PortagePal to carry paddles and fishing rods

"The PortagePAL is a tool designed to simplify portaging during canoe trips and make your life easier while on the trail. As an avid adventurer, I have been tripping for over 20 years and understand the struggles and inconveniences that come with carrying multiple canoe paddles and fishing rods over long, unmaintained portages. That's why I set out to create a solution that would make my life easier. Now I'm hoping to share that idea with PortagePAL."


What do you folks think?

My mentors always wedged the paddles under the front seat and on top of the thwart or tied them into place for a portage yoke. Fishing rods were tied in to under the thwarts, close to the gunnel. Fragile rod tips were under the front seat out of harms way. Life vests buckled to a thwart. The person that portage the canoe got the lighter of of two #3 Duluth packs, the other person carried the heavier food pack, in one hand the bail of the biggest kettle with the rest of the cook kit inside it. In the other hand the Collins Hudson Bay axe. My mentor’s were tough old trappers & loggers if you couldn’t keep up, that was the end of the mentoring.

I can see a couple of uses for this thing (none would apply to me)

You and your buddy are bushwacking into a small lake in search of trout, you are not "portaging", your boat is staying at the other end (lake/river), you could bundle up your rods and if there was a boat stashed at the other end maybe a paddle or two.

You are on a canoe trip with your kids, they can't carry heavy packs or really anything heavy so you bundle up paddles and a couple of fishing rods and send them off down the portage trail while you carry all the heavy stuff.

Of course you could rig up a similar device with two short straps of double sided Velcro®

I'm not a gadget person and I don't hand carry much, if anything if I can help it. I wouldn't have a need for it, but can see where others might.

Glenn MacGrady said:

What do you folks think?

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I’m not sure how I ever managed to complete one portage without the aid of a PortagePal. I expect we will soon be graced with threads on various ways to store our PortagePal, best PortagePal gloves, available colors, grips, “stripper-builds PortagePals, traditional PortagePals made of wood and canvas, PortagePal Facebook groups….

Here’s what AI thinks,
AI Overview
When it comes to canoe "gimmicks," reviews often highlight features that claim to drastically improve paddling experience but are often considered unnecessary or even detrimental to the basic functionality of a canoe, with many users finding them to be more marketing ploys than practical additions.

I hope he does well with it but I pack as BB described: I use 2 paddles for the portage system and tie the other(s) plus fishing rods inside the boat so that the hull can protect them as I plow through the Alder.

If I were to take one on a trip, I'd probably misplace it anyway.

Here’s my PortagePal. No problem carrying the paddles to the end of the trail. We can also pack and secure more paddles in the side sleeves on either side of the Duluth style canvas pack. I don’t see how adding an extra piece of equipment would be helpful.

My paddles fit snugly no gimmicks required under seats over thwarts etc. If I were to have fishing pole and lures they'd most certainly be safely fixed to the canoe as well. I'm not convinced hand carrying is the most efficient, secure and easy way to handle items, especially hiking across uneven ground. One doesn't have to reinvent the wheel to find a simple secure place for loose gear in pack or canoe.
I've crossed portage paths with 10 yr old girls under heavy pack loads replete with everything needed for 2 weeks in the backcountry, paddles and pfds secured to the packs, those little voyageur birds sing songing along the trail without a care in the world, hands free to help with song gestures and excited talking...
But I must admit over-thinking stuff can be fun. And there's always room in the closet for one more K-Tel treasure.

Last thing I want us to lug an essentially unneeded unitasker apparatus on a trip.

Paddles can serve as walking sticks. Fishing poles secured under seats/thwarts with bungee-dealee-bobs.

I can carry 2 paddles with the system I already use for carrying a spare so no extra equipment required and as mentioned I also want carbon paddles to be in the boat for protection against getting stepped on. On the rare occasions when I carry a bunch of paddles I just use a paddle sock made for multiple paddles; it keeps them quiet and they can't slide out and the sock has a handle placed to keep the paddles balanced.

Another image of my PortagePal with a paddle secured in the right hand side sleeves of her Duluth Style canvas pack. The “problem” of portaging paddles was solved many decades ago! Best of all, this solution is hands free!

I bring one paddle on the initial port, but after that I lash my other paddle and both rods under the seat/thwarts with shoe laces. Works like a charm. And I've got back-up.

