Essential nonessentials.

[Idiot Savant]

There are things that are obviously essential, like a boat, a paddle, a PFD.
If you are comping, it's hard to get by without a sleeping bag, a pad, a stove, a pot, food and water.
But there are some things, though not strictly essential, make canoe camping a lot more pleasant.

A chair: On my last canoe trip there were nine other people and every one of us had a chair. Maybe it's not that way in the BWCAW, I haven't been for a while, but on river trips, in the west, pretty much everyone brings a chair.

A roll-top table: So nice to be able to stand and cook. Makes happy hour a lot more convenient.

A rain/sun tarp: If you get an all day drizzle, it's sure nice to have a place to cook, and just sit, that's out of the rain. In the dessert country, the sun can be relentless. Nice to have some shade in camp.

A cot: Way nicer than a sleeping pad alone, especially if you are sleeping without a tent. Sleeping on sand bars, on the Colorado this summer, there was some kind of bugs in the sand. Luckily they didn't bite, but I still didn't like them crawling all over me.

Cooler: I'm on the fence about this one. Fresh food and a cold drink are nice, but a cooler weighs a lot and takes up a lot of room in the canoe.

Pee bottle: If I'm sleeping in a tent (I often sleep under the stars), I like having a pee bottle so I'm not getting in and out of the tent all night. Yeah, prostate issues.

Items on your list: ???

 

[Bob B.]

Cool topic.

I now NEED a camp chair where as for most years of my tripping life I would scoff at that thought. I also ( sadly) need a canoe with back rest and foot braces. I have found I need to tump my canoes and big packs, it makes longer ports much easier on my body.

Bob

 

[scratchypants]

- A chair and bourbon. And I suppose that with enough of the latter, I might be able to make do with just those two things.

- Prep H wipes. They are not medicated, but do contain witch hazel - swab the whole deck with those babies.

- Thermarest compressible pillow.

- UCO candles. Using the optional shade and suspended from the tent peak, they can turn a shivering night into comfortable sleep. Use at your own risk.

- A journal. I like reviewing my scribblings from past trips while I add new ones.

 

[Modified Ottertail]

A pee bottle is definitely nice, even if you don't have prostate issues. As are a chair and whiskey.

I would argue that a headlamp falls into the strictly essential category, but just in case, I'll mention it.

Dry Bag: I use the 65 liter NRS Bill's Bag, which has carried well on long portages, seems to be durable, has a nice minimalist design, and gives you the piece of mind that your gear will stay dry.

Water Bucket: such as Granite Gear's is nice. Easy to pack and it saves repeated trips to the source. If it's not a solo trip, we carry two.

Ice Mule Pro XL: If you're going to bring a cooler, this inflatable, air-insulated cooler backpack is great. Easy to portage and it decreases in size as the trip progresses. Freeze your meats and three days into a trip it will still be keeping items cool. (We haven't yet tested it past three days.)

Granite Gear under-seat bag: A handy place to put an extra layer, snacks, an extra water bottle, sunscreen, etc.

 

[jdeerfoot]

I have been bringing a line/pulley rig for hanging the food bag/pack. Got tired of getting the line up so now use a compact and lightweight arborist throw line which works easily and quickly.

Like others, I now need a chair w/backrest and a pillow.

 

[Alan Gage]

A journal and a couple books.

Alan

 

[Bob B.]

Good point Alan, I now really enjoy bringing a book also.

 

[lowangle al]

When packing for a trip it surprises me how few "essential" items there actually are. The non essential stuff for me is usually, fishing gear, binoculars, extra clothes, extra food, a book, a chair and maybe some booze.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

I, too, now fall into the category of someone who once scoffed at the need for chairs but now take a full-size, and fairly heavy (9 lb.) folding and reclining bag chair. That necessitated some triple portaging on my last trip. Well, no biggie, since I don't have a 20 lb. canoe I'm now in the no-carry phase of canoe life anyway, but where carting is still doable. Adapt with age and health conditions . . . or give up the sport.

A paperback book has always been a necessity for me, as I have trouble falling asleep without reading or listening to a boring lecture.

Another thing that has now become essential when I use my car is a waterproof cell phone case just for my car's electronic smart key, which I carry in a PFD pocket along with a separate cell phone case for my cell phone. I used to be able just to use a car key on my PFD zipper, and I still can for my unsmart 25-year old van.

 

[scoutergriz]

I, too, now fall into the category of someone who once scoffed at the need for chairs but now take a full-size, and fairly heavy (9 lb.) folding and reclining bag chair. That necessitated some triple portaging on my last trip. Well, no biggie, since I don't have a 20 lb. canoe I'm now in the no-carry phase of canoe life anyway, but where carting is still doable. Adapt with age and health conditions . . . or give up the sport.

A paperback book has always been a necessity for me, as I have trouble falling asleep without reading or listening to a boring lecture.

Another thing that has now become essential when I use my car is a waterproof cell phone case just for my car's electronic smart key, which I carry in a PFD pocket along with a separate cell phone case for my cell phone. I used to be able just to use a car key on my PFD zipper, and I still can for my unsmart 25-year old van.

you can still get a "valet key" to open your door mechanically on most vehicles, it may even be inside your fob. I can put my fob in a foil "faraday cage" pouch, hide it inside the car, and use the valet key to unlock the door- just make sure the fob is accessible when you unlock it, some alarms don't recognize the valet key and require you to push the unlock button within 10 seconds...

