New purchases that have been great, even game changers

[Glenn MacGrady]

We've complained about lousy boats and gear. In this thread, let's discuss some new purchases that have turned out really well, that you really like, or have even become game changers for your canoeing or canoe camping.

I haven't bought much new equipment lately that I've used a lot, but I have been mighty impressed by the Platypus gravity filter that I bought 10 years ago compared to predecessor filters and sterilizers.



My canoe trailer has been a game changer for my heavy canoes that I can no longer lift over my head.

 

[stripperguy]

Over the last 10 years or so, I've bought or made quite a few "game changers", all in the interest of lighter and/or more comfortable.
Bought a Coleman 1 man "tent", more like a sarcophagus because it was lightweight. Replaced that with a solo Big Agnes tent, way more comfortable.
Replaced my old, heavy Thermarest self inflating mattress with a NeoAir mattress, very light and even more comfortable.
Replaced my synthetic sleeping bags with down filled bags, so much lighter and easier to compact.
Replaced a First Need water filter with a Katahdin filter, then replaced with Sawyer. The Sawyer is fast, weighs nothing and takes up little space.
Replaced my one burner Coleman Peak 1 (and associated fuel bottle) with a Kelly Kettle. Boils water faster, and less than 1/3 the weight and I can NEVER run out of fuel.
Replaced my 32 lb stripped DY Special with a 39 lb stripped Kite, then replaced with a 28 lb full composite carbon copy Kite. The Kites are slower, but much more versatile, carbon copy is lightest boat that I own.
Replaced my lightweight, ancient Coleman camp chair with a slightly heavier Helinox, but with a major increase in comfort.
Bought a dehydrator to dry my own meals and snacks. Superior taste and much, much lower costs.

Taken individually, any of the above were incremental improvements to my paddling/camping experience, whether through decreased weight, increased comfort, increased safety, lower costs.
Taken as a whole, all of the above have allowed me to continue my masochistic style of paddling obscure Adirondack waters with comfort and security.
Game changers for sure.

 

[boy&hisdogs]

A hammock is the best sleep I've ever had in the woods, and the whole setup weighs far less than a tent does, even the most expensive, ultralight backpacking tents. I can't believe I went all these years not knowing.

 

[jdeerfoot]

I would agree with Glenn that my best purchase was the Platypus gravity filter system that I got at a 30% discount while working at Canoecopia. A friend actually paid for it and we donated it to the Wabakimi Project for use on their trips. Previously we used MSR Miniworks Filters, which I dreaded having to use - slow working and often in need of having the filter element scrubbed.

I remember one WP trip where we spent 3 full days in the August heat clearing the Winter Road Portage in NW Ontario. It measured out at 2465 meters as I recall. There were 4 of us with each taking turns to hike increasing distances to get water - the group’s empty Nalgenes were gathered and off you went with a daypack of water bottles and the PITA MiniWorks. There was no water to be had along the portage, so you hiked to either end of the portage, whichever distance you deemed to be shorter. When the Platypus system came out, I realized you could quickly filter enough water to fill all the groups Nalgenes and then filter another 4 liter bag of clean water and finally fill the dirty water bag with another 4 liters, to be filtered once you emptied the clean water. So instead of starting with 8 Nalgenes of clean water you had 8 more liters of water. Way more efficient and less walking. With the MiniWorks filter one of us was always dealing with getting water.

 

[scoutergriz]

with the various droughts, fires, and fire bans, We spent most of last year's paddling season under a ban, I shelved my twig stove and broke out my old Feather 442 again, it may be chunky but it's as reliable as it gets and no worries about a ranger kicking me out of the woods...

 

[Blukanu]

Zenbivy light bed combined with an insulated air mattress.

 

[clemency]

On the advice of an AT thru hiker friend I switched from a Thermarest pad to a Big Agnes pad. Much thicker and quieter. That and a down quilt from Enlightened Equipment instead of a mummy bag have made a huge difference.

 

[Alan Gage]

A hammock is the best sleep I've ever had in the woods, and the whole setup weighs far less than a tent does, even the most expensive, ultralight backpacking tents.

I enjoy my hammock as well but as a whole my tenting setup is lighter than my hammocking setup and my tent isn't tiny (has slept 2 people plus a dog). My hammock system is not the lightest out there but neither is my tent system.

The only purchase I can think of that was as game changer was buying a used Bell Magic about 16 years ago. I was a die hard kayaker but I was feeling guilty about leaving my dog at home so I decided to buy a solo canoe. My only other canoe experience had been in big aluminum tandems. I was shocked when I got in the Magic. Over the next few years all the kayaks disappeared but the canoes have continued and all the joy that comes along with them.

Alan

 

[Rubbaboo]

The round food barrel organizers from Rec Barrel Works make using food barrels much more tolerable. A GPS/ Satellite communicator is pretty handy too.

 

[ppine]

Magneta canoe trailer since 2002.
Helinox chair. REI insulated chair.
Aluminum Dutch oven.

