As others have said, the gear I take is trip dependent. The same is true whether it is a backpacking or a padding trip (or a hybrid). Choose the right tool for the job.
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Happy Let's Hug Day! 🫂
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I just turned 64 and celebrated my B-day in the B-dub, as I have for the past 4 years. I do two trips a year, about half of them solo. I carry about 80-90 lbs of stuff in addition to the canoe and just can't seem to shrink the load smaller than that. I usually double-portage, sometimes triple. The nice thing about tripling is the extra time I get for just walking in the woods.
I'm pretty cautious, especially when going solo, and keeping pack weight down is one way to help prevent sprains, or worse, although I have a weak ankle that I've twisted twice on portages. My one absolute rule is: Don't do anything that could make it hard to get home.
I'm pretty cautious, especially when going solo, and keeping pack weight down is one way to help prevent sprains, or worse, although I have a weak ankle that I've twisted twice on portages. My one absolute rule is: Don't do anything that could make it hard to get home.
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I always take my lite kit,even when on my wife and mine canoe camping vacation. I add to it depending on carry length or temperature.Everyone has priorities and my #1 is a good nights sleep in either my Clark hammock with pleanty of insulation or on the ground with a THICK self inflating pad. A chair comes next light then a bag one.A bigger fly,stove instead of twig stove,more cozy clothes.I don't care much about food so hot water is all I need. Going too heavy is too much work and takes the fun out of it for me. Different strokes.
Turtle
Turtle
With aging comes a desire for more comfort. We run a lot of big western rivers that have few portages. It is common to have some solo paddlers with tandem boats that help to even out the loads. I really like the great food that is possible on a canoe trip. A few beers are great too. I rarely paddle without a folding chair and a small table. I bring the thicker Thermarest. There is a lot of enthusiasm for canoeing on week long trips with the set-up described above. I have friends coming from Colorado to paddle in Oregon. Over the years we have done lots of trips together over all the place, but only as far East as the Boundary Waters CA.
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I never had a light packing phase and, although my individual gear choices have gotten lighter over the decades, my total kit weight has not declined.
My favored trips have begun to more often involve tidal stuff, so water weight becomes a factor. I take shoulder season and winter trips when I can, which involves more layers, winter bag/pad and other cold weather comfort gear (in return for fewer people).
I trip solo more frequently, and even when I paddle with friends I want to have everything I need to be self-sufficient in my own boat. Despite trading from up in quality and down in size/weight for almost every piece of gear – stove, tent, tarp, clothing, camera, foodstuffs and cooking stuffs – my total kit weight hasn’t changed much over the years.
I just bring more lighter (and better designed) stuff. The capacity of my boats has increased over the years, but even using compression stuff sacks and Tetris-fit tapered and custom DIY dry bags I still manage to fill the available boat space.
I never found any joy in portaging, and any serious carry is happily behind me. It has become more a question of volume than weight; how easily gear packs into the hull. And out of the hull into camp.
Some venues are tougher than others for accessing or repacking a gear load. For my paddling peccadilloes it is volume, gear accessibility, and how many trips it takes to haul gear to and from camp.
Three trips into camp, carrying volume if not weight, is probably my norm. Or maybe four, if I’m carrying potable water. If some of those trips are across 100 yards of loose sand, boot sucking pluff mud or up to a sheer plateau campsite that’s enough of a day’s end carry for me.
I’m not out there to rough it anymore, I’m out there to smooth it, especially if I’m off-season, off-companions and off-kilter.
My favored trips have begun to more often involve tidal stuff, so water weight becomes a factor. I take shoulder season and winter trips when I can, which involves more layers, winter bag/pad and other cold weather comfort gear (in return for fewer people).
I trip solo more frequently, and even when I paddle with friends I want to have everything I need to be self-sufficient in my own boat. Despite trading from up in quality and down in size/weight for almost every piece of gear – stove, tent, tarp, clothing, camera, foodstuffs and cooking stuffs – my total kit weight hasn’t changed much over the years.
I just bring more lighter (and better designed) stuff. The capacity of my boats has increased over the years, but even using compression stuff sacks and Tetris-fit tapered and custom DIY dry bags I still manage to fill the available boat space.
I never found any joy in portaging, and any serious carry is happily behind me. It has become more a question of volume than weight; how easily gear packs into the hull. And out of the hull into camp.
Some venues are tougher than others for accessing or repacking a gear load. For my paddling peccadilloes it is volume, gear accessibility, and how many trips it takes to haul gear to and from camp.