I'm clearly in the minority, but I will probably purchase one of these. I'm thinking of some uses outside of the ad copy, but we shall see. I've certainly paid more for other let downs.

I think it would be useful for carrying skis and ski poles.

I don't think the PortagePal is a gimmick at all. Rather, it's a simple convenience device for people who DO carry multiple paddles and/or fishing rods and/or poles in one hand while on short or long carries from place to place. For those who DO choose to hand carry, this device just simplifies wrapping cords or straps around the hand-carried items, and also adds a carry handle for those who would otherwise DIY a handle or sling out of cord, Velcro or straps.

Sure, you could DIY a barrel harness, tump strap, rope bag, poncho, tarp pole, tent stake, or an entire canoe—but that doesn't make a pre-manufactured one a "gimmick."

I personally wouldn't use a PortagePal. For day trips, if I want to carry multiple paddles on a long trek from vehicle to put-in, I have paddle bags and socks that can do that, and those bags/socks can go in the canoe with me, which rarely happens. For overnight canoe tripping with portages, I never fix multiple paddles or my PFD in the canoe. That, to me especially as I age, adds unwanted weight on my shoulders and spine. I wear my PFD on portages and usually use one paddle as a hiking staff. I don't fish, so I've never carried fishing rods. (Rods are a gimmick, anyway. If necessary, I'll just use a stick, some thread, a bone spur and a worm.)

Hmmmm

I have a dozen or more of these straps, they have a ton of different uses and come in a variety of sizes. In fact they’re wrapped around my skis in the car at this very moment. I’ve never had an issue yet

Hey Folks - Josh here from PortagePal - love seeing the colourful discussion about my product here on Canoe Tripping - it's always great to see people so passionate about our beautiful hobby.

Just to answer a few questions...

1. I live near Windsor, Ontario and assemble, pack and ship every single order myself (okay, my wife helps when it gets busy)
2. No, there is no additional products coming. I had an idea and I wanted to put it out there for others who may benefit from it. I put up my website almost 2 years ago now and have only ever had one product.
3. Absolutely there are a multitude of ways to carry a canoe paddle. Thingamabobs, strapping them into the canoe, carrying them in your hand, bags, socks.
4. The use cases for a PortagePal definitely are pretty wide, the best one to date are maintenance staff in Algonquin Park using a PortagePal to carry 2-3 shovels and all their paddles all together during portage maintenance.
5. I only make enough money from PortagePal to cover the cost of the website, product and shipping (You'll notice shipping is free for the most part, that costs me ~20$ per order, I'm not Amazon!). I've actually lost money overall over the last 2 years

I really truly was convinced to make my product available by some friends after making one for myself and using it for many, many years on our trips.

This idea was more about adding something positive to the outdoor community that I love so much, not replacing current solutions or starting arguments about whether its a viable product or not.

ErktheRed said:

Hmmmm

I have a dozen or more of these straps, they have a ton of different uses and come in a variety of sizes. In fact they’re wrapped around my skis in the car at this very moment. I’ve never had an issue yet

Voile Straps Aluminum Buckle - 20in

Check out the deal on Voile Straps Aluminum Buckle - 20in at Voile

www.voile.com

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These look fantastic!

I'm going to see if I can get some at a price that makes sense for the current PortagePal pricing scheme and offer it as an option on checkout. I'm pretty sure they would fit right into the handle with no other changes.

Thank you!

Welcome to the site Josh. I admire the fact that you had an idea for a useful product and got it out for public sale. The website itself can be a lot of work and yours is well done & professional-looking.

Best of luck with sales and I hope you'll stick around for more than just this thread. If you've done enough portages that you felt the need to simplify your gear carry, I'm certain that you've got other insights to share as well.

Gamma1214 said:

Welcome to the site Josh. I admire the fact that you had an idea for a useful product and got it out for public sale. The website itself can be a lot of work and yours is well done & professional-looking.

Best of luck with sales and I hope you'll stick around for more than just this thread. If you've done enough portages that you felt the need to simplify your gear carry, I'm certain that you've got other insights to share as well.

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I also am very involved in the website www.paddleplanner.com which I believe is fairly well used here on canoetripping!

I have a personal motto to give back more to the communities I'm involved in than I take from them and am excited to have a new forum to get involved in.