 

[Pseudonym]

Seconding @Rubbaboo's note about the barrel organizer bags. I'll never go back.

CCS Tundra tarp with an integral bug net.

The other simple thing I've found handy on group trips is color coded duct tape. Every boat gets a swatch of colored tape on the bow and that boat's portion of group gear is color matched with a corresponding piece of duct tape. When it's time to load the boats: red barrels go in the red boat, etc. This eliminates the need to ask what gear goes in which boat and accelerates our pack out.

 

[TXRiverRunner]

I have loved this little grill. It is light and folds up very compact. I just build a small fire and let it die down to coals, the set the grill over it. You can easily push the legs down into the sand to adjust the height. I used to use a little portable charcoal grill, but taking charcoal is a pain.
On my last father/son trip I pulled it out to cook some burgers. The other dads in my group ended up using for grilling their own sausages and stuff.
Here is my Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3QwlRiL

 

[TXRiverRunner]

I enjoy my hammock as well but as a whole my tenting setup is lighter than my hammocking setup and my tent isn't tiny (has slept 2 people plus a dog). My hammock system is not the lightest out there but neither is my tent system.

The only purchase I can think of that was as game changer was buying a used Bell Magic about 16 years ago. I was a die hard kayaker but I was feeling guilty about leaving my dog at home so I decided to buy a solo canoe. My only other canoe experience had been in big aluminum tandems. I was shocked when I got in the Magic. Over the next few years all the kayaks disappeared but the canoes have continued and all the joy that comes along with them.

Alan

I used to not like hammocks until a friend told me to try a 12 footer from Dutchware. Since I'm 6'3" the longer hammock really makes a difference.

 

[TXRiverRunner]

Over the last 10 years or so, I've bought or made quite a few "game changers", all in the interest of lighter and/or more comfortable.
Bought a Coleman 1 man "tent", more like a sarcophagus because it was lightweight. Replaced that with a solo Big Agnes tent, way more comfortable.
Replaced my old, heavy Thermarest self inflating mattress with a NeoAir mattress, very light and even more comfortable.
Replaced my synthetic sleeping bags with down filled bags, so much lighter and easier to compact.
Replaced a First Need water filter with a Katahdin filter, then replaced with Sawyer. The Sawyer is fast, weighs nothing and takes up little space.
Replaced my one burner Coleman Peak 1 (and associated fuel bottle) with a Kelly Kettle. Boils water faster, and less than 1/3 the weight and I can NEVER run out of fuel.
Replaced my 32 lb stripped DY Special with a 39 lb stripped Kite, then replaced with a 28 lb full composite carbon copy Kite. The Kites are slower, but much more versatile, carbon copy is lightest boat that I own.
Replaced my lightweight, ancient Coleman camp chair with a slightly heavier Helinox, but with a major increase in comfort.
Bought a dehydrator to dry my own meals and snacks. Superior taste and much, much lower costs.

Taken individually, any of the above were incremental improvements to my paddling/camping experience, whether through decreased weight, increased comfort, increased safety, lower costs.
Taken as a whole, all of the above have allowed me to continue my masochistic style of paddling obscure Adirondack waters with comfort and security.
Game changers for sure.

What kind of dehydrator did you get? My wife has been saying she wants one of those. They can be pricey though. But since we grow a lot of our own vegetables, it seems like it may be worth the investment.

 

[stripperguy]

My daughter bought it for me, birthday I think...nothing very special, but faster than the oven.
Cosori

Amazon.com

 

[Alan Gage]

What kind of dehydrator did you get? My wife has been saying she wants one of those. They can be pricey though. But since we grow a lot of our own vegetables, it seems like it may be worth the investment.

I have an Excalibur. I love it. I started out years ago with a Nesco trying to save money. Should have juts bought the Excalibur back then.

Alan

 

[scoutergriz]

Magneta canoe trailer since 2002.
Helinox chair. REI insulated chair.
Aluminum Dutch oven.

love my anodized aluminium dutch oven, I've used it for my main pot for years, with everything from lasagna to turkeys to even birthday cakes, gotta' love being able to wipe out burned- on pasta sauce and cheese with a little soap and a plastic scrubber.
It even gets used at home...

 

[Boatman53]

Like Clemency my better air mattress and a down quilt style sleeping bag made a bid difference I’m my sleep.
Jim

 

[TXRiverRunner]

I have an Excalibur. I love it. I started out years ago with a Nesco trying to save money. Should have juts bought the Excalibur back then.

Alan

I actually got the dehydrator confused with a freeze dryer. We have a dehydrator. My wife wants a freeze dryer, but they are expensive.

 

[MrPoling]

1 - bent shaft paddle. Love at first stroke.
2 - propane stove. Sure, the multi fuel Whisper-lite is sooo cool. But also stinky, sooty, and fickle. I've never been comfortable pressurizing gasoline with air.
The propane stove has two burners, lights with a click, and boils water faster than the kitchen stove. The best part is I'm not scared it will immolate me in the middle of the nowhere.