Solo Tripping in an OT Pack 12

[Brasenia]

12' ? Here's a pic of my Vader, at 16'4", loaded for a 5 day trip in the BWCA.

Don't think I could get by, without a serious reduction in gear, if I shrunk it down to 12'
!

Nessmuk claimed a total of 26# I'm a tad over that !

I can a max of 10-12 days hiking with a pack at altitude with mountaineering gear, so fitting camping gear (and fishing gear!) into a 12' canoe for a 5-7 day trip feels like the lap of luxury!

 

[Brasenia]

I'm just back from a quick shake-down trip (2 nights) in the North Maine woods in the pack. Here are my initial thoughts:

I love paddling this boat kneeling. I will install knelling pads ASAP...lol. I'm almost tempted to do away with the seat altogether and just install a kneeling thwart at the location of seat.

The boat was a joy to portage even without a portage yoke or strap. Having said that, for the longer carries, I will probably install a portage strap.

I brought my float tube to fish some remote ponds, and I fit it partially deflated into the stern of the boat like a floatation bag. Forward of the forward thwart, I had my dry bag and then my "other bag" (kitchen stuff, repair kit, tarp), and the trim was great! I will put a d-ring under the forward thwart for securing gear. I'll also likely drill the hull for bow and stern painters.

I had a windy first day crossing the first lake, and I can see that a spray deck would be nice.

Overall, I was impressed with the boat loaded. It paddled well and was easy to keep on track with a single blade paddle from a kneeling position.

 

[Brasenia]

I'm back from trip two, and I did some modifications between the two trips. I added lacing (with acrylic tubing loops on the inside), grab loops at bow and stern, and kneeling pads. I also put in two D-rings forward of the thwart. I still have to add the shock cord, but I was out and the new spool did not arrive before I left.




This trip was another short trip--three days and two nights to the south of Katahdin in an area called the Jo-Mary Lakes in Maine. I'll post a trip report over the weekend. Once again, I was very pleased with this boat for solo tripping, and I got a chance to see it perform in some snotty weather.

 

[Brasenia]

The next chapter has begun with this little boat!

 

[Paddlinhal]

Nice job on the outfitting. I'm still trying to get over two guys tripping in one. I have one in the porch rafters that I set up for tandem, basically the stern seat became the bow seat and I added another seat at the opposite end. The kids were about 15 last time we brought it camping and I cringed at the lack of freeboard even though they were carrying almost no gear.

 

[Brasenia]

The Pack12 saga continues. I've been putting her through her paces in the North Maine Woods!

 

[yellowcanoe]

Where was that meadow? Looks like a prior logging yard. Marmot tent( looks like my Limelight). Now that you have teased, the TR please!

 

[Brasenia]

Where was that meadow? Looks like a prior logging yard. Marmot tent( looks like my Limelight). Now that you have teased, the TR please!

I know, I know! I need to get the TR written and the video edited together. I've had crazy deadlines straight through the summer. I will get to it!

This is a former logging yard at the put-in. It's a little spot tucked up against the Canadian border not far from Saint-Pamphile. The tent is actually a Big Agnes Copper Spur (although our other tent is a Marmot!).

 

[yellowcanoe]

Winter is long.. and we can read then!

 

[Idiot Savant]

Hi, All.

Before I begin, I will say that I've done my homework, and I know people are split over whether you can/should solo trip in the OT Pack or not....so I'm hoping to avoid regurgitating that "discussion" here. For better or for worse, I recently came into possession of an OT Pack, and it is the only solo canoe we own. We do not have the money at the moment to buy any of the other solo canoes we hope to own one day, so if we can keep this discussion to the OT Pack, that would be awesome!

So, if you own an OT Pack how have you outfitted it for tripping? If you do not own an OT Pack but want to play along, how would you outfit it for tripping? It came with both the standard seat and the OT Angler Seat.

Dropping the seat seems the most obvious first step. I've read that some people have also moved it forward a few inches. I've read that others have added a kneeling thwart. Still others have added foot pegs. Then there are those who use an adhesive backed seat on the hull. What have you done/would you do with the seating on an OT Pack for tripping?

I'm thinking a 250cm double bladed paddle and a standard paddle.

Next, some people have added permanent carry yoke, while others have used a clamp on carry yoke. I know people have moved the thwart location, and those who have removed either OT seat have added a rear thwart. Thoughts?

Finally, in terms of gear configuration (and tie downs for Class I/II), any thoughts? A few well-placed d-rings?

Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

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I recently purchased an expensive 15.5 ft. carbon and Kevlar solo.
I've been looking at some plastic 12-13 ft. solo canoes to complement this boat, so I'm interested to see how this pans out for you.
Looks like Old Town no longer offers the pack canoe, or it's under a different name. Looks pretty wide, which may be why the seat is so far back, but you really would need to move it forward if you plan on putting a pack of any size back there.
I would think a long double bladed paddle probably is the way to go, though I also plan on taking along a single blade on mine.
I don't see a problem doing class II, if it's not overloaded.
This is definitely not a week long tripper, at least not on western rivers. I don't plan on doing more than weekenders in mine.

 

[yknpdlr]

A few years ago I was detemined to make a canoe pack trip on a diagonal across the Adirondacks, from my home a few miles to the west of the southwestern edge of the Adirondack boundary, to my daughter's place, a few miles from the northeast edge of the Adiondacks, across Lake Champlain near Plattsburgh. For ease of the many miles of carries I expected, I decided do it in a 10.5 foot 15 pound Hornbeck canoe. It was the very first hybrid carbon/kevlar boat that Pete Hornbeck had built at the time. I loaded all gear and food I needed in my Knupac external frame backpack with a custom portage mount and headed off on the adventure during one hot dry week in July. The entire total distance covered was 185 miles, to include a total of 65 miles of portages (fullly one third the distance) taking exactly 7 days.

Day zero of my Trans-Adirondack Trek


Custom home made spray cover for rough waters in 10;5' Hornbeck.