Three trips into camp, carrying volume if not weight, is probably my norm. Or maybe four, if I’m carrying potable water. If some of those trips are across 100 yards of loose sand, boot sucking pluff mud or up to a sheer plateau campsite that’s enough of a day’s end carry for me.
I’m not out there to rough it anymore, I’m out there to smooth it, especially if I’m off-season, off-companions and off-kilter.
As I look around the room while typing, I see cloths I've not worn in a couple years, unread books, a flashlite that gets used twice a year.
When I pack, I use the room concept. One corner for luxuries, one corner for emergency gear and I split the stuff I need to stay alive between the other two corners. Then I put one corner's pile in a pack and go. It doesn't seem to make much difference which pile I choose.
Perhaps I'm lazy, but I'll be danged as a Philistine before doing a double carry. [Actually a wildly inefficient triple walk.] I enjoy a simpler in-camp lifestyle with less stuff interposed between myself and the wilderness. Yeah, as I age I'm selecting lighter boats to make it all possible.
When I pack, I use the room concept. One corner for luxuries, one corner for emergency gear and I split the stuff I need to stay alive between the other two corners. Then I put one corner's pile in a pack and go. It doesn't seem to make much difference which pile I choose.
Perhaps I'm lazy, but I'll be danged as a Philistine before doing a double carry. [Actually a wildly inefficient triple walk.] I enjoy a simpler in-camp lifestyle with less stuff interposed between myself and the wilderness. Yeah, as I age I'm selecting lighter boats to make it all possible.
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Most of my overnight trips continue to be group oriented due to my line of work. On those we do tend to take a bit more because I have found it easier to get folks out into the backcountry if they're not so worried about whether they'll have enough food, weather protection, etc. To make carries a bit easier we go with the system where partners go together to the halfway point; one goes forward with the canoe and the other drops the first pack and goes back for the second. Typically they'll meet back at the halfway point and walk to the finish, each with a pack. This seems to allow for us to bring some "comfort items" while not making portages a major undertaking.
As for myself, I'm going to go as light as possible while still staying comfortable if going solo. Typically I'm sleeping under a tarp in a hammock but I'll still bring my Therma-Rest chair kit and a good book. Cooking is done over an alcohol stove and consists of boiling water then pouring it into a homemade meal-in-a-bag; eating from the bag itself to save on clean up. I'll also include a small fishing kit since there's nothing better than fishing out of my canoe.
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.
snapper
As for myself, I'm going to go as light as possible while still staying comfortable if going solo. Typically I'm sleeping under a tarp in a hammock but I'll still bring my Therma-Rest chair kit and a good book. Cooking is done over an alcohol stove and consists of boiling water then pouring it into a homemade meal-in-a-bag; eating from the bag itself to save on clean up. I'll also include a small fishing kit since there's nothing better than fishing out of my canoe.
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.
snapper
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I’d end up with one really big corner, and I’d chose that one. I want a two-person tent, just for me. A comfortable if bulky sleeping pad. A tarp with enough coverage that it can be set as a windbreak and at least one pole. Eight tarp stakes and some spare rope.
A real chair; in some places I want to be a ways off the ground. Plus getting up out of the dirt has become less graceful over the years. Waterproof boots and camp shoes. A rain hat and a sun hat. Etc.
Stop by for a beer sometime; I’ll be in the day hammock reading a book and watching the clouds.
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I'm planning an ADK trip 2nd week of May or so to beat the bugs. Unpredictable,possibly real cold wet weather and cold water for sure. I'll take my big heavy solo(swift osprey) lots of warm clothes,my warm bag,a box stove instead of a twig stove,and extra insulation for the bottom of my hamock. Big hammock fly and Warm camp shoes also. I planning a trip with wheelable carrys,so will still be able to single trip with my cart. probibly a 50# kit + 47# boat.
Turtle
Turtle
I single carry. Rarely. I have to have really warmish weather, nice weather and three day trip to make a one pass work. Plus I have to resign myself to an inferior camera.
I do like no carry trips. We will be doing one in a couple of weeks, with all the accoutrements needed for nights on the beach under a palm but more likely a sea grape, or gumbo limbo or manchineel tree.
Otherwise I find I like the double pass. That empty handed return trip is wonderful for brushing up on the skill of noticing. I like that skill more and more in my advancing age and marvel at the patterns I find.. One portage in Woodland Caribou I took some three dozen shots of mushrooms ..all different.
