescues take time and you have to be in a condition to use a device. Best is to avoid dicey situations to begin with, and that starts with active awareness.
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Thanks. You're a heck of a lot more "veteran" than I am at this point.
A plastic ground sheet is something I usually do when backpacking (inside the tent w/ edges a few inches up the sides) and I'll transfer the drag chain from my kayak (canoe is actually lighter).
I'm not familiar with a bear keg and will look into that. How much do they weigh? I don't want to triple portage (I'm figuring on double portages being solo) so any extra weight is probably unwelcome and 10 days of food (about double the amount a through hiker typically carries) will be heavy enough even w/ everything dehydrated. I usually suspend the entire backpack in bear country and para cord weighs next to nothing.
I also appreciate the note on safety but I am well aware that I don't know (exactly) what I'm getting into. (trip reports help but...) I'm an experienced backpacker and have been around canoes/kayaks most of my life but I haven't combined the two since I was a kid. Plans will remain flexible even on the water and caution will rule the day always. Unfortunately, not many options for a tune-up trip or two locally but I'm working on that too.
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First, I think a canoe trip makes backpacking seem like a portage from hell.
I find not having any loose items at portages make them much faster. I only have a, paddles, and maybe a water bottle not in a pack, and I show those and bungee my paddles to the thwarts as I'm coasting into landing. Takes planning.
As a backpacker you're probably fine but don't take anything you don't absolutey have to have.
And I like hanging but must be in a shrinking minority.
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Honestly, it sounds like your hiking background has you pretty well prepared. Canoe camping is like backpacking, with a little less concern on overall weight. All that said, here are some things that make my time more enjoyable:
- firewood is easiest to find if you paddle to a non-campsite shoreline and go into the woods a little bit; and a folding saw is often sufficient.
- if bringing fishing tackle, less is more. I limit myself to one tray
- similar to the floor lining, I place/wrap my tent (tied to the outside of my pack) in a 3 mil contractor bag when traveling to keep it dry
- paddling gloves protect my hands that are too accustomed to desk work
For the record, I still hang because, like you alluded to, I like the low-weight or paracord and a bag.
Have fun!
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Originally Posted by: BillConner  a canoe trip makes backpacking seem like a portage from hell. I am hopeful that canoe tripping doesn't ruin me for backpacking... There are simply TOO many miles of ridgeline which are inaccessible from a boat (and too few areas to canoe trip in PA).
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Good points about efficiency at landings & collecting firewood en route (I wouldn't have thought of that). I'll likely bring gloves just in case but I haven't decided about fishing gear yet. Might be nice to try my hand at smallies on the layover day(s). I'm sure I'll be opening more posts with (yet more) questions in the coming months and I really appreciate the input.
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At almost 50, I came to canoeing from a background of backpacking-mountaineering and expedition climbing. That didn’t keep me from making mistakes that my family and I had to pay for. I think my initial attitude was that the canoe will carry just about any load we put in it and several hundred meters of portaging from time to time can't be such a big deal. Fortunately my wife came from a mountaineering background and our two young boys never missed a chance to prove themselves. On that first trip, we took way too much food and had some of our stuff in duffel bags, which of course was real nice for the arms. On our second canoe trip, we rented some Duluth packs and had some of our own cheap lightweight 80 liter rucksacks. We swore off Duluth packs before that second trip was over. Now we use only lightweight 80 liter rucksacks that we line with heavy duty contractor trash bags for waterproofing. We haven’t gotten into using the bear-proof barrels because then we’d be stuck with that volume for the whole trip and folks tell me they don’t carry all that well. Fortunately the BWCA, Quetico and Algonquin have lots of white pines with big long outrigger branches, which we call ‘bear trees’ even when we’re not canoeing. We always have a big tarp along to keep rucksacks and shoes dry at night. I've never put a tarp inside the tent, instead we concentrate on siting the tent to avoid overland flow. Probably wouldn't hurt to do both.
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You have a great approach. I've heard so many horror stories of people who just went out and did it and brought back a lot of bad memories.
In no particular order, here's what I can think of in addition to what other folks have said:
- Don't hang the food pack - stash it. With 15 BW trips under my belt (8 of them solo), I haven't seen many campsites where I could hang a pack the way it's recommended. Scent is carried in humid air, which sinks as it gets cooler. So stash your food pack away from camp (I don't go too far) in a low spot, preferably along the shoreline and in a concealed spot. Of course, it has to be odor-proofed, and for that ...
- You can use a Bear Vault, which my dog verified is odor-proof. The big one (BV500?) is 2.5 lbs. The smaller one might be enough for a soloist. You can also use a few OPSaks (OdorProof). I have a few that my dog verified are odor-proof. However, I prefer the Bear Vault because it's bear-proof. And those OPSaks can tear.
