Best Harness for Blue Barrels ?

[Peererik]

In my experience this DIY harnesses is the best way to easily portage Blue Barrels!



Light, non-bulky, quite comfortably to carry and very durable. 4 (60 litres) barrels fit very well in a long trip tandem canoe, like a Old Town Tripper or a 17' Prospector, easily held down with 2-3 straps, for great flotation aid in case of a capsize. And they are a good support for a spray-deck.

The harness shown in the pictures is made with a detachable hip-belt, but it can also be fixed sewing it in place like the shoulder straps. The basic construction is using steel rings to attach the harness to the barrel at the handles, but you could also just use a rope as I've done in my field repair show in the attachements (on that harness I had used a lightweight plastic ring that broke after years of use).

The handles on these barrels has bin flipped, so they fit nicely along the barrel and the bottom of the canoe.

These harnesses has been used for about 30 years, and handles the weight of a full food barrel of aproxxemately 40 kg and one lighter (for example someone's personal equipment) carried, lying, on top of the other. Among other trips they have been used when paddling and portaging across Scandinavia over the watershed between Norway and Sweden. A three weeks trip from Narvik on the Atlantic side to Kalix in the northernmost Baltic Sea, with the longest portage at 11 kilometres.

Per Eriksson

 

[recped]

Am I missing something? Where is the padding for your back or do you rely on a PFD for that?

Utilizing the handle mounts as attachment points is unique.

 

[Peererik]

It works well without the padding, especially if you use the belt. As the shoulder straps ar fixed at the same point at the perimeter of the curve, the barrel aligns itself well along your back. If needed you could put a bit of extra padding on the belt.
Carrying it with a PDF, is really akward and and will pull your shoulders backwards.

Per

 

[ppine]

Good idea. I have never understood the concept of using blue barrels and then spending $200 for a harness to carry it.

 

[Canotrouge]

Look like a nice system if you like blue barrels... I hate them with a passion!! They are a pain to deal with in the boat, a pain to deal with to organized there contains, they are a pain to deal with on land... the only real plus they have for them is waterproofness... it is a big advantage but the rest sucks IMO

 

[Guest]

I agree that a barrel harness is a near necessity with a 60L barrel packed heavy. And using four barrels in one canoe I can see the advantage of lighter, less-bulky harnesses, just for in-canoe storage ease, especially for barrels with lighter weight contents.

Am I missing something? Where is the padding for your back or do you rely on a PFD for that?

Utilizing the handle mounts as attachment points is unique.

And I’m with recped on both counts. I like the idea of using the handle mounts as attachment points for a DIY barrel harness, but I would absolutely want some paddling for my spine.

We have a 60L barrel, bought used from a Boundary Waters outfitter, that we use exclusively for food and cookware on 4-person family trips. We eat well on family trips, that that barrel is heavy at the start.

The barrel unexpectedly came with a Kondos Outdoors harness. Decently padded waist and shoulder straps, and a small, nearly useless square of ¼” thick padding, and that only at the base above the waist belt. Zero comfort against my back, and I wouldn’t want to carry that full weight barrel unpadded for even 100 yards. (OK, I don’t carry it at all; I ask one of my strong backed sons to haul it)

I have considered taking that harness off and DIYing some better cushioned padding on the back, but the straps that hold the harness to the barrel are just barely long enough as is. Less than 1” of extra webbing on every strap (thanks Kondos). I hate the idea of taking it all apart and sewing on extra webbing lengths. Sewing, ugh.

If I used a 60L for food storage on long solo trips, or did long portages with that barrel, I would consider a CCS barrel pack or other back-cushioned harness.

https://www.shop.cookecustomsewing.c...&categoryId=44

Or even an old external frame backpack or ALICE pack frame.

I’d like to find or DIY something for our 45L barrel, which I do use on long solo trips, and your post has given me some ideas to explore. Since I/we only use one barrel per trip something like a pack frame with a bottom shelf could be used with any size barrel, just set it on the shelf and connect a few restraint straps.

I do have a well used old Jansport external frame pack, I need to have a closer looksee at how adaptable that frame might be.

 

[Sdrew22]

I use a NRS Vapor for my barrel. You can find they used for around 50 dollar. Works well.

 

[Alan Gage]

Only experience I have is with a CCS barrel pack. It's more of a pack than a harness with zippered pouches. I've been very happy with it. The pouches come in very handy for stuffing small odds and ends at portage time (water bottle, seat pad, thwart bag, map case).

I personally like using blue barrels and don't find them difficult to organize or use when using a few barrel bags.

Alan

 

[Odyssey]

Good work Per, nice and simple. I don't know the best harnesses for barrels although I own 2 barrels each with their own harnesses. A 30L and 60L. I think barrels are ugly in their modernity, tho' not too uncomfortable in their use and quite effective in their design. Like RubberMaid wannigans? Most everything has it's compromises. In answer to the rhetorical query "why spend $200 on a barrel harness?!" the same reason folks spend $500 on sacks with straps (i.e. packs), they're handy portable containers. No more no less. You won't know till you've tried it and really given it a go. And then an informed opinion follows. But there's always room for bias. Me too. Aesthetically the barrels are my least favourite gear choice but at least 1 still goes on most trips.

