Portage Pack vs. Backpack and Standard Portage Yoke vs. Contour Portage Yoke

[yellowcanoe]

Yup. Like all my ideas I learned from someone else.

 

[jporter]

That would be me




The two raw ends of the rope get bowlined to the stern and bow carry thwart and the middle clips together. Then you can easily trim the boat level, stern down or stern up just with moving your hand, that is by your side slightly forward or aft. Gone is the pressure of the weight of the boat on tensed trapezius muscles. The clip is to be unsnapped prior to off loading the boat. It saves you from possibly hanging yourself around the neck.

I got my idea from the KnuPac, which is no longer commercially made. Note yknpaddlers boat is under 20 lbs. I hated my solo KnuPack with a forty lb boat and a 30 lb pack. I could barely move and fell in Woodland Caribou under the load. I had to help myself as there wasn't anyone else in the area remotely. I had hurt myself and next time vowed never to get locked into a carry system . I much prefer a system where I can roll out and toss the boat to the side. Which I have done many times without injury.

Just a word of warning.. System may work for you or it may not.

I think I'll have to try this

 

[oldie moldy]

So by golly: "It was Eric Knudsen's idea." I wonder if Eric thought of it or did somebody show him.....but buy one of those KnuPac things and he's willing to share?
Maybe that's a little harsh: third degree snottery, guilty your Honor.
Anyways, I do know I had a muddled memory of the idea and Yellow Canoe tossed me a life preserver (complete with photo). If I can't get it right now, I probably deserve to be hung by my own canoe.

Best Wishes,

Rob

 

[yknpdlr]

So by golly: "It was Eric Knudsen's idea." I wonder if Eric thought of it or did somebody show him.....but buy one of those KnuPac things and he's willing to share?
Maybe that's a little harsh: third degree snottery, guilty your Honor.
Anyways, I do know I had a muddled memory of the idea and Yellow Canoe tossed me a life preserver (complete with photo). If I can't get it right now, I probably deserve to be hung by my own canoe.

Best Wishes,

Rob

wow

 

[yellowcanoe]

You know I don't write the entire backstory. I never thought that citations were always required. Back around 1997 I met Eric and Nita at Maine Canoe Symposium and met their Knu Pac..and bought one. Turned out the Pac was not for me but I liked the bow and stern lines. I forgot to ask where they came up with the idea. Two years later a friend of mine asked me to buy the company with him. Didn't have the money anyway and thought the idea needed to be tweaked.

Not sure it was their idea either. Is it that big a deal?

Eric and Nita shared with everyone at the Symposium both buyer and non buyer.

 

[yknpdlr]

You know I don't write the entire backstory. I never thought that citations were always required. Back around 1997 I met Eric and Nita at Maine Canoe Symposium and met their Knu Pac..and bought one. Turned out the Pac was not for me but I liked the bow and stern lines. I forgot to ask where they came up with the idea. Two years later a friend of mine asked me to buy the company with him. Didn't have the money anyway and thought the idea needed to be tweaked.

Not sure it was their idea either. Is it that big a deal?

Eric and Nita shared with everyone at the Symposium both buyer and non buyer.

I also met Eric and Nita in the mid-1990s at a show in the Adirondacks, and subsequently chatted with him on several later repeated occasions. I really liked his product, and even with its limitations I considered it a great leap forward for single trip portaging over long distances. After I bought and used the Gen-1 Knupac on several trips with a relatively heavy canoe, I was able to make some suggestions to Eric that then appeared in Gen-2. He told me that he had been considering the same improvements, so no credit here.

I have two Knupacs, wish I had bought another as a spare before they disappeared. When Eric decided to leave the business and move on to Hawaii, he made the offer to me to buy the company, as he no doubt did with several others who he thought might be interested. I was not in a position to take it on at that time.