 

[ppine]

A really good dog. I like Border Collies.
A comfortable mattress or a light cot.
Something to read.
A chair.
Something to drink.
Good fresh food.
close friends.

 

[Seeker]

A pillow. In my case, the small Aeros air pillow by Sea To Summit... 3oz, absolutely adjustable, absolutely essential.
A cutting board... every time I leave it home, I regret it. Mine is a tiny slab of something thin and white, about 5x9. Slides down the side of my food bag. makes a table for whatever I need it for.
Lexan Mug. I've tried using the top of my Kool Air jar food rehydrater/bowl, sierra cups, lexan sierra cups, and cutting the handles off mugs so they'd stow more easily... and I keep coming back to the full up mug. it's perfect.

 

[goonstroke]

- A chair and bourbon. And I suppose that with enough of the latter, I might be able to make do with just those two things.

...

I'm still going chairless in my middle age, does that mean I get a double ration of bourbon?

My nonessentials mostly relate to food. I probably pack 6000 calories per day, not because I think I'll eat that much but because I want to have some choice. Will it be a peanut, almond or cashew portage? So hard to tell ahead of time. Will there be blueberries for my bannock? Better pack chocolate chips in case the bears get them first. I don't bring anything fresh, but I do like being a bit overcatered.

 

[Gamma1214]

...I do like being a bit overcatered.

I love it! (Personally, I do a minimalist menu but I have great respect for those who travel in luxury) and, yes, you've earned a double shot... cheers!

 

[PacketFiend]

An appropriately sized coffee percolator for me, big enough to make two cups per person, at least (and therefore, enough coffee that there is no chance it will need to be rationed). They're awkward and take up a lot of space in a pack and I've dug my heels in the sand on this one. I'm not a coffee "snob" by any means, but by God, I can't stand instant coffee. And I really like my coffee in the morning.

Pair it with an alcohol stove (another luxury I sometimes bring along), and you get silent coffee, done exactly to your liking. Your companions wake up to the smell of coffee, not the sound of you making it. If you can find one with no infernal plastic bits, you can use it over a campfire, too.

Instead of Prep H wipes, I bring baby wipes - the talc is very soothing. And I've found I'd rather just bring along witch hazel in a bottle and sturdy TP than Prep H. It's much less likely you'll screw it up and let them all dry out that way.

 

[lowangle al]

I didn't bring TP on my trip two weeks ago, and the sphagnum moss was so cold and damp it shrunk my roid from the size of a walnut to the size of a pea, in one application.

 

[sweeper]

Cut the toothbrush in half, remove the labels, etc, etc...whatever else you need to do to cut down on the weight but the chair goes with me on every trip.
I have always used a canoe seat until this year and made it thru 3 trips this year without missing it. For our Whitney Loop try, I found a good instant coffee, I was the only one who drank it and it was a good way to cut down on weight. I will go back to Cowboy Coffee on less strenuous trips. The phone stays in the car.

 

[dtvburns]

Tiny Pump for my air mattress. I'm almost embarrassed to use it every time, but the Thermarest Topo Luxe mattress is big and comfortable and inflating it with the inflation bag is slow at times and sucks in the rain. With the pump, I can inflate in a small tent and keep everything dry.

 

[scoutergriz]

An appropriately sized coffee percolator for me, big enough to make two cups per person, at least (and therefore, enough coffee that there is no chance it will need to be rationed). They're awkward and take up a lot of space in a pack and I've dug my heels in the sand on this one. I'm not a coffee "snob" by any means, but by God, I can't stand instant coffee. And I really like my coffee in the morning.

Pair it with an alcohol stove (another luxury I sometimes bring along), and you get silent coffee, done exactly to your liking. Your companions wake up to the smell of coffee, not the sound of you making it. If you can find one with no infernal plastic bits, you can use it over a campfire, too.

Instead of Prep H wipes, I bring baby wipes - the talc is very soothing. And I've found I'd rather just bring along witch hazel in a bottle and sturdy TP than Prep H. It's much less likely you'll screw it up and let them all dry out that way.

witchhazel is also good for those annoying little nicks and scrapes that seem to bleed forever, it usually has more than enough alcohol to disinfect a wound, has strong anti- inflammatory and hemostatic properties, and can soothe irritated skin

 

[Tsuga8]

I bring a plastic Melita pour-over coffee funnel and filters rather than instant coffee. It's very light weight, but the shape doesn't pack particularly well.

Booze of one form or another on many trips. For portaging trips, I've starting bringing a very lightweight soft cooler that fits a six-pack of beer, to be consumed in the first 24 hrs. The cooler weighs almost nothing, and I hate having a sultry mid-day on day two, seeing all the anglers around me enjoying a cold one, and not having one for myself. Plus box/bag wine for the evenings. On river trips I'll do a full size cooler.

Someone mentioned extra clothes. I don't know that I'd call those non-essential, despite the fact that I often don't use them. I consider them safety gear if I bring them by and large, to stave off hypothermia in case of a capsize, or more likely, a downpour. Same with my very compact but dreadfully heavy emergency pouch (has lights+batteries, flame, water purification tablets, extra compass, emergency bivvy sack, extra blades, etc). I've never needed it. Could probably trip without it. Don't want to find out what happens when I need it and don't have it. Is that essential if I have yet to use it? Same with my extra clothes, the bulk (literally) of which are post-cold-water immersion layers for rapid warming.