 

[Canotrouge]

Good work Per, nice and simple. I don't know the best harnesses for barrels although I own 2 barrels each with their own harnesses. A 30L and 60L. I think barrels are ugly in their modernity, tho' not too uncomfortable in their use and quite effective in their design. Like RubberMaid wannigans? Most everything has it's compromises. In answer to the rhetorical query "why spend $200 on a barrel harness?!" the same reason folks spend $500 on sacks with straps (i.e. packs), they're handy portable containers. No more no less. You won't know till you've tried it and really given it a go. And then an informed opinion follows. But there's always room for bias. Me too. Aesthetically the barrels are my least favourite gear choice but at least 1 still goes on most trips.

Like I said I hate them but still use them until I find something better... as for the wanigan comparison(if I understood right) I would say that it is the furthest to a wanigan, a wanigan is the easiest thing to organize and find things in, wanigan are the right hight to sit on and are comfortable to sit on, wanigan are easy and comfortable to carry, they look good and you can climb on them if you need more hight... but like I said I still use those dang barrels...

 

[Odyssey]

The thing I dislike most about the barrel(s) is one of their attributes, their hard-sidedness. Yes they protect their contents well ( I like that ) but I hate loading and unloading hard containers in canoes. I will agree too that barrels aren't made to my right height for sitting. Wannigans do have the looking good thing nailed.

 

[yellowcanoe]

The thing I dislike most about the barrel(s) is one of their attributes, their hard-sidedness. Yes they protect their contents well ( I like that ) but I hate loading and unloading hard containers in canoes. I will agree too that barrels aren't made to my right height for sitting. Wannigans do have the looking good thing nailed.

Then you should NEVER trip in La Verendrye. The thunderbox is not.. there. What is at your disposal for your results of digestion is the barrel.. The lid has a square cut out but the elevated part ensures you do not dally on la toilette.

My favorite harness for barrels is the Ostrom.. Pricey little things but wicked comfortable

https://recreationalbarrelworks.com/...60-30-harness/

and out of stock except I have two in the garage.

 

[Keeled Over]

I am most likely on my own with my method. Since I haul way too much gear I use a metal freighter frame made by Cabelas. It has a shelf on the bottom that folds up and down. They market it as useful for hauling game out of the woods. It has the full suspension so all the padding and hip belt and such.

I put the big 60 on the shelf, strap it on and I have all manner of possibilities for strapping on boots, fish finder, chair, etc. While underway I push it forward so the top of the frame is under the gunnels and put my pack under it. I leave the shelf in the downward position and clip my map case to it so I have a nice clear elevated view. If I blow out a pack strap I could strap a pack on here as well for portaging. This is very reminiscent of backpacking in the 70's, but I can load it up and walk for miles very comfortably.

I have always found this very handy and thought I would see more people using this method. It also handles cases of beer, chainsaws, Coleman stoves, etc. for those other times I haul stuff in a non-canoeing fashion. I hauled my son when he was three.

For my 30 liter I just use a regular Woods pack.

 

[Odyssey]

"For my 30 liter I just use a regular Woods pack." Keeled Over

I tried and failed to fit my 30L barrel into my regular Woods pack. Thoroughly discouraged I gave up on that idea, without trying it for size in my larger Woods. Thanks KO for jogging my memory. I shall check that out today.

 

[Odyssey]

I figure if the Baird brothers and Justin Barbour can all trip with a barrel then so can I. They make it look easy.

 

[Keeled Over]

How often do you folks haul all of your gear in barrels and leave the traditional canoe packs behind?

I could easily strap one 60 on my frame and hand carry the other 60. Then I could just carry the canoe with my 30 in the Woods Pack.

 

[Odyssey]

Barrel only travelling isn't quite possible for me and my tandem/life partner. The 30L is ample for 5-10 days of food depending on how much/how little fresh we bring. If we go all dehydrated then there'll be room for a simple kitchen kit too in there. The 60L will only fit tent, tarp, bags and pads. No room for extra clothes in there. Whereas I could trip with just what I'm wearing (or strapped to the barrel) she won't even consider it. So an extra Woods pack comes along for the wardrobe.
Happy her happy me happy we.
We hand carry nothing.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Barrel only travelling isn't quite possible for me and my tandem/life partner. The 30L is ample for 5-10 days of food depending on how much/how little fresh we bring. If we go all dehydrated then there'll be room for a simple kitchen kit too in there. The 60L will only fit tent, tarp, bags and pads. No room for extra clothes in there. Whereas I could trip with just what I'm wearing (or strapped to the barrel) she won't even consider it. So an extra Woods pack comes along for the wardrobe.
Happy her happy me happy we.
We hand carry nothing.

Not totally barrel camping. What you don't ever want wet or squished goes in the barrel. Anything else like clothes tent tarp and pads can go in dry bags in the regular pack.

In the off season our 30 l barrel is a handy dog food container. As we live in the woods dog food is a great mice attractant but we don't have a cat. The barrel has cut down on dog food appearing everywhere like in the washing machine and the pantry and the utensil drawer.
The 60 l is employed as a sand container. We have 400 feet of dirt driveway and with climate warming we stockpile sand so we can get through the winter just in case we misplace our crampons or when the plow really tamps down the snow.

 

[Odyssey]

"What you don't ever want wet or squished goes in the barrel. Anything else like clothes tent tarp and pads can go in dry bags in the regular pack." YC

Yes I agree, we always use dry bags and liners. A small layer of protection for a heaping measure of comfort.

 

[Keeled Over]

What about putting all of my gear in 2 60 barrels and put food/kitchen on a 30? In this scenario I wouldn't bring a canoe pack at all.