Taking nothing from YC for pointing out the simplicity and posting the photo of the hand line, I simply pointed out that the specific device with buckle was included with the first Knupac many years ago. Whose "original" idea it was I don't know and it doesn't matter. No doubt a simple bow/stern handline had been a technique from many decades earlier, but as far as I know it had not been marketed in current form until Eric incorporated it with his product, which also eliminated the awkward need to raise both arms to the gunwales.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I think that the KnuPac was mistimed. I now would like one for my pack canoe. My issues with it were getting the boat on and off solo with a standard solo seat six inches back of the center and a detachable yoke. There simply was not a lot of clearnace between the two for the horns. I fell and one Y horn became jammed between the seat and the yoke. Understandably that was an issue and my issue simply because of the seat set up. If you use the thwart aft of the seat on a pack canoe there is nothing else to contribute to jamming and the frame would be great.

However at the time I did not have a pack canoe. Now I do. If I were able to get another Knu Pac I would for that boat in a heartbeat. I just wouldn't use it in a solo boat with just aft of center seating and a detachable yoke. The Knu Pac elevated your boat so it did not sit on your head. I have carried my RapidFire on my head for a mile and a quarter up the side of a hill here in Maine and yes your head does get sore!

 

[scoutergriz]

I think the idea is way older than the knupack. I remember my dad in the 60's rigging a "dingle string" on our old Grumman canoe. it was nothing more than a loop tied in the bow painter and the stern painter tied with a slip knot. you could adjust the length by simply pulling the slip knot, lengthening or shortening the amount of stern painter and retying the slip knot.
That's the way I still do it.

 

[yellowcanoe]

I think the idea is way older than the knupack. I remember my dad in the 60's rigging a "dingle string" on our old Grumman canoe. it was nothing more than a loop tied in the bow painter and the stern painter tied with a slip knot. you could adjust the length by simply pulling the slip knot, lengthening or shortening the amount of stern painter and retying the slip knot.
That's the way I still do it.

o geez I am so glad I am not drinking coffee.. a good way to avoid buckles.. But they are good for me. I would otherwise hang myself. Some would say hanging would be good.

Dingle string..dingle bells dingle bells..dingle dingle all the way.. sorry.

 

[Guest]

I saw your KnuPack on another thread (or somewhere, I don't remember) yknpdlr, and am impressed with the concept. I'm not sure if it's for me, but I like the way your hips/shoulders take the load (if I'm not mistaken). The canoe looks a long way up there; how do you manage it? Very, very cool photo BTW.
I tried the bow to stern rope thing, and gave up. I never thought of a quick fasten/release buckle. Duh. I've gotta try it now. Web and buckles are easily found in paddle type shops. On one trip, I managed to balance my canoe on my shoulders (with padded yoke) without hands for most of the carries. There were few hills of course. Since however, I lost that balance mojo and agree that even one hand steadying the gunnel is taxing on the shoulder. This rope & buckle rig is the ticket.
I don't care who thought of it first, but I am thankful for those of you who pass it on. Thank you.

 

[yknpdlr]

I tried the bow to stern rope thing, and gave up. I never thought of a quick fasten/release buckle. Duh. I've gotta try it now. Web and buckles are easily found in paddle type shops. On one trip, I managed to balance my canoe on my shoulders (with padded yoke) without hands for most of the carries. There were few hills of course.

Webbing and buckles are even more easily found at most hardware stores (at my local Ace Hardware for sure). The key thing about getting the hold line to work is stabilizing the canoe overhead. The line controls the tip fore and aft, but does nothing for lateral stabilization. That's where the knupac concept of the cradles, or "horns" comes in. The canoe is allowed to tip fore and aft, which is necessary for going up and down slopes, and the cradles keep the canoe from sliding off sideways, as well as to keep it pointed straight ahead.

Given a little bit of ingenuity and a few parts from the hardware store, anyone could make at home something similar, but maybe not as lightweight or neat - I've seen a few such copies. Getting the canoe initially mounted overhead can be an interesting exercise unless you practice a bit. Eric was not a large man, but he made it look easy to get any canoe, large or small, up and mounted on the cradles without trouble.