- Bring multiple copies of maps and keep one in your pack at all times. I use a SealLine map case with a visible area of 10" x 14". It has D-rings in the corners and I hold it in the boat using lightweight bungees attached to small screw eyes in the gunwales.
- I've posted trip reports for all of my trips. There are links on this site, or you can go to http://codabone.net/canoe.htm. Review them and you'll get a LOT of information about equipment, various camp-related processes, and some of the inner workings of a solo tripper's mind. You may be familiar with what I call the "Day Four Syndrome." It's worth knowing about in advance. I wrote about it here: http://codabone.net/canoeing/bwca/BW1106_3.htm.
- I cooked over a fire on one or two trips but since then I always use a stove. When going solo I usually use a pocket-size foldable Esbit stove, since all I need heat for is boiling water. The single-burner Coleman stove is nice for things like bannock and scrambled eggs, but I generally make them only with a partner. I use tortillas for bread when soloing. The 8-inch variety fits perfectly in the bottom of the Bear Vault, and I get them in packages of 5 to minimize the chance of mold.
- I note you use an "innie" tent liner. I suggest also using an "outie" to protect the bottom of your tent. I use both.
Can't think of anything else that isn't in my trip reports.
I hope you have a great trip. Please share your plan before you go and report back afterwards. Edited by user Wednesday, October 10, 2018 10:36:07 PM(UTC)
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I always hang my foid pack. Mini-bears are a much more constant threat than black bears -yet to see one in BWCA in 20 or so trips-so if you stash, hard container seems necessary.
I think number one lesson is if you're not comfortable with heading out at some point, don't. Stay in camp, go a different direction, whatever. Especially alone.
I have found my canoeing has spurred my interest in backpacking, so I wouldnt worry about it spoiling you.
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Bill raises a good point about mini-bears, aka chipmunks. It was most likely one of them that chewed through the air vent in a dry bag. I had left a small bag of trail mix in the bottom of the bag and never considered the possible consequences. The next night I forgot to put the snack bag away and hung it from a tree branch in the hope that no little critter would find it or be able to climb a skinny rope. It was there in the morning but I'm not convinced that was a good way to do things. As for real bears, I have a couple of bear stories in my trip report of Sept. 2010.
Great advice on keeping flexible about travel. All you need to do is get back to your vehicle before your food runs out. That's a pretty straightforward criterion.
I'm not a backpacker any more, but I imagine that once you've schlepped a couple of 50- to 75-pound loads over a few half-mile portage trails (double portaging) you'll have a renewed appreciation for backpacking.
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Originally Posted by: Gavia - Bring multiple copies of maps and keep one in your pack at all times. I use a SealLine map case with a visible area of 10" x 14". It has D-rings in the corners and I hold it in the boat using lightweight bungees attached to small screw eyes in the gunwales. This is a huge safety tip that I second completely! My spare map is a Nat Geo at a much smaller scale than my McKenzies. Two of them, double-sided, cover the entire BWCA. They serve as a backup in case I lose my primary maps, and also as a backup in case my planned route has to change. After reading trip reports of blowdowns, fires, and other similar disasters that blocked people or forced people off their planned route, I realized I needed maps that would show me an emergency way out if needed. Help from outside the wilderness isn't likely to arrive quickly, so I'd rather give myself a fighting chance of finding another way past my unforeseen obstacle/emergency.
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Having lived near the BWCA all my life, I've done more trips than I can count. I've always recommended to newcomers to do a shorter, 2-3 day trip, to get the kinks worked out and to drill down your gear. The time of year is a big factor as well. A must bring for most newcomers is bug spray/mosquito netting. If we have a wet Spring, the mosquitoes can be relentless. Certain times of the year, the biting flies can be pretty annoying too. I would also recommend practicing portaging your canoe. When I solo, I only pack what I can carry to do each portage in one trip. Some of the portages are narrow, steep, slippery, etc.... I use a rope that's strung through the bow of my canoe to each hand so I can control the canoe better over rough terrain. I've always hung my food. I've encountered plenty of wildlife over the years, and most of them will take advantage of a free meal while you're asleep. You may never see them, but believe me, they know you're there. I always bring a tarp, and I use it every trip to block the sun, wind, and rain. It's a necessity to keep firewood dry. Firewood is easy to find, but it is usually extremely dry so plan on storing a lot more wood than you think you'll need if you like to have a fire every night. The last thing I would recommend is making sure your canoe can handle rough water. If it can't and the weather turns bad when you're about to leave, you're stuck. A comfortable life vest is a must. I prefer the auto-inflate type vests. You can leave them on and forget you're wearing it.
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