I do like no carry trips. We will be doing one in a couple of weeks, with all the accoutrements needed for nights on the beach under a palm but more likely a sea grape, or gumbo limbo or manchineel tree.
Otherwise I find I like the double pass. That empty handed return trip is wonderful for brushing up on the skill of noticing. I like that skill more and more in my advancing age and marvel at the patterns I find.. One portage in Woodland Caribou I took some three dozen shots of mushrooms ..all different.
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Be careful with those mushrooms... some are good at helping you notice things that aren't actually there!
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No matter how I try, I just can't get my pack down below 85-90 lbs. And that's without a kitchen sink! My food weighs less than 2 lbs per day (20 lbs for 12 days), kitchen stuff is about 10-15 lbs (less if I don't bring the Coleman stove and frying pan), my tent and tarps weigh 10 lbs, and my total clothes and bedding weigh ~15 lbs, daypack is ~15-18 lbs (with 2 full water bottles) ... that's about 75 lbs, plus the weight of packs, the Bear Vault, my chair, a few books, and a few other odds and ends. My boat weighs about 50 lbs including portage yoke, paddles, and lashings. The entire kit runs about 130-140 lbs.
I can usually manage pretty well double portaging, but I'm not averse to triple carries, which give me more time on my feet and a longer walk in the woods.
My solo trips generally involve 12-18 portages, many of them in the 80-100-rod range, some quite a bit longer.
Almost forgot ... I'm 64 years old and have never been particularly strong, but I refuse to yield to the idea that we get weaker as we age.
I can usually manage pretty well double portaging, but I'm not averse to triple carries, which give me more time on my feet and a longer walk in the woods.
My solo trips generally involve 12-18 portages, many of them in the 80-100-rod range, some quite a bit longer.
Almost forgot ... I'm 64 years old and have never been particularly strong, but I refuse to yield to the idea that we get weaker as we age.
Hmmm.. your stove could be lighter. Those isobutane thingies are a PITA with their canisters but the stoves weigh next to nothing. Also there are twig and alchohol burners like the Trangia and the Littlebug.
Tent? Mine is 5 lb and the tarp with line another 2. I don't use a day pack. Kitchen stuff is one pot and a couple of spoons and soap and Dobie cleaning pad. Maybe a spatula. Comes in at about two lbs. I don't bring plates nor dishpan. Sleeping bag 4 lbs. Mat another 1.5.
Even with a barrel with ten days of food..25 lbs. The other pack is never over 40 lbs and paddles weigh another 5 lbs. Inflatable PFD sometimes. Portage yoke is 2 lbs. Boat is 32. Oh yeah forgot the Helinox chair 2lbs. I went to e books. 16 oz.
I guess if you want to lighten up a good place to start (it was for me) was to jettison the Coleman liquid fuel burner . However they are super reliable.
Youngster.
Tent? Mine is 5 lb and the tarp with line another 2. I don't use a day pack. Kitchen stuff is one pot and a couple of spoons and soap and Dobie cleaning pad. Maybe a spatula. Comes in at about two lbs. I don't bring plates nor dishpan. Sleeping bag 4 lbs. Mat another 1.5.
Even with a barrel with ten days of food..25 lbs. The other pack is never over 40 lbs and paddles weigh another 5 lbs. Inflatable PFD sometimes. Portage yoke is 2 lbs. Boat is 32. Oh yeah forgot the Helinox chair 2lbs. I went to e books. 16 oz.
I guess if you want to lighten up a good place to start (it was for me) was to jettison the Coleman liquid fuel burner . However they are super reliable.
Youngster.
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Gavia - For what it's worth you could lighten your tarp & tent load by going with a tarptent and syl-nylon tarp. I have a two person tarptent (Bat Ray from Mountain Hardware) that weighs around 2 pounds (the four person version weighs 4 pounds and has lots of room) and my 10'x12' tarp weighs just over a pound. There are lots of tarptents out there to check out. Some of the better ones are made by a gentleman by the name of Henry Shires who's website can be found at: www.tarptent.com/ I can second the suggestion of moving towards either a twig stove, alcohol stove or even one of the canister stoves. They all have their own plusses/minuses but in the end they're easy to use and pretty lightweight. At this point I'm only using gas stoves if I'm winter camping or going on a group trip. I'm almost 61 and even in my heyday I can't imagine myself carrying as much as you currently do so you definitely have my respect for doing that. But if it were my back, I'd try to find a way to lighten up. Again, these are all just suggestions. Take them for what they're worth.
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.
snapper
That's all for now. Take care and until next time...Be well.
snapper
I see no virtue in heavy equipment, a heavy paddle or a heavy canoe.
All my equipment is on the lightweight and compact side of the scale. Not at the end of the scale like a backpacker, but close.
That said, for comfort, I do have larger size lightweight things than I really need. For example, I like a rectangular sleeping bag, but I always use down. I like a 3 person tent for solo, but I have one of the lightest weight ones for that size. I use lightweight and highly compressible air mattresses and air pillows. I have a 1.1 oz. sylnylon tarp, but never use it.
Meals aren't important, so all I need is my Jetboil to boil water, Mountainhouse freeze dried food, a titanium spork and a cup. That's the kitchen.
My one exception is a heavy and bulky full-size folding bag chair. I wouldn't take that on a trip with tons of long carries, but I rarely go on those trips anyway. I like river trips, short portages, or long portages that are wheelable.
None of this matters for day tripping or multi-day trips without portages. For those, why not take a comfortable big canoe and clunky stuff--as long as it's not electronic or married to you.
All my equipment is on the lightweight and compact side of the scale. Not at the end of the scale like a backpacker, but close.
That said, for comfort, I do have larger size lightweight things than I really need. For example, I like a rectangular sleeping bag, but I always use down. I like a 3 person tent for solo, but I have one of the lightest weight ones for that size. I use lightweight and highly compressible air mattresses and air pillows. I have a 1.1 oz. sylnylon tarp, but never use it.
Meals aren't important, so all I need is my Jetboil to boil water, Mountainhouse freeze dried food, a titanium spork and a cup. That's the kitchen.
My one exception is a heavy and bulky full-size folding bag chair. I wouldn't take that on a trip with tons of long carries, but I rarely go on those trips anyway. I like river trips, short portages, or long portages that are wheelable.
None of this matters for day tripping or multi-day trips without portages. For those, why not take a comfortable big canoe and clunky stuff--as long as it's not electronic or married to you.
What about the Booze? Oh, the humanity, what about the booze? You'ze gots to add that to the weight chart!
Kid, y'ell put your eye out! My liver is no longer a lover.
That could be a thread topic in itself.
No booze for me on canoe trips or anywhere else, and I will avoid people who are inebriated.
However, when I did drink, more than 25 years ago, I used to carry Scotch in a lightweight aluminum Sigg fuel bottle. Taking beer is contraindicated from any perspective: weight, volume, nocturnal emissions, and effectiveness.
Ok, well no offence to the tea totalers here, but I get to do one trip a year with my buddie when we are not burdened with the responsibility of looking after other people's kids, or neophyte adults. This trip, usually 7 to 10 days is not a joyride. We are cutting out ports and laying down new routes for further exploration with the school club in the next year. At the end of the day, I like my beer. I devote a separate seal line 115 litre bag to it. I budget six a night, although I don't bring more than 45-50. Sometimes I'll stash some under a bridge before hand if I know we are passing by.
One year we had a big celebration on the third to last night because we knew there were brewskies at the bridge the next day. When we arrived, I had to go into search and rescue mode - the beer was missing. Found 14 dead cans about two hundred meters into the bush. A bear had grabbed my beer and managed to drink 14 before staggering off, leaving me and my pal one crumby beer. Just goes to prove that even a bear can get drunk on Bud Lite.
Anyway, the beer pack is still an integral part of that summer work trip. Cans get crushed and put in zip locks as they are finished, and the pack gets lighter every day. I'm building a lighter canoe right now, cause my body seems to be starting to gripe about its treatment, but the beer pack will stay the same, at least for the next summer.
One year we had a big celebration on the third to last night because we knew there were brewskies at the bridge the next day. When we arrived, I had to go into search and rescue mode - the beer was missing. Found 14 dead cans about two hundred meters into the bush. A bear had grabbed my beer and managed to drink 14 before staggering off, leaving me and my pal one crumby beer. Just goes to prove that even a bear can get drunk on Bud Lite.
Anyway, the beer pack is still an integral part of that summer work trip. Cans get crushed and put in zip locks as they are finished, and the pack gets lighter every day. I'm building a lighter canoe right now, cause my body seems to be starting to gripe about its treatment, but the beer pack will stay the same, at least for the next summer.
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But beer tastes so good, and due to weight considerations one can enjoy a modest amount and not become intoxicated.
If you just want to get wasted, and you are a gram weenie... there are much lighter drugs out there than